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Saturday, February 26, 2011

Roger Brigham on home-schooled sports sexism

From Roger Brigham's latest column in the Bay Area Reporter:

Perhaps the two most remarkable things about a boy's refusal last week to wrestle a female opponent in the Iowa state high school championships were that a) anyone had to ask if it was an act of sexism; and b) that the talk-show hosts at KNBR pulled themselves away from musing on Pablo Sandoval's diet and Carmelo Anthony trade talk and actually found themselves talking about wrestling.

The hubbub began when home-schooled Joel Northrup, who wrestles at 112 pounds for a high school varsity team in Iowa, forfeited his first match in the state tournament. Wrestling being what it is in Iowa, Joel and his father Jamie Northup felt a press statement was necessary.

"Wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times," Joel Northup told the local media. "As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high-school sports in Iowa."

Such nobility. Such sacrifice. Such crap.

Keep reading HERE.

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