Minnesota bars female from tryout as kicker

Columbus Dispatch ^ | 19 April, 2003 | Wire Reports

[Deadeye Division]

Minnesota bars female from tryout as kicker
Saturday, April 19, 2003
wire reports

Mary Nystrom followed her brother as a place-kicker in high school and thought that she might do the same for Minnesota after spotting an advertisement by the football team for a "quality kicker/punter.''

But the younger sister of Dan Nystrom, who ended his Golden Gophers career last fall as the Big Ten's career leader in field goals made and in scoring by a kicker, didn't make it past this week's tryouts.

In fact, the team wouldn't even let her try out.

"It's men's college football, and it is not a coed sport,'' said Tim Allen, university assistant athletics director of football operations.

The Golden Gophers were not obligated to give her a tryout because, under Title IX legislation, schools can prohibit women from participating in men's contact sports.

But once a woman is allowed to participate, she must be treated equally.

Last winter, New Mexico's Katie Hnida became the first woman to play in an NCAA Division I-A game when she had an extra-point attempt blocked against UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Mary Nystrom said Golden Gophers coaches cited the situation involving Duke, which was sued by Heather Sue Mercer, a female kicker who made the football team in 1995 but was cut one year later.

Mercer claimed she was dropped from the team because she was a woman. She won a $2 million sex-discrimination lawsuit but lost the money on appeal two years later.

"I don't know why I couldn't try out,'' Nystrom said. "But I'm not going to fight it. It's not that big a deal.''

Nystrom said more than 20 kickers showed up for the tryout. She said she was allowed to kick on her own, without being part of the official tryout.

Nystrom, who was a regular kicker in high school, said she felt she would have "ranked right up there'' with the other place-kickers.

"I'm going into education, and one of the things I believe in is encouraging kids of all ages, male and female, to try stuff -- whether you're nervous or scared or if you don't think you have a possibility of making it,'' she said.

[Dr.Deth]

Paging Martha Burk...

[JZoback]

A very tall male student from the school needs to try out for womens volley ball team.

[Hacksaw]

Sounds like Freud was right about penis envy.

[Illbay]

Good thing I saw yours before I posted, because I was going to use the very same words.

[Jaded]

No kidding.

[dark_lord]

This is so stupid. My brothers played footballl, and I KNOW they would not have felt comfortable tackling a female. Kickers do get tackled to the ground every now and then....

If you are correct, then logically it would be to the teams benefit to enroll this gal as a kicker (if she has talent) -- since if the opposing team really was more hesitant to tackle her -- more goals!

[ReaganCowboy]

How come women never try out for center?

[Right Angler]

Ah, the noble femimist legacy of Heather Mercer. Thanks to her and her BS lawsuit against Duke, I don't foresee very many females being offered the option of trying out. The brilliant ruling in that case said that teams don't have to let females try out, but if they do, they must treat them "equally"-which of course means hold them to a lower standard. That's a no-brainer to most programs.

[dark_lord]

How come women never try out for center?

Heh. I dunno, maybe because they would be flattened into paste?

[freebilly]

How come women never try out for center?

Too much like giving birth....

[Drango]

How come women never try out for center?

Split end? Wide reciever?

[ReaganCowboy]

Nah -- it's those mighty long snap counts!

[ErnBatavia]

Sounds like Freud was right about penis envy.

...not sure why I'm posting this pic - it just feels right.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The Golden Gophers were not obligated to give her a tryout because, under Title IX legislation, schools can prohibit women from participating in men's contact sports.

A high school or college women's basketball team has the advantage of being able to scrimmage against an equal or superior practice squad any time it wants--simply by recruiting some garden-variety guys to practice against them. Women's sports therefore discriminate against men, else men could dominate most of them.

In that context, to allow the rare exceptional woman to compete in sports which are not explicitly womens' or mixed (e.g., tennis mixed doubles) is to discriminate against men. And that unfairness is most egregious at the ages where the actual difference in development of boys and girls is least developed--middle school.

[martin_fierro]

> ch0rtle <

(the last time I got in touch with my feminine side, it took out a Restraining Order against me)

[Redwood71]

One of the true problems with trying to put politics in sports is that, in it's place, you just might get what you want.

Sports in big time schools have been a money generator for the institution to such an extent, that it becomes an expected part of the budget. When women won their right to equal funds through politics, they did succeed in drawing attention to the need for better programs for women. But, with the withdrawing of funds from the original budget for the new and increased programs, and their lack of draw, it has created a downturn in the vacumn of funds to some of the non-sports programs the universities needed.

Let's face it, women's programs, to include the highly displayed basketball programs, are not filling the cophers like the men's baseball and basketball programs. And none of these programs are near the funds grabbers as the football programs that constitute a huge piece of the pie for the athletic and other programs through our education halls.

So, any funds deterred to money losing, break even, or small gaining programs that cut from the earners, is a loss to the school. And that means higher tuition charges, program cuts, cheaper equipment, and other headaches that lead to a less qualified and complete education.

College life cannot be like you see it on television. It is directed by funds. And the more the football program makes, the more is available for the college to spend. It's called, "The bottom line." Life is not always politically correct.

[mewzilla]

So, let'em get tackled. If she knows the risks, and is willing to play by the same rules, I say let her try out. Women come in all shapes and sizes. Seems to me that some could make pretty good players.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Mary Nystrom: I applaud your approach to that goddess-given right which right now is the sad bone of contention in so many political dis(cordia)courses. I'd like to share a shout-ku with you that I composed for the 13th annual Womyn's Night of Bloodmoon, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

(to be shouted, with croud participation in brackets)

My child is my blood! [Afterbirth, ha!]
I spill my blood on the earth! [Afterbirth, ho!]
Blood that's mine to spill! [Afterbirth, afterbirth, ha ha ha!]

I have taken a vow against thanking, as it implies the servile submissiveness of anti-Rosie-Riveter 50's maternal figures, but accept that you are appreciated from a position of strength.

Rooted in vaginal heartiness,

C. F.