Flag! Coaches Brawl Over Girl Playing Youth Football-Parent's Religious Beliefs

[RamboLiberal]

EATON, Colo. -- A youth football scrimmage in Eaton Monday was scuttled when coaches brawled because the Eaton team said moral beliefs didn't allow their boys to "hit" a girl playing for the Boys and Girls Club.

During the dust up, Eaton coach Shawn Mills suffered a small bump and scratches over his left eye. But Mills told officers he didn't want charges filed against Nate Hernandez, the assistant-coach who punched him, according to a police report.

Police said they will take no action.

The Boys and Girls club suspended parent-coach Hernandez who, along with other parents, confronted the Eaton coaches at mid-field before the scrimmage, demanding they tell the 11-year-old girl why she couldn't play, said Greg Kimbrough, chief executive officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Weld County.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/21218538/detail.html

American Taliban - you need to get over it. Maybe you were afraid the girl would show up your precious boys. As a female athlete Gawd I hate this kind of stupid attitude!

They ought to kick the Eaton team out if they can't play against girls or won't allow girls on their team. They can go play themselves! Wonder if any of their boys are in any public martial arts schools where girls fight boys?

[gratuitous]

1. It's in Leviticus, people!

"Thou shalt not engird thy female offspring in shoulder pads as thou dost they male offspring; neither shall thy female offspring wear an cup."

Leviticus 28:12, Revised Dimwit Version.

[seabeyond]

3. while wearing blendeth material and eating shellfish nt

[pepperbear]

11. hey you can't edit the bible like that.....

oh wait, yeah you can....

http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project

[gratuitous]

22. I'm disappointed

Nobody has noticed that Leviticus has only 27 chapters. Although I suppose the Republican Party platform could fairly be called the 28th chapter.

[LanternWaste]

40. 27 chapters...

27 chapters... most of which are targeted directly at the priestly cast of Israel (the tribe of Levi), while most of the remaining strictures are directly targeted at the tribe of Israel as whole.

[Ignis]

24. Well, as long as their uniforms weren't made of mixed fibers, right?

:rofl:

[piratefish08]

36. and NO shrimp at the annual banquet!

[seabeyond]

2. amarillo texas.... my sons 6th grade tackle football team has a girl. she is one of the BEST

and they love having her on the team. i told my son, when he has a daughter, he will be able to tell daughter he played football with a girl on his team. she can do ANYTHING.... if she works at it. made son jazzed.

also he was twisting his hair and ended with all these curls. for a decade i have been telling him to .... quit twisting. last night i told him, all those curls make him a pretty girl

he said

being called a girl is not an insult mom, i am not a chauvenist...... ooooooh, my boy, my good good boy. lol lol. bragged about him to other son and hubby at dinner table and he was grinnin. making a halo over his head

that is just a funny to share

but yawl caught it. amarillo, texas.... girl on tackle football.

[dflprincess]

4. Several years ago when my nephew was 10 or 11 he had an

absolute butt head for an assistant coach on his little league team. The guy's biggest insults to the kids was to call them ladies or tell them they were playing "like girls". This went on despite complaints from moms and an irate aunt.

Then one day they played a team that had a girl on it. She could hit, she could pitch and she could field. One of the best players I saw in all the years my nephews played ball and, to the boys' credit, they were all impressed with her as well.

As we were leaving after the game that night, as I walked by the butt-head, I turned to him and said "I bet you wish they played like girls now."

I never heard him make those comments again.

[Mariana]

15. ***APPLAUSE!*** nt.

[seabeyond]

21. ha ha. i love. nt

[LeftyMom]

5. Good for Nate Hernandez.

That girl's always going to know that the adults in her life were willing to stand up for her. I applaud that.

[Romulox]

6. Good for Nate Hernandez? The guy who punched a man to settle his differences?

What a fine example. :eyes:

[LeftyMom]

9. Hell yes. That creep was trying to marginalize and exclude a young girl.

Fuck that shit and fuck anybody who puts up with that sort of behavior. If anybody tells a girl she can't do something just because she's a girl in front in front of me, I'll give them a bit more than a bump on the head. :evilgrin: I hope the rest of you would do the same, because tolerating sexism is cowardly bullshit.

My baby sister played youth football, and I know for a fact that her coach, who was and is a close family friend, could well have done the same thing that Mr. Hernandez did in that situation. And that's why my sister was the first and only girl in a league that's now full of them, because all the adults on her team supported her right to play and told anybody who had a problem with it to shut the hell up and let her prove on the field that she belonged. Well, that and because boys on opposing teams who mouthed off to my sister on the field usually got a free ER visit for their trouble, and word got around that "the girl" would lay your ass out you didn't shut up and play.

PS Baby sister was team MVP two years running.

[Romulox]

12. So...the coach just needs to find somebody bigger than Nate Hernandez...

"Well, that and because boys on opposing teams who mouthed off to my sister on the field usually got a free ER visit for their trouble"

This reads like a revenge fantasy, not a serious post. I think you need to rethink you advocacy for violence.

[LeftyMom]

14. Only if you haven't met any of the women in my family.

Mom used to tend biker bars. Sis looks like the sweetest preppiest girl you'll ever meet, but under the spray tan she's every bit as tough.

I don't think violence is a first-line solution for anything, but I do think it has it's uses.

[petronius]

25. Hernandez screwed up. Aside from the punching thing (which could have been mutual), he instigated

the confrontation in the first place:

Kimbrough said the fight should have been avoided, because Mills called Hernandez before the Monday scrimmage to explain some Eaton parents' opposition to boys playing football against girls.

"Their coach expressed to our team that they had several parents who wouldn't allow their sons to participate in the scrimmage if the girl was going to play, because of their belief structure," Kimbrough said. "They've taken it and made it sort of a team edict that they won't hit girls, therefore, they won't play teams that have girl players. ... I may disagree with their strictness on this, but I have to respect that we live in a society that allows them to have that freedom of choice."

Kimbrough said Eaton coaches were left with the impression that the girl wouldn't play, because Mills had explained that his team would be forced to cancel because Eaton couldn't field enough players if the boys whose parents disapproved were pulled from the game.

Instead of notifying the Boys and Girls Club, Hernandez called the girl's mother, Nichole Esquibel, and outraged parents decided to call the Greeley Tribune, Kimbrough said.

I don't agree with excluding girls, but the game should have been cancelled before anyone even got to the field...

[aikoaiko]

32. I don't think the game should have been canceled.

I think both teams should have showed up and if one team didn't want to play the players of the other team, they should have left. Telling another team not to play a player was dishonorable.

[petronius]

34. The anti-girl team said they didn't want to play the players of the other team in advance,

so the only point in everyone showing up was to create this spectacle. Hernandez must have known the other team wasn't going to play, and by concealing that fact from his team/sponsor he instigated drama - that's the screw-up...

The anti-girl team is wrong in the larger sense, but the specific debacle isn't their fault. The pro-girl team could have explained the situation and had a learning opportunity with their kids without dragging everyone out to a game that wasn't going to happen and putting the girl in a potentially-uncomfortable situation...

[aikoaiko]

39. The anti-girl team can say whatever they want before the scrim -- showing up doesn't mean you agree

If the anti-girl team didn't want to play a team with a girl, then it was their choice to not play.

The scrimmage was scheduled between teams and they both showed up to play.

However, I did not read anything to suggest that fisticuffs was justifiable, but a verbal confrontation certainly was.

[petronius]

42. Right, and it sounds like they tried to exercise that choice before the game,

but the punching dude decided not to tell anyone. What would be the point of showing up, if it was decided in advance that the game wouldn't happen?

It sounds to me that the anti-girl team made clear in advance that the girl was a dealbreaker, and they only showed up because punching dude let them think she wouldn't play. So, this dude wasted everyone's time in order to create a scene...

