Cool heads needed at tipoff
For the first time in the state, girls and boys high school basketball squads will play in the same season, thanks in part to a nasty and lengthy court battle that raged its way all the way to the Supreme Court in a 10-year ping pong match of sorts.
In 1998, a group of Grand Rapids volleyball parents called foul and gender bias, stating that their daughters were being discriminated against, were missing out on scouting and scholarship issues and were unfairly placed in a season opposed to their collegiate counterparts.
While the district courts dickered back and forth about whether or not the case should be decided using Title XI and other laws, those girls graduated from high school, became parents and coaches, and moved on with their lives. Paying the price are six high school sports — girls’ and boys’ golf, girls’ and boys’ tennis, girls’ basketball, and volleyball. Starting this past fall, volleyball switched to the fall season, while girls’ basketball moved to the fall. The tennis and golf programs were mandated to flop their seasons, with those programs now crying foul and discrimination because their athletes are now missing out on the very opportunities the original lawsuit claimed.
Despite how everyone feels across the state, we all have to get over it and find an equitable way to not only play those sports, but in every newspaper’s case, how to fairly cover the new season alignment. In basketball that is especially precarious with many saying the boys’ basketball is the main season and deserves the marquee game nights. Girls programs across the state are thumbing their noses at the mere thought, crying discrimination and bias.
It’s a no one-wins situation that was hashed out over the summer and into the fall as every school district and league approached the problem with a completely different solution. Some opted to give the girls their own game nights, while others will run double- and triple-headers every Friday. And yes, someone has to play first. How that was determined is as different as the leagues that lost sleep over the agonizing decision. There were no easy solutions, and even the best thought out solutions created even bigger problems because of the discrepancies in game nights.
Complicating the matter further was the very obvious lack of facility space and officials. With both seasons running parallel to the college basketball seasons, veteran officials have earned the right to, and will opt to call those college games. That is expected to leave a shortage of officials all the way down to the freshman level. And, with the number of games that have to be completed before district action, athletes will play a minimum of four nights a week, including some Saturdays.
Say goodbye to any semblance of a family mealtime, car pool, or structured homework period. Kids, coaches, administrators and officials are going to be taxed physically and mentally as they try to keep up with school work under the bleachers, on the buses and in hallways while they await their turn on the court. Early morning and late evening practices have been necessary, leaving school officials to explain why kids are out until 10 p.m. on a school night. That’s not optimal either. With academic eligibility a must in all sports, an eagle eye will have to be turned on each child to make sure they don’t burn out on the court and in the classroom.
As for newspaper reporters and photographers, and especially the officials, be kind to us. A bottle of Gatorade or a granola bar may be the only dinner we get during the winter season. We’ll be setting up remote offices under the bleachers if you want to stop by and say hi. And, chocolate is always appreciated in great times of stress. Above all, patience and understanding across the board will be necessary, so count to 10, or 100 if it helps, before you start shouting at the kids, coaches and officials.

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