The Year of the Woman

What does this have to do with athletic leadership, you ask? Everything! Please hang in here and it will all come together. First - a little history. I know many young girls cannot relate to this story, but their moms can. During one of those cold 32 degree mornings in North Carolina way back when, instead of wearing a mandatory dress to elementary school, my wife chose to wear pants. She was sent home to change into a dress when the day’s temperature exceeded the legal “pant wearin’ temperature”.

In 1972, with the help of some amazing women, I became a real man; throwing off the intellectual restraints of my varsity letter jacket.  I sat in small group of college students in a Miami park just outside the convention that reaffirmed the leadership of Richard Nixon for a second term. With my baby daughter, now 40, I listened and talked with Betty Friedan, author of the “Feminine Mystique,” a book that created a paradigm shift for women. Her basic common sense opened my mind about how insensitive, domineering, and - a new word for those days - “chauvinistic” we men were.

Since that year I have enjoyed and been empowered by graceful, yet powerful women who continually ask more of my humanity and less of my supposed male authority. I’m here on my granddaughter’s behalf, asking for that leadership to return and grow.

For some bizarre reason that many cannot explain, there are several political leaders who on one hand passionately profess to keep government out of their personal business, gun racks, tax status, and environmental controls. They also are passing legislation that will make voting more difficult for very young and elderly voters to vote. Texas, which last year proudly passed a mandatory vaginal penetration law, recognizes a state gun permit, and NOT student picture identification from a state university as proof to vote.

But on the other hand these StatesMEN want government deeply involved with their personal religion, women’s right to choose, and “female” contraception. Plus if elected, they plan an attack on organizations particularly vital to women, e.g., eliminate the Education Department and Planned Parenthood, cut back food stamps, stop funding Public Broadcasting, and if they could they would roll back affordable medical coverage. All of which affect low income single mothers. This is the same theoretical group that defeated the Equal Rights Amendment. “On March 22, 1972 (yes, the 40 year anniversary was last week) the Senate passed the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution, which proposed banning discrimination based on sex. The E.R.A. was sent to the states for ratification, but it would fall short of the three-fourths approval needed,” The Learning Network.

It is apparent that the male dominated conflict has returned and it is again centered on women.

It is hard to believe this restrictive, invasive movement, and yes chauvinistic effort will succeed as it did in the 70’s. Women have and continue to empower each other. They are the majority of voters. 

So it comes down to this: where and how do we train women for leadership? Athletics!

I recognize there are other venues for leadership training (and quite frankly other political values).  But leadership training through sports is readily available. Here is the catch. We men have not done such a great job of that either. We have a bad habit of anointing a player and saying, “Go lead.”

So they imitate a boss or a bully, one that they have seen on TV or in a movie.
Or they imitate an industrial age character who demands capitulation. I am told
that girls are afraid of the social stigmas of leadership, bossing a friend or
being called worse.

Our children, emerging leaders of the Information Age, must learn that leadership is not comprised of the biggest, the loudest, the prettiest, most handsome, or most talented. Leadership does not require fear and intimidation by a “my way or the highway autocrat”. Many of us are trying to change that.

If we train them, our leaders of the future will hold fast to a new definition of leader; one that recognizes individual skill and empowers contribution, and is not threatened by cooperation and involvement. We can and should actively use sports as a classroom for those values.

This year, particularly for young women, presents an opportunity to see their mothers lead. Moms, this is your chance to teach your daughter to appreciate the freedom that you and your mother fought for many years ago. We can all learn on the athletic fields to become better leaders and better citizens. If we fail on the field today, let’s come back and try again tomorrow. It’s only a game. The values we can teach our children through the game can prepare them for life challenges, which are not so forgiving and sometimes easily lost.