The New York Times has a story today on cheerleaders in upstate
NY. In response to a complaint from the parent of a female basketball
player, the US Department of Education ruled that the cheerleaders
must support boys’ and girls’ teams equally.
So the cheerleaders now go only to home games, of both boys’ and
girls’ teams. They miss out on meeting rival squads at home or away
games, and (I imagine) the home team advantage is that much more
advantageous.
This can’t possibly be the spirit in which Title IX was intended.
There are much more egregious violations of that spirit, to be
sure—cancelling low-profile mens’ sports, for example—but no
solution that makes the girls (who didn’t request cheerleaders) just
as unhappy as the boys (who were used to having them) can’t be right.
A clue to what might be going on came in the second page of the
article, in a quote from an athletic director:
"It’s probably hardest on some of the parents… all of a sudden
they’re at a game, and there are no cheerleaders."
Hrm… it’s hardest on the parents? So even if the female players are
distracted by the cheers, the cheerleaders are quitting, and the boys
miss having cheerleaders at their games, it’s okay. The parents
of the girls’ team feel like they’re getting equal treatment.
Can I say again how much I am bothered by this kind of
helicopter/stage parenting? Get over yourselves, people. Your child’s
basketball game, or spelling bee victory, or college admissions, or
first job are not about you. It’s about them. You can be proud, and
happy for them, but if you can’t realize it’s not about you, you should get out
of the way.
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