An Arizona high school boys soccer team refused to participate in a match with another team because there were women on the roster. Mesa-based Faith Christian School forfeited their match against Foothills Academy College Prep because they did not want to play against a team with women on the roster. Foothills Academy College Prep weren’t impressed by the move and reaffirmed the girls were a part of the team.
Faith Christian School cited their religious beliefs as the reasoning for their forfeit,
“I know it appears to fly in the face of what everyone is wanting to promote today, and that is equality. It is based on a religious perspective that God created guys and girls differently. The difference physically, there is a strength advantage that men have over women. We want to teach our men that honor of ladies is just not in sports. We struggle how to teach that if we’re allowing them to play against young ladies in a competitive game. We’re the ones harmed because we’re giving up a game. We think it’s better to do that than give a mixed message.”
Wonder if he can hear us all the way back in the 1950’s.
This isn’t the first time Foothills has run into trouble. During a previous incident, the girls were actually not allowed to play because the other team felt uncomfortable. This time, their male counterparts voted and refused to play without the girls on the field. The girls earned their roster spots and it wouldn’t be fair to play the game without them.
What the other school shared was pretty ridiculous if you think about it. It only affirms previously-held sexist stereotypes about women not being able to play and compete against men, women being daintier than men and women as an object instead of a person. Men are supposed to honor women in every aspect except sports because women aren’t supposed to be athletic.
I can’t believe something as ridiculous as this is happening 2016 but then again, high school boys have the maturity level of a second grader. They might get beaten by a girl and their egos would never be able to recover.
