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SPT 510 Module Three Short Paper

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SPT 510 Module Three Short Paper

Impact of Race and Ethnicity on the Incident with Influence of Economic, Policy Change, & Personal Value

During the early 2000s, gender, race, and ethnicity discrimination in sports associations were not debated as an ethical or legal societal issue. Management of sports tournaments was free to select or eliminate any player based on their racial or ethnic grounds instead of selecting a team on merit. Gender bias in sports further deteriorated the existing situation when the sports tournaments for men were given more importance compared to the female sports tournament. Women of different ethnic backgrounds were overshadowed not only due to their ethnic differences but also due to their gender. This caused a negative impact on the sportsman spirit among women (Thorborg et al., 2021).

Previously, I have selected an incident of filing a complaint against the Michigan High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) that occurred in the 2000s. The complaint was about violating the "Equal Protection Clause" and “Title IX of Amendment Number fourteen." High school girls were not getting enough opportunities and resources compared to the male sports teams. Girls’ sports tournaments were also being held in off-seasons, defined as disadvantageous seasons (U.S. Department of Justice., 2022)). These actions adversely affected female recruitment opportunities by the sports organizations for bigger sports events.

All the above points formulated the statements against the Michigan high school athletics association. Later on, during the hearing of the case, it was stated by the plaintiff that discrimination against female athletes took place in a variety of forms and on different levels as well. Not only gender but racial discrimination was also practiced by the sports association. Only players believed to have a good racial background favoring the odds of winning were privileged with the opportunities of leadership. This action was due to the belief of the members of the athletics association that players of a particular gene pool (race and male gender) had more abilities. The unjust treatment was not limited to depriving athletes of opportunities, but also the sports players of underrepresented groups had more chances to encounter stereotypes and prejudice in sport. The impact of all these statements resulted in the amplification of the potency of the case.

The impact of ethnicity and race on the case was value-driven, economical, and demanded policy change. Along with the issues of sex discrimination, the point related to racial discrimination was also raised in the district court. The victims challenged the practice of biased policy of athletic team selection, and their claims were justified with the prof of current events scheduling issued by the sports association at Michigan High School. In the values of the sports section of the Michigan High School Athletics Association, it is mentioned that all the students will be provided with equal opportunities and that there will be no discrimination based on sex, race, ethnicity, or the history of an athlete. So the major impact of ethnicity on the incident was based on the values provided by the sports association, which were later modified according to the court sentence. The case also stated that the female teams were underrepresented and did not get as many resources and financial support as the male teams. This shows that economic issues also impacted the case.

Changes to Public Policy or Personal Attitudes Impacted by Incident

After the case was resolved in court, the Michigan high school athletics association was ordered to implement some interventions in their scheduling plans and selection management of their male and female athletes. These interventions come under the umbrella of improving the policies of the sports association. In court, the Michigan high school athletics association's scheduling plan was reviewed, proving that the female tournaments were deliberately planned in the off-season. In august 2002, the district court ordered to make a new scheduling plan for the tournaments and to get approval for it from the court before its implementation. For this purpose, the court gave the Michigan high school athletics association two options. The first one was to combine the tournaments of males and females so that all the sports matches were held in the same favorable season. The second option was to exchange the schedule of some sports for males and females, so female teams could also participate in an advantageous season. The statement was "reverse girls' basketball and volleyball; and in the Lower Peninsula, reverse two girls' seasons with two boys' seasons for golf, tennis, swimming, and soccer games, and in the Upper Peninsula, keep combined seasons in golf and swimming and reverse seasons in either tennis or soccer; or otherwise treat the Upper Peninsula the same as the Lower Peninsula” (U.S. Department of Justice., 2022). The Michigan high school athletics association selected the second option, modified its schedule accordingly, and got it approved in the following month.

Another change induced by this incident in the Michigan high school sports association was the practical implementation of the rules in the sports association's policy. According to the title Ⅸ, no person in the United States can be deprived of opportunities based on sex, and no student can be subjected to sex discrimination in any education system ( Title IX Archives - Women’s Sports Foundation, n.d.). By the district court, the Michigan high school sports association was also ordered to implement these policies in their scheduling plans and on their criteria for selecting athletes.

