move by the
Today’s comment in Text the Times about female athletics in local school districts is an exact replica of a comment made this time last year. It held no merit then, and it holds no merit now. Marion hosted a state volleyball tournament, had consecutive semifinal trips in girls basketball, and has invested in a new facility and uniforms for softball. WM has even pumped some personnel into softball following similar moves in volleyball and girls basketball. Sounds like someone is bored and picks this time of year to stir up trouble. Try going for a topic that actually holds merit, such as a local school board voting against the will of its teachers…
[ Editor’s Note: You were not the only one who remembered that text from last year. I went back and found it just to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. I even basically included my previous response with some updated figures. I will say, though, that there is still massive disparity in the amount of support boys’ sports programs and girls’ sports programs receive from school districts ( everywhere). And as long as the boys’ sports generate the most revenue that’s unlikely to change… and as long as football is number one sport ( and one with no girls’ equivalent, as volleyball, while a fine sport, is nowhere close in popularity to football at any level) that is also unlikely to change. As a parent who raised both sons and daughters and as a parent who had kids graduate from both Marion and West Memphis, I can attest that both districts ( as well as Earle even with their much more limited resources) provide excellent programs for their student athletes of both sexes. You do raise some good points, especially in how West Memphis has made moves in the past few years to improve their spring sports programs as well as volleyball. Now, I will also add this. While I absolutely agree 100% with you on the still headscratching
West Memphis School Board to abandon its plans for the four- day school week, that has nothing to do with the inequality of boys and girls athletics and both issues certainly have “ merit” and are worth discussing
