Woman sues to get men to play her

The News & Observer ^ | 08/11/09 | LEAH FRIEDMAN, Staff Writer

[Harrius Magnus]

Woman sues to get men to play her

Men must accept a challenge, suit against Raleigh says

BY LEAH FRIEDMAN, Staff Writer

Nancy Griffin prefers to play tennis against men. And she often beats them in a men's league sponsored by the city of Raleigh.

Some men don't like playing Griffin.

Three years ago, league members voted to rescind a rule that penalized them for refusing to compete against her or anyone else. The change has kept her from taking on some of the league's top players. Men have invoked both their wives and God to avoid matches against her.

Now, Griffin has made her problems on the court a matter for a court. She is suing the city, alleging discrimination. She wants the penalty rule reinstated and the city to pay her $10,000 or more for emotional distress.

Griffin has been playing since she was 10 and was recruited to play at Barton College in Wilson. In 1993 and 1994, the U.S. Tennis Association ranked her among North Carolina's top female singles players.

Today, the 41-year-old substitute teacher says her fitness and unorthodox, self-taught technique make her a formidable opponent. She rates a 5.0 on the National Tennis Rating Program's 7.0 scale. Raleigh's highest level of competition for either sex is a 4.5 challenge ladder, in which participants challenge each other to move up in ranking.

Griffin joined the men's ladder in 1999, hoping for keener competition. "I just signed up and played," she said. "Nobody tried to stop me."

She made it to the final eight tournament all nine times she played. Then, in 2003, she tried to sign up for the summer season. But city officials said women could no longer play on the men's ladder because a co-ed ladder had been created.

On and off the ladder

Griffin petitioned the city to let her back onto the men's ladder, gathering 300 signatures, including 20 from men on the ladder.

Raleigh tennis officials relented and let her play.

That winter, though, the excuses began.

"One said he had a jealous wife, and he couldn't play females," Griffin said. "Another said he heard I made people run too much."

Griffin complained. Ken Glanville, the city's assistant tennis director, responded with a new rule: A challenger would get 24 points any time an opponent ignored a challenge or refused to play, Griffin said. It was called the "avoidance rule."

In spring 2006, Griffin won the men's 4.5 ladder tournament. The next season, she invoked the rule for the first time when a would-be opponent ignored her challenge but went on to play men. Glanville awarded her 24 points and said he would review the rule, according to an e-mail provided by Griffin's attorney.

Soon after, the city sent an e-mail to members of the ladder, asking whether the avoidance rule should be scuttled.

Out went the rule.

In an e-mail to Griffin provided by her lawyer, Glanville said the move was best for everyone. "The best compromise is that now you are able to play anyone on the ladder regardless of rank and if you can't coordinate with a player you just move on and play someone else," he added.

Efforts to reach him failed.

"To me, the way they went about removing the rule wasn't right," Griffin said. "A lot of the men probably didn't realize why the rule was there."

She continued to complain to city tennis officials.

In an e-mail Sept. 6, 2007, David Bell, the city's tennis director, told Griffin he didn't think men were avoiding playing her because of her sex.

"The city is not in the position of requiring each player on the ladder to play each other," Bell wrote. "From the information I've received so far, there seems to be no indication that players are avoiding you based on your sex."

Bell declined to comment.

The reasons men give

Without the avoidance penalty, the excuses resumed.

"If they say I have to play you then I will quit the ladder to keep peace because I don't feel comfortable playing a singles match with another woman other than my wife as I do not think it would honor my wife," Adam Schainblatt wrote in an e-mail to Griffin earlier this year.

Schainblatt said Monday that he wants to play only men. He's never asked his wife if she would mind his playing women.

"It's me, not her," he said.

Randy Browning asked Griffin not to challenge him.

"As a husband, father and deacon in my church, I don't believe it's a good thing for me to be seen out playing a female other than my wife in casual matches without her around," Browning wrote in a Sept. 4 e-mail provided by Griffin's attorney. "As a believer I hope you can understand this."

He declined to comment.

Without the avoidance rule, Griffin has been unable to gain enough points to move up the ladder, according to her suit.

Raleigh officials, including City Manager Russell Allen and Mayor Charles Meeker, would not comment.

