On NPR this morning, Frank DeFord threw out an interesting argument about women who compete in men's sports events, although I had to fight the urge to turn my radio dial to C-SPAN (the horror!) when he opened with:

"Michelle Wie, I do wish you would stick to playing against your own kind."

Wow, Frank. I do wish you would hold off on offending your listeners until after you’ve made your argument.

Anyway, in his segment, DeFord argued that by competing alongside men at men's golf tournaments, Wie is doing great harm to women’s sports because she is drawing fans’ attention away from women’s tournaments. He concludes that Wie would have the greatest impact on women’s sports if she limited her competition to women’s events.

DeFord correctly points out that the reason women’s sports currently don’t get as much coverage as men’s sports is because most sports fanatics are men, as are most professional athletes, and sports magazines and TV shows will give their viewers what they want to see. But even most women who are truly into sports aren't focused on the sex of the athletes they're watching. Ask any native Bostonienne who is passionate about baseball. To her, the Red Sox are the Red Sox. I can assure you that the fact that they also happen to be 30 or so persons with one Y chromosome wasn't in any female sports fan’s mind when they broke the curse of the Bambino. The truth is, in the world of sports, people just want to watch the best athletes. Period.

DeFord focuses so much on Wie’s gender that he ignores that by qualifying to compete in men’s events, Wie has demonstrated that she IS one of the best golfers; she’s just one who just happens to be a woman. And because of this, Wie has probably brought more attention to women's golf because people recognize her as such. Golf fans who wouldn’t have otherwise watched an LPGA tournament now will if Wie plays in it simply because they enjoy watching a talented athlete perform. But the reason those fans were able to recognize her talent in the first place was because by competing in men’s-only events, she was no longer considered a lady golfer; she was suddenly just a damn good golfer.

Where Wie can break ground for women is not with regards to "women’s sports" as defined as women’s professional sporting associations and women’s sporting events, but with regards to the potential of individual women athletes. Her performance suggests that even in sports, where their lack of testosterone is supposed to hinder them the most, women can achieve a level of performance beyond the limitations of the leagues they’re relegated to.

And if enough talented females are enticed by the prospect of entering professional sports to compete to be the best period, then perhaps someday we may not even need separate men’s and women’s leagues for some professional sports. Golfers might simply be able to compete against other golfers without all the hubbub. Now that’s equality.

Comments

[jordan]

I think you totally misunderstood the "your own kind" remark, DeFord doesn't have a problem with women playing in a man's game, he's got a problem with asians playing a white game (T.Woods notwithstanding)