Women playing Men's Sports

[TurnTwo]

I think no way.... but I live near Oakfield, NY where a 12 year old girl, Katie Brownell pitched a perfect game against an all-boys team in her local little league and people began talking about the possibilty of a women playing in one of the four major sports. I think they're insane, I'm just wondering what you guys think.

[goforbroke]

i see no reason why one cant play in baseball. especially as a pitcher. but even as a position player..

[LMU]

A woman has already played a preseason game in the NHL.

[Chief.]

I actually coached a girl on my flag football team who wants to be a quarterback. She was one of the better QB's on the team.

[jkrdevil]

No I don't think so. The ones who have come close have played none physical positions (ie Goalie, kicker). If any baseball has the best chance as that is the least physical. I don't see a woman in the NHL or NFL.

It's hard to look at kids at a young age and say it would be possible as their is not much difference physically between the 2, in fact girls might be stronger at a young age. However guys get stronger as they grow up and mature. I remember in elementry school in gym we did tug of war and the gurls beat the guys. In high School with the same group of people it would never happen. And this was a school where a majority of girls did play some type of sports.

[youcan'tseeme]

I say no for a few reason's first of all there is for some reason not as much intrest for women in sports. Second a manager would likely take a man over a woman when signing because it's a man. and finally if there's enough intrest then a womens league will be formed. Finally no women will ever play in the NBA because they have the WNBA so form WNHL,WMLB and WNFL and have thenh afliated with each other. and there could be team's in each city so there would be a Toronto womens team in WNHL and they would be owned by the Maple Leafs also.

[Cujo]

TurnTwo419, ever hear of Manon Rheaume? How about doing some research next time, pal?

[mac]

TurnTwo419, ever hear of Manon Rheaume?  How about doing some research next time, pal?

I think he means like an every day player during the regular season.

I can see it happening in the future because in Starship Troopers that girl Diz was quarterback of their football team and you know that movie is a direct representation of what will happen in the future.

[abnb430]

I could see a woman somewhere in baseball someday. Or a woman kicker in the NFL.

Ok, not really the latter. But maybe as a stunt.

[NJTank]

You can never say never and Mahon Rheaume already came close in the NHL. I can see it one day somee one who is amazingly talented that she si good enough to be more then a marketing ploy witll make it in NHL as a goalie or baseball.

[leafs13]

I don't think there will ever be a woman who plays more than 5 games in NHL, NFL, MLB, or NBA. Women are basically just not strong enough.

[Pat]

I think down the road we will see it happen. It may seem far fecthed now, but in a long time I wouldnt be too surprised.

[cyandlux]

One word: Testosterone! I know were not supposed to mention that in this day and age but who are we kidding? It makes all the difference in the world. The fastest man in the world will never be a woman unless she takes steroids which increases...you got it!

[cyandlux]

TurnTwo419, ever hear of Manon Rheaume? How about doing some research next time, pal?

Manon's stats

SEASON TEAM LEAGUE GP MIN W-L-T GA SO AVG

91-92 3 Rivieres QMJHL 1 17 0-1-0 3 0 10.59

92-93 Atlanta IHL 2 66 0-1-0 7 0 6.36 (Knights)

93-94 Knoxville ECHL 4 187 2-0-1 13 0 4.17 (Cherokees)

Nashville ECHL 4 197 3-0-0 12 0 3.64

94-95 Las Vegas IHL 2 53 0-1-0 3 0 3.40 (Aces)

Tallahassee ECHL 1 20 0-1-0 4 0 12.00 (Tiger Sharks)

1995 New Jersey RHI 1 24 6.00

96-97 Reno WCHL (Renegades)

Never said she had to be good...I guess. This chick was a total GIMMICK! 93-94 seemed to be a great year...8 games played in. Here record wasnt bad though, not to say hockey isnt a TEAM sport.

[slapshot]

Everyone remembers Manon Rheaume, but what about Erin Whitten? Manon wasn't the only female goalie.

Season Team Lge GP Min GA EN SO GAA W L T Svs Pct

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1993-94 Dallas Freeze CHL 4 111 9 1 0 4.85 1 1 0 50 0.847

1993-94 Toledo Storm ECHL 4 149 20 0 0 8.01 2 0 0 56 0.737

1994-95 Utica Blizzard CoHL 1 19 2 1 0 6.32 0 1 0 4 0.667

1995-96 Muskegon Fury CoHL 4 120 9 1 0 4.49 0 1 0 56 0.862

1995-96 Flint Generals CoHL 4 119 12 0 0 6.05 2 0 0 32 0.727

Don't forget Ila Borders, the first female to play professional baseball (not counting women's leagues).

It will happen. The gap is closing.

[Gamingboy]

I figure that there has to be woman playing in a mens league within the next 50 years.

There are some things that Woman could be very, very good at:

In Baseball, pitching, especially finesse and knuckleballing.

In Football, kicking (if I remember correctly, Mia Hamm was once offered a contract to be a kicker.)

And there are also possibilities in Hockey and Basketball.

[leafs13]

In Baseball, pitching, especially finesse and knuckleballing.

Nailed that one on the head. A knuckleballer would be about the only way to make MLB. Or possibly someone with a nasty curveball.

[pollux]

I say no for a few reason's first of all there is for some reason not as much intrest for women in sports. Second a manager would likely take a man over a woman when signing because it's a man. and finally if there's enough intrest then a womens league will be formed. Finally no women will ever play in the NBA because they have the WNBA so form WNHL,WMLB and WNFL and have thenh afliated with each other. and there could be team's in each city so there would be a Toronto womens team in WNHL and they would be owned by the Maple Leafs also.

WNHL already exists. And it's NWHL...

NWHL

[Grish]

This is interesting, I did a senior thesis at the U of Washington on women in baseball, my thesis statment was only through experiences with menat early ages will women be allowed entry. Basically as society socially accepts it as a norm no one will see it odd or not their place or they are not physically able to compete because individuals will be used to coed teams. Remember for a long time it was not socially acceptable to have women in the work place either.

There is was a women named Jackie Mitchell who in an "exhibition game" struck out Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth back to back in 1931. She was a minor league player, and Commissioner Landis voided her minor league contract with the Lookouts and made it illegal for minor league teams to sign women, claiming it was too physically hard on women.

here is a link to her story: http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/mitchell.html

I interviewed, Angie Mentink of Foxsports NW as part of my process. She played for the Silver Bullets team and recently (i think last season) tried out for the Tigers. Basically one of the reasons Coors dropped the team was rumored to be they did not want to be known as a Women's beer. Not because they could not "play with the boys". FYI they did win some games.

I interviewed, via email, a former umpire who umped a Silver Bullets games, minor league games and as a kid went to games of the former AAGBL. Who claimed that the players in both could have played at the lower levels of the minors.

Basically it came down to the lack of avenues for women to participate as a norm, and as Mentink told me, 'Women want the choice to play, not necessary against or with men, but what a place to play as professional if they would like'. Once it becomes normal and avenues for women to continue improve there will be women who throw 90+ etc, can block and dunk, just because their will be more women playing sports for longer periods.

I can expand on this but this is the short quick verision... I can repost my paper too I had it on the web for awhile.

[Gamingboy]

Ahhhh, yes, the Silver Bullets. I remember them. If only because Phil Niekro was the manager.