THE NEXT GREAT CRISIS - AT 7:30 P.M. ET:  You might want to review your family emergency procedures before tackling this one.  Seems there's a major human crisis building, as the Washington Post reports:

The baseball field boasts a $50,000 press box, a dugout and a concession stand. The softball field? A faded wood shed and a port-a-potty.

Now C.D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge is under investigation by federal officials for sex discrimination, joining schools in Charles and Frederick counties and 47 other school systems nationwide that are under scrutiny for possible disparities between their softball and baseball facilities.

The schools are being investigated for possible violations of Title IX, the 1972 federal rules governing equity between the sexes. Any educational program that receives federal funding is required to provide equal opportunities and facilities for boys and girls.

In an era when most sports have boys' and girls' equivalents that use the same fields, pools and equipment, high school baseball and softball fields remain separated by the sexes. Softball fields are smaller than those used in baseball, and the two types of field cannot be used interchangeably. The difference can contribute to inequalities.

COMMENT:  I'm all for equal treatment of boys and girls in athletic programs, but this story is absurd.  Baseball and softball are different sports.  Baseball, as the story makes clear, gets far more support in the community, and it has nothing to do with gender.  Yes, some of these schools should probably improve their softball facilities, but this is hardly a discrimination crisis.  Some local fundraising campaigns might be far more effective than one more lawsuit.

July 19, 2009