[aikoaiko]

43. Maybe you're right, but maybe the original intent was to defend a principle.

I do agree that this should have been resolved without violence.

[MadMaddie]

45. If they didn't want to play it goes down as a forfeiture and a loss

[aikoaiko]

47. Usually not for a scrimmage

[tularetom]

7. Maybe they were just anticipating the ration of shit they would receive

If the young lady somehow got hurt during the game.

A lot of the people who are roasting their ass now for refusing to play against a team with a girl on it would be just as outraged if the girl got injured as a result off some hard hit during the game.

It's a no win situation. Years ago I coached a coed soccer team (under 12's) with three girls on it. One mom was careful to ensure that her daughter got to play more than the minimum required time (actually no problem since she was very athletic and could run all day without getting tired) but equally insistent that I remind the boys that she was a girl and it was necessary to make sure that she was never exposed to any type off aggressive play (again not a problem since she was capable of dishing it out as well as taking it).

[RamboLiberal]

8. Give me a break

Girls can take a hit too. I sure took my share in martial arts. And I took my share playing street sports including football including tackle up to my early teens.

Funny thing is I saw a thread on this story when I googled it from Free Republic - most of them were taking your stance.

[justiceischeap]

18. Just a quick question

A lot of the people who are roasting their ass now for refusing to play against a team with a girl on it would be just as outraged if the girl got injured as a result off some hard hit during the game.

Would these same people be just as bothered by a boy getting hurt as a result of "some hard hit during the game?" 'Cause boys get hurt playing football too ya know. Hell, when I played baseball as a young girl, I was about the only one who didn't get hurt and it's not because the "boys" took it easy on me, it's that I was that good. Girls often have to be better than boys in co-ed sports because we all too often hear how we're not as "capable" as the boys.

[tularetom]

19. Hey I didn't say I AGREED with that line of thinking

As I said I've witnessed that mindset and it wouldn't surprise me at all that these coaches were afraid of being labeled bullies for beating up on a girl.

Of course you don't feel that way and neither do I, but there are plenty that do.

Or maybe they were afraid the team with a girl on it was going to kick their ass and traumatize their players for the rest of their teenage years. Maybe even turn them gay.

[rvablue]

26. -1! n/t

[Rex]

10. Look, she is a girl and if girls play local football with the boys

gravity on the Earth will cease to exist. Hence causing the Earth to come apart and for all life as we know it to become extinct. Got a sneak peek at the new GOP Bible of All Truth so Stop Asking Questions.

[sakabatou]

13. God forbid a girl kick-ass in football.

[zbdent]

16. hope they feel that way when it comes to spousal abuse ...

but I doubt it ...

[piratefish08]

17. I'm opposed to it based on the precedent set by Lucy and Charlie Brown.

Females can't be trusted on a football field!


:sarcasm:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

20. HEATHER SUE MERCER,

I live a town over, and I hoped this would be a sea change for girls. 16 years ago. Of course this is NY, where we are all heathens...

Girl Kicker Ends Season As the Best in 2 Counties
By KATE STONE LOMBARDI
Published: Sunday, December 5, 1993


HEATHER SUE MERCER, the kicker for Yorktown High School's football team and the only female varsity player in the county, had mixed emotions as she played her final game of the season last month.

First there was the excitement. The Yorktown Cornhuskers were playing the Chittenango Bears in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse for the New York State High School Class B football championship. Then there was the forlorn realization that time was running out on her football-playing career.