Some guys don't mind

There are men who enjoy playing Griffin.

Nile Testerman, who has played her several times, says he has no problem with women on the ladder, especially Griffin, who is one of two female competitors this season.

"She's stronger than half the players in it," he said. "It shows in her win-loss record. She's always in the top."

He said he didn't know the avoidance rule had even existed, but it seemed OK.

"You've got to play when people ask you to play," he said.

Despite the lawsuit, Griffin continues to compete on the men's ladder.

"I'm a follower of Jesus Christ; and I love everyone on here," she said. "I just want the program run fairly for everyone."

Griffin said the dispute has taken a toll, and she's experienced depression. But the fall season begins Aug. 24. She'll be playing.

leah.friedman@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4546

[Mopp4]

If she's that f'ng good, then why doesn't she just go pro and dominate the Women's Tennis Association ? Wouldn't that get her a lot more than $10,000 ? Nooo....she's got the "gimme gimme" mentality...I'm not getting what I want so SOMEBODY owes me.

Sheesh....

[ConservaTexan]

I now formally challenge her to a name-writing-in-the-snow contest. If she fails to accept I will sue.

[raybbr]

I would play her - probably kick her butt. My kick serve would make her arm so tired she wouldn't be able to lift it over her head for an overhead.

Then, I wouldn't mind... Oh, stop!

[colorado tanker]

Woman sues to get men to play her

I really have to get my mind out of the gutter.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

Sport rules should be sex-neutral. Let all compete and let the better player win.

[Dixie Yooper]

Let her have her way...As a matter of fact, eliminate both men’s and women’s leagues and only have one league for everyone.

[ladyjane]

LOL, men don’t want to lose to a woman.

You’re a loser no matter who beats you. You’re a bigger loser if you refuse a challenge.

If they have a penalty rule it should apply to everyone.

[library user]

Do you use an automated software to divide your lines like that? I don’t think I could do that, especially for every post. Would make me mad!

[dinoparty]

including wrestling

[jiminycricket000]

"I think she’s got a point. Either female players need to be specifically barred from the competition, or players need to be penalized for ducking her. This middle ground of letting her participate but allowing would-be competitors to ignore her just doesn’t seem right."

Such a shallow cause to fight for, so pitiably shallow. Methinks she needs an addadictome operation, then she can play with herself all day long.

[IrishCatholic]

Aside from the lawsuit business, what is wrong with people? IF I played tennis I would play her every chance I got. If she is that good then she can help you play better. If she is personally a jerk, then that is different. Just say that straight out: “I would play you, but I can’t stand you.”

[library user]

LOL, men don’t want to lose to a woman.

Speaking of... how's 0 going to feel when Palin kicks his ass in 2012?

[Cicero]

Evidently they now have men’s, women’s, and co-ed ladders.

How could they allow a woman to play on the men’s ladder, and not allow men to play on the women’s ladder? All this one-sided insistence on affirmative action is killing genuine equality.

Or, what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

[highnoon]

Let her have her way...As a matter of fact, eliminate both men’s and women’s leagues and only have one league for everyone.

And we can take it a step further. How 'bout everyone wins, and gets a trophy....you know....like the kids now-a-days!

On a serious note, as a tournament and league tennis player, I would have no problem having a woman as my opponent. It's all about the competition. These guys need to grow a pair and recognize that they don't want to play her for fear of losing to a woman. If she truly is a 5.5, then she's pretty darn good. That is the level of most Division 1 college players. I also wonder how many of them would make flimsy excuses about playing someone like Jelena Dokic:

[VeniVidiVici]

Her civil rights aren’t being violated. She has nothing to lose by not being able to play men. Why is she suing let along suing for money?

Watch. She’s the kind of bitch that will shut down the whole league if she doesn’t get her way.

[Disambiguator]

I thought the picture pretty much said it all.

[Dixie Yooper]

I'm still waiting for Anna Kournikova to call me for a match.

[the long march]

Sometimes I am amazed at the “logoc” that is used to justify cowardice. If you are in a league play the people in the bracket otherwise take move along move along

[the long march]

Bwahahahahahaha

waaa waaa waa call me an ambulance

[Unassuaged]

These men are wimps, that is all.

Maybe they should work on getting better.