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Originally Posted by HawkeyeCubP
I agree with this. And the heart-warming stories (truly - no sarcasm here) in that first of the two article links BoBo posted of the grey-squad players were moving, and helps to illustrate the good that it does for these people, and how their lives are enriched. Unfortunately, this is not actually a relevant issue, at least when discussing opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics. It's an interesting area of Title IX that I haven't even heard discussed yet - and like most here, my knee-jerk reaction is to think it's dumb. But when you remove emotion, look at the law, and listen to the pundits decide whether or not it applies to the practice squad, we may find that it actually does. Those in the decision-making circles are a lot more informed and educated on the matter than most of us here (and most of the general public), and will have their reasons (debatable, generally, yes) for whatever they decide to do. I'm really curious as to the inside scoop on how this initiative was started, and who the vanguard is/are. Unfortunately, the link to the NCAA CWA's release on this isn't currently working, and hasn't been all day.
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Very well stated, and to add to this. This is a woman sport and the thinking coming from the seniors at the top, is they want to continue to seek opportunities for women, and women only, which is not a bad thing. IMO, the women's game has progressed to the point where they do not need the men's players anymore and still can put out a very good product. A female player who has gone thru the system and been in the trenches, can speak volumes for this game at the executive level and it appears to me that that is what's happening here. It does not matter who actually bought this up, but more so, does the issue hold merit. IMO, it does. The men may not like it, and it is all for selfish reasons, but they are going to have to get over themselves here. The game is for women, not for men, so from a womans prospective, why are the women practicing with the men? Reverse it, do you see the men practicing with the women to get better? Enter Title IX. Since there is no men's team that will "EVER" consider using a female to make the men's players better, then the women have the right (good or bad) to demand the same in return. In other words, let's use female players to get better.
Where the men gets shortsided here, is because there is not enough bigger women to really challenge a bigger women on the practice squad. They could have there alumni come in and provide the same thing in return, thereby offering this back to the female players. In no way do they need to continue to use men's players, and truly speaking, if you got a big man, there may not be another male at the campus that can really push this guy in practice either. If you are good, your talent will surface whether or not you practice with a male or not. I know it's fun to be able to be a part of the women's program. Men even take some pride in it, however, the women are saying today that we would like to give this opportunity to the females, so other female students are former players can say the same thing, imo of course.