In November, voters will go to the polls to choose Mississippi’s 66th governor, a contest between incumbent Tate Reeves, a Republican, and Brandon Presley, a Democrat.
There are many issues to consider but Reeves seems laser-focused on one particular topic: boys playing on girls sports teams.
In 2021, Reeves signed a bill that prohibits this from happening and yet more than two years later, he’s still talking about it. Apparently, he considers it the high-water mark of his tenure. Mull that over.
Even at the time the legislation was passed, it was largely understood that it was a reaction rather than a response, since there were no instances where Mississippi boys were playing girls sports that anybody was aware of. So when the new law took effect, most people shrugged, as if to say, “Alrighty, then,” and went on with their lives.
Even though it is not an issue in the campaign, Reeves can’t seem to shut up about it and the more he carries on about it, the more suspicious I find it. In fact, I have now reached the point that I am in favor of boys playing girls sports.
Sure, I know that, for biological reasons, boys are generally better at most sports than girls. If boys were allowed to play girls sports, some girls would have to sit on the bench. I admit that is an unfair advantage for the boys.
Even so, I think there are some positive outcomes from boys playing girls sports that may have been overlooked.
Since less than 2% of high school athletes go on to earn athletic scholarships and the same percentage of college athletes become pro athletes, the real value of sports is helping kids develop in ways that benefit them in the binary, non-sports world that most adults live in. Nobody is going to ask about your won/lost record in high school on a job interview.
No, the enduring benefits of playing sports is that they promote accountability, discipline, sacrifice, team work, respect for others and integrity (fair play). I think girls’ sports do a better job of developing all those qualities.
There is a kind of esprit de corps in girls sports you don’t see in boys sports. Go to a girls softball game and you’ll find the players have special chants and songs and innumerable other ways of supporting each other. They hug. They dance. Sometimes, they cry. There’s little of that in boys’ sports.
You won’t find bench-clearing brawls in girls’ sports the way you do in boys’ sports, either. When the game is over, the girls celebrate or commiserate depending on the outcome and soon move on with the other things that are important in their lives because, well, that’s what well-adjusted people do.
But if you’ve ever been to an Egg Bowl, for example, you know that the potential for a brawl at the end of the game is an even-money bet.
So, yes, girls have a healthier attitude about winning and losing.
In girls sports, the comradery is healthy and supportive.
In boys sports, the comradery borders on savagery.
You’ve seen this if you ever watched a college or pro football game on TV. Moments before kickoff, the team captain gathers his teammates in a circle and proceeds to lose his ever-lovin’ mind. His face turns red, his neck muscles bulge, he contorts his body in great spasms of energy, Spittle flies from his mouth as he screams about ripping out the entrails of their opponents and stomping on them in front of their horrified families. His teammates are somehow inspired by what can only be described as the ravings of a lunatic.
Out in the real world, say in a sales meeting, no one is screaming about their desire to disembowel the competition. HR would intervene were that to happen.
It should not be surprising, then, that girl athletes generally prove to be better citizens than their male counterparts.
Hardly a day goes by that we don’t read about male athletes getting into trouble, sometimes serious trouble — bar fights, DUIs, drug possession, gun charges, domestic violence, etc. When was the last time you heard of a girl athlete committing those offenses? It is rare, indeed.
Girls’ sports are more positive and affirming. Girls’ sports promote healthy attitudes and good citizenship.
I think boys could benefit from the environment that comes from playing girls sports.
I thank the Governor for helping me reexamine my position.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion