Login to Change.org
Create an Account
Jim Nemerovski
San Francisco, CA
Recent Activity
-
Jim commented on the article |I think Rick's point is valid - to a point.
The practical reality of girls playing Baseball should not be understated. On the other hand, it should not be an impediment to change.
My daughter, age 15, is playing Baseball on her otherwise-all-boys High School team, at the Varsity level. She may be the only one playing in her division, in her city. During these past few weeks, she has also been playing with one of three elite training organizations and teams, the Senators.
She is the the first girl in 15 years to try out for (and, even more impressive, then make it onto) the Senators.
How she ended up on this team, rather than two other elite training organizations is the result of gender bias: both, overt and not-so-subtle – or, even putting her High School Fall Ball team second (she is totally committed to her Spring High School team, as the majority of the Fall Ball team members don't take it seriously – all boys - so why should she, at the expense of a truly challenging experience, one where she is treated with the most respect she has ever experienced on any team previously, from both coaches and players:
the story is not too dramatic, just the story of a player who comes out to try out, over three weeks, 8-2 hour-long, and a double-header scrimmage.
"She earned her own spot - she didn't take one from the boys," the head coach and missionary of this distinguished program.
But, she is still the youngest player - the oldest 19. So, she is being tracked according to her age, not gender; her physicality and level of fitness; not that as a girl she may perform different or lesser than the boys.
When she was not selected to travel with the team to a tournament 3 States away, it was because of her relative ability and also her age. No doubt, being a girl made it more challenging for her be considered, as we were not able to guarantee that we could chaperone her - something she didn't want to happen, anyway: if that were the case maybe she wouldn't want to go: "I don't understand why I can't go: I'm a big girl!"
There have been quite a number of tournament opportunities this past year she has been unable to attend: all the other tournaments are all-women tournaments around the country. But, as a Sophomore, her school work comes first; all of the women's tournaments took place while school was still in session. Although they were really intended for women, girls as young as 14 have been known to play on these teams.
There are two women's tournaments coming up in the next few months: the Phoenix Cup, in its fourth year, held by the Hong Kong Baseball Association; in Sydney, Australia, the local contingent of the Australia Baseball Federation, is holding an International Invitational tournament.
In February, a contingent from Canada will be visiting Cuba for a chance to develop relations and skills with the Cuban Women's team, after they had participated in the PanAmerican Federation;s Women's Beisbol tournament, which is happening now, as I write, with teams fro Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
In July, 2010, BaseballForAll, under the leadership of Justine Siegal, is conducting a 10-17 age training camp, prior to sending a 12U team to Cooperstown Dreams Park to compete with otherwise (almost) all-boys teams; the 17U team will travel to Puerto Rico, also, for a chance to develop relations and skills:
In addition to these opportunities, during the Summer, she plays on an all-women's Baseball team, in an all-women's Baseball league.
As a former Little League player, 6 years after starting out as a Rookie in Fall Ball, as the only girl on her team, she is back as an umpire, at the Rookie level.
During the Spring season, getting her feet wet, she was only officiating over Girls Softball, at the Majors level (age 9-10). I can only imagine what it was like for the girls to have such a vital inspiration behind the plate. Also, she has proven to be a fair and accurate umpire!
But, together, as I watch on, she has had the fortune officiating over Rookie Baseball this Fall...
In the course of her activity, I know of 6 girls, on three teams, who have been representing quite well.
I know that 4 of the girls are die-hard Baseball players; 2 are actively Softball players, one by self-determination; the other by default as her activity schedule is so booked in the Spring, the Recreational nature of Girl's Softball, by contrast to the Competitive nature of Baseball, is sufficient for her: no pressure. Considering her brother is an Elite Baseball player, both in Little League, and USSA and Nations Baseball, their family is quite clear about the dimensions of the game, not to forget mentioning that the dad was the head coach for one of the Rookie teams this Fall: drafting 3 girls alone on his own team, one a lights-out pitcher; the other had quite a solid disposition of a BASEBALL player (in her case, her two older brothers didn't take to Baseball, so the dad is clearly loving the opportunity to engage with his daughter in Baseball.)
As the result of engaging one of the girls, as a student, this girl, who is all-sport and loves Baseball not Softball: having my daughter as her trainer, teaching her how to pitch, hit, etc:
she asked my daughter for a signature on a fresh Little League baseball. My daughter showed her the finer points of signing a ball:
if you are signing a single-signed ball: write on the sweet spot; if you are writing on a team ball: DO NOT write on the sweet spot: unless you want to drive everyone else crazy, which is exactly what my daughter did when she had the opportunity to sign a team ball that was submitted into the Youth Baseball Hall of Fame: the first team ball of the first all-girl team to defeat an all-boy team at Cooperstown Dreams Park, immortalized in the firlm Girls of Summer, by Max Tash:
http://www.girlsofsummermovie.com/
A final anecdote:
A second, all-girl Baseball team participated in the Cooperstown Dreams Park summer season, playing well, representing girls from the USA read the following story for more from the team founder and organizer, Mary Jo Stegeman:
-
Jim commented on the article |
There is nothing I can think of that is more national than baseball in America - other than the inalienable rights or natural laws our society is founded on. Baseball is an expression of those rights and laws.
When any democracy denies access to an institution as vital and pervasive as baseball has, by chance and determination, become in America, the refusal to accept the disenfranchised as equals takes over and the matter is no longer about the trivial matter of a girl preferring baseball to softball, despite the inconvenience - or a boy's disappointment with not being to play volleyball representing his school team.
My own daughter was faced with mixed feelings and sentiments among her good friends, the boys affected, for just these two cases, in Middle School; the confusion under the circumstances obfuscated my daughter's victory and constitutional right to play baseball - or, at least, to try out for the team.
Unfortunately, only when faced with the barrier to entry the matter comes to the fore-front, and takes on grave significance, and resistance from those unsupportive of girls who prefer playing baseball to any other sport.
In this year, alone, Indiana has been recognized for initially barred two girls from trying out for their baseball teams; it has also looked the other way when a girl wanted to play recreation baseball - in each case, requiring Constitutional lawyers to intervene to instate the girl's access to baseball.
By stark contrast, in California, a girl is not impeded from playing baseball in High School - she is permitted access to tryout and, if she has reached a level of competence, she will be encouraged and supported by her community; her coach; Athletic Director, Principal or head of School. Or, they will have to accept that she be provided equal treatment, whether they like it or not
There are approximately an equal number of girls who play softball in American high schools as boys who play baseball. The number of girls who play baseball has peaked at almost 2000 in a given school year: on, otherwise, all-boy baseball teams. However, the organization that is responsible for gathering and maintaining these figures, the National Federation of State High School Associations, is cynical in their approach towards girls who play baseball: it is up to the member states' organizations to provide them with the accurate figures. Yet, there is no record of the girls playing baseball on par with that of the boys, or the girls who play softball, because the record of the girl who plays baseball is not maintained with the same consideration and seriousness.
Why is there a double standard: why are girls not supported in playing baseball? Why are girls not only encouraged to play softball but are not informed of their opportunity and federally-protected right to play baseball from the earliest experiences in youth baseball and Little League - let alone in academic settings, in Middle and High School?
In a recent op-ed piece...:
American Girls Play Catch-up, by Jennifer Ring
...some of these questions are considered - the discussion is fully addressed in a book, soon to be released, Stolen Bases: Why American Girls Don’t Play Baseball, also, by Jennifer Ring.
Jim Nemerovski - http://www.girlsplaybaseball.org
Impact
2 Actions
0 Recruits
Top Causes
|
1 Action
|