I was curious to come across this post by John Piper addressing girls wrestling boys because the same thing happened here in Nebraska. While the state tournament is ongoing in Minnesota, it already happened here and the result was the girl managed to finish second in the 103-pound weight class. In both cases, it was the first time that a girl wrestled in the state tournament.

While much positive media attention was given to the girl in each case, not as much was focused on the boys who had to wrestle against girls or those who had concerns. One writer who was at the event in Omaha said the fans at the arena were decidedly against the girl even though she wrestled for an Omaha school. For as many positive reactions to the story about the Minnesota girl, there were also comments like the one below:

First, let me start by saying that wrestling is a great sport for girls. Next, let me challenge them to the same standards boys have to go through if they want to play a typically female sport. They can’t handle it. You see for everyone that makes excuses and whines about it’s sexist to keep them out – it’s not. In fact it’s equality at work. The problem is girls like this don’t understand being equal DOES NOT mean they get their way. First double standard, where boys are strong than girls post-puberty, the girls are allowed to play on boys’ teams in middle school when the girls are bigger. If they get to beat up on the boys in middle school, you can’t whine when boys return the favor in high school. Second, in wrestling, this girl has an unfair advantage because she can maintain lower weight classes later in life, thus giving her more experience. Any wrestler worth his or her salt will tell you experience will trump gender anytime. She often ends up wrestling freshman. Not only that, since girls have a lower center of gravity, it’s harder to throw her. Third, what about the sexual harassment? Boys are uncomfortable wrestling her and she doesn’t care. I wonder how she would feel if a bunch of boys decided to come shower with her. You know, nothing sexual – just a shower. If the coach explains it’s just a shower I’m sure she’ll be ok with it. God knows the boys can’t complain because her right to participate overrides their right not to be harassed. Basically, girls have no problems taking boys’ spots but then they whine and cry like babies when boys – even small boys – show up to take theirs. Heck, they whine and cry even if the boys don’t want their spots and just want an equal chance to participate in their own sports. (Look at the Title IX quotas)You see mhandler, You have NO idea what you’re talking about. There are about 3 states, PA, NY, and MA that allow boys on girls teams. The rest don’t. Wanna know how I know? My 70 pound godson wanted to play field hockey because his roller hockey team isn’t sanctioned and the state said he was too big and strong to play against the 200 pound girls. Again, it’s fine if she wrestles. Let her go out and get a bunch of girls so she can wrestle them – just like a boy would have to do if he wanted to make a new team. Is it too much to ask the princesses to simply live up to the same rules the boys have to live by? Fight for equality. Fight Title IX

A rant, yes, but some strong points as well. I’m sure that there are advocates who would argue just as strongly the other way, but in the end it’s pretty clearly a no-win situation for any boy. Girls who want to wrestle should wrestle — with other girls. But mixed gender wrestling does no one any good.