"I looked up at the clock, and there were 5 minutes and 24 seconds left," Heather Sue said. "And all I could think of was that I'd only be wearing the uniform for 5 minutes and 24 seconds." (this brought tears to my eyes)

Continued at link
http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/05/nyregion/girl-kicker-ends-season-as-the-best-in-2-counties.html

[Romulox]

23. So...why not boys on the girls' teams then?

:hi:

[rvablue]

27. Please provide a link to all girls football teams! Thanks! n/t

[Romulox]

29. Why is this limited to football? Soccer, softball, field hockey, volleyball, etc.

Something tells me "that's different!". :hi: :rofl:

[ieoeja]

33. Fairness

A female good enough to play with the big boys should not be excluded from playing with them. That is only fair.

Big boys joining a female league would be unfair to the women in that league as they would beat them up.

Try it with age if you prefer. A kid good enough to play Major League Baseball would be signed in a minute. But we aren't going to let adults play Little League.

[Romulox]

35. But that gives girls "two bites at the apple". How is it fair to exclude boys who aren't good

enough for the boys team from playing if they're good enough for the girls team? You are ultimately arguing that girls should have more athletic opportunities than boys, since they can play in the boys' leagues if good enough, or they can retreat to the protection of the girls' leagues if they are not.

What about an undersized boy? Why shouldn't he have the same opportunity to play (not to mention to win scholarships) as the girls? This is a sexist double standard. :hi:

[WildEyedLiberal]

44. No, there's no "double standard"

There are no girls' football teams. If there were, girls who were good at football would be expected to play for the girls league. Girls can't just arbitrarily play in boys' leagues where there is a similar girl league available. That's why girls DON'T play baseball or soccer with boys, unless the league is defined as co-ed - because they have their own soccer and softball leagues. Name me one girl playing in an all-boys baseball or soccer league. You can't, because they play in girls' or co-ed leagues.

And what do you mean by an "undersized" boy? Shrimpy boys should get to play in "inferior" girls' leagues because they can't hack it in the boys division? Sorry, sports teams aren't charities. There's no inalienable right to make the team.

[Romulox]

50. Ummm, of course there are girls playing boys soccer, baseball leagues...

"Girls can't just arbitrarily play in boys' leagues where there is a similar girl league available. "

Umm, yes they can. :hi:

"Shrimpy boys should get to play in "inferior" girls' leagues because they can't hack it in the boys division? Sorry, sports teams aren't charities. There's no inalienable right to make the team."

If "shrimpy" boys shouldn't then why should "shrimpy" girls be allowed to play? Again, when you treat two people differently based on their gender for no good reason, it is called sexism. In this case, it's a sexist double standard.

[Winterblues]

28. What happens when she gets hurt?

I know it is politically correct to have both girls and boys participate equally in sports but the reality is they are not equals. Boys are as a whole stronger and tougher. Granted some girls are more like boys in this regard but the majority are not. There is a reason girls have been called the weaker sex. IMO a girl playing tackle football is at a much greater risk of injury than a boy is for the same sport.. Just my opinion by the way and I don't mean this to be in any way sexist.

[aikoaiko]

31. I wouldn imagaine there would be an injury timeout and she, like any boy, would be treated.

:shrug:

[Taverner]

37. It's FREAKIN FLAG FOOTBALL!

She'd be in more danger doing Cheer or Volleyball

[aikoaiko]

30. Effing ridiculous.

If one team doesn't want to play the players of the other team, then they can forfeit. I know it was only a scrimmage, but still....

[Bobbie Jo]

38. "moral beliefs didn't allow their boys to "hit" a girl..."

No, hitting females is a privilege strictly reserved for their wives. :eyes:

[Orsino]

41. Semantically identical to a lot of other bigotry...

...perpetrated as allegedly for the victims' "protection."

[Kievan Rus]

46. Social conservatives = the Klan without the sheets

[saltpoint]

48. I'm thinking that young folks who have skill in sports ought to be

encouraged to play those sports, including on teams like this one, without regard to their being a girl or a boy.

Both girls and boys should be athletes, cellists, dancers, painters, parents, priests, or 7-11 clerks, as they so wish.

And they deserve support.

[Obamanaut]

49. Helen Hunt made the movie many years ago. Wonder if those

folks know about it.