According to the case summary of the complaint against the Michigan high school athletics association, the district and appellate court were also ordered to conduct an assessment and filter out the sports board members who still favor gender discrimination. This part of the sentence to the Michigan high school athletics association deals with the personal attitudes of the board members. Members who encourage equality for all community participants should be included in the board so that implementation of the title Ⅸ can be smooth.

Change in Perspectives Regarding Race or Ethnicity as a Result of Incident

After the complaint, the attention of the Michigan high school sports association shifted towards different forms of discrimination at different management levels. The change in perspective was not automatic and self-ignited but was induced by the orders of the district and appellate courts. If we take an example of another case in history, we would be better able to describe the change in perspective of race and ethnicity due to this incident.

In 1968, during the Olympics, two black male athletes were expelled. Their expulsion was due to the fact that they protested against racial discrimination at the medal podium ( From Raised Fists at the 1968 Olympics to Taking the Knee: A History of Racial Justice Protests in Sport, n.d.). As the U.S. national anthem played, they bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists in what has now become an iconic image of protest against social injustice. Now, with new policies and rules for eliminating discrimination among athletes of diverse ethnicity and race, these types of cases are now being addressed. This led to the changed perspective of race in the present day, which is perfectly represented by the slogan of the Olympics in 2020, "unity in diversity." Another example is the Pan American Games, which were held in Dallas that focused on some of the harsh realities of racism in the American South despite the intention to implement promotors of equality. The race track was not harmonious. The African American players were not centered on the race track (Cranston, N. R., 2021). It showed that although there is an impact of perspective on the outcomes, these racially discriminating actions can never be completely eliminated. Using this Olympics example as the foundation, we can predict the changes that could be produced due to the Michigan incident.

Before the incident was reported, the racial and ethnic perspectives of the Michigan high school sports association were biased, having preferences for male sports tournaments. According to the sports association, female athletes were not considered as important as male athletes, and the biological makeup of certain races was assumed to contribute better to a team's victory. These perspectives were the root cause of discrimination and the processes leading to casting aside the female participants. However, the resistance shown by the female athletes and filing legal complaints for their equal rights made the sports association reconsider their biased approaches. After winning the case, female athletes initiated campaigns to protect their athletic rights and caused to spread awareness in society. The sentence ordered from the court and the campaigns initiated reshaped the policy makeup of the sports association. They compelled them to change their attitudes toward discrimination in sports based on race, ethnicity, and gender. As a result, the Michigan high school sports association encourages and facilitates both male and female teams equally. Equal resources are allotted to teams of both genders. The sports association puts maximum effort into reducing these incidents, but the probability can never be made zero (Ayers, 2021) because of the factor of personal attitudes.

References

Ayers, P. M. (2021). Social Media, Racism, and Sports: Social Media Platforms, Not Governments, Are Best Positioned to Change the Game. J. High Tech. L., 21, 395.

Cranston, N. R. (2021). Track and Field’s Influence on Race, Gender and Ethnicity in the 1930s, including the 1936 Olympic Games.  PURE Insights,  10(1), 8.

From raised fists at the 1968 Olympics to taking the knee: A history of racial justice protests in sport. (n.d.). World Economic Forum. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/olympics-racism-diversity-sport-radio-davos/

Thorborg, K., Krohn, L., Bandholm, T., Jacobsen, J. S., Rathleff, M. S., Klakk, H., & Kotila, K. (2020). ‘More Walk and Less Talk’: Changing gender bias in sports medicine. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(23), 1380-1381.

The Value of School Sports | Michigan High School Athletic Association. Michigan High School Athletic Association. (2022). Retrieved September 5, 2022, from https://www.mhsaa.com/about/value-school-sports.

Title IX Archives - Women’s Sports Foundation. (n.d.). Women’s Sports Foundation. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/advocacy_category/title-ix/

U.S. Department of Justice. (2022). Case Summary: Communities for Equity v. Michigan High School Athletic Association | Casetext. Casetext.com. Retrieved September 5, 2022, from https://casetext.com/analysis/case-summary-communities-for-equity-v-michigan-high-school-athletic-association.