Catholic high school baseball team balks over having to face team with a girl in title game

[Electric Monk]

All second baseman Paige Sultzbach wanted to do was play in her school's state championship baseball game tonight.

But because she is a girl, that won't happen.

Sultzbach is a freshman at Mesa Preparatory Academy, which had been scheduled to play Our Lady of Sorrows Academy in tonight's Arizona Charter Athletic Association state championship at Phoenix College.

But Our Lady of Sorrows, a fundamentalist Catholic school in Phoenix that lost twice to Mesa Prep during the regular season, chose to forfeit the championship game rather than play a team fielding a female player.

more
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/preps/articles/2012/05/09/20120509school-balks-over-having-face-girl-state-title-game.html

Lots of, ahem, interesting, comments at the link as well.

[cbayer]

1. It appears that this has a whole lot more to do with overt sexism than religion.

[skepticscott]

5. That's the great thing about Catholicism

It gives you both in one guilt-free package. It's all the word of gawd, as far as they're concerned, so it's all good.

[Goblinmonger]

6. It's a 2-for-1 sale! n/t

[dmallind]

9. From where does this religious organization derive its sexism though?

It's not a misogynist society school or a cootie-hater school or even a testosterone fan scgool. It's a religious school, with religion as its raison d'etre and founding principle. Are we supposed to assume then that its sexism is entirely unconnected and coincidental? Why?

[rug]

2. I was going to question the term "fundamentalist Catholic" until I saw who runs it.

http://ourladyofsorrows.org/

http://www.sspx.org/

[longship]

3. Catholic principal: "We'll have Nun of this."

[dimbear]

4. Lemme see, 2nd forfeits so for some reason they can't play against 3rd place?

Arizona is math challenged.

[Goblinmonger]

7. Screw that

If it's the state championship game, the way most all of those are bracketed, it means that 3rd has already lost one. They had their shot. My son wrestles. If he is in the championship round and his opponent forfeits for whatever reason, then he is state champ. You aren't bringing up 3rd to give them another shot at a title. Nope.

[Why Syzygy]

8. better article here

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ktlincoln/a-high-school-baseball-team-forfeited-the-champion

Aside from how leading boys to believe that women shouldn't be allowed to participate in the same activities as them is the opposite of teaching a profound respect for women and girls, the decision makes even less sense considering the nature of baseball.

Sultzbach's mother Pamela told the Arizona Republic, "This is not a contact sport, it shouldn't be an issue. It wasn't that they were afraid they were going to hurt or injure her, it's that (they believe) that a girl's place is not on a field."

Paige sat out the two previous games against Our Lady of Sorrows, but Mesa Prep, with only 11 players, needed her in the championship. The team went undefeated in the regular season in the seven-team 1A division of the Arizona Charter Athletic Association.

Despite the insanity of the situation, Paige seems to be handling it with class; she told the Republic, "I felt like any passionate athletic person would feel (in that situation). I don't want our very first high-school baseball team to win the championship on a forfeit."

[Electric Monk]

10. General Discussion thread, same story

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002675325