Religious school says it has been misunderstood; the issue is proper male role models

By Diane Silver

After seeing it's rejection of a female basketball official show up in everything from the Kansas City Star to ABC's Good Morning, America, St. Mary's Academy now says it was all a misunderstanding.

The only problem is that their new explanation doesn't make things sound much better -- not to mention the fact that the people involved in the incident say St. Mary's is, ah, fibbing.

In a news release, St. Mary's says:

This formation of adolescent boys is best accomplished by male role models, as the formation of girls is best accomplished by women. Hence in boys’ athletic competitions, it is important that the various role models (coaches and referees) be men.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there currently, oh say, a bazillion male role models in the world of athletics and basketball officiating? One female official in one game was going to hurt these kids?

The release also notes:

In addition, our school aims to instill in our boys the proper respect for women and girls. Teaching our boys to treat ladies with deference, we cannot place them in an aggressive athletic competition where they are forced to play inhibited by their concern about running into a female referee.

Message to St. Mary's: We don't break.

By the way, the official who was ejected, Michelle Campbell, is a retired police officer. I bet she has survived worse than a bunch of boys running around a gym with a basketball.

Meanwhile, a visitor to this blog talks about what life is like at St. Mary's. (Look at the comment from Raphael)

IMAGE: The seal of St. Mary's Academy and College

Kansas religious school bounces basketball official for being (gasp) female

By Diane Silver

What century are we living in? Apparently, they haven't quite reached the 21st at a private religious school northwest of Topeka. On Feb. 2, the school refused to start a boy's basketball game because one of the officials was a woman, and as we all "know" it's wrong for a female to have authority over a male.

The Kansas City Star reports:

The game was at St. Mary’s Academy, a private religious school that sits on a sprawling campus about 25 miles northwest of Topeka. Before the game started, a school administrator approached (Michelle) Campbell’s officiating partner, Darin Putthoff of Topeka, and told him a woman could not serve as referee.

That would be putting a woman in a position of authority over boys, he was told — a scenario that was contrary to beliefs at St. Mary’s Academy.

“I was upset,” Putthoff said. “So I said, ‘You’re telling me you don’t have any teachers at the school who are women?’ ”

Campbell says she was “Dumbfounded.” Add me to that list.

Putthoff and a man who had just officiated another game refused to support such backwards attitudes and walked off the court with Campbell. The game went on when a school administrator and another official stepped in.

The Star says the school is " owned and operated by the Society of St. Pius X." The Catholic group was formed in response to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Pope John Paul II, who wasn't exactly known as a liberal, excommunicated the society’s world leader, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

I have no idea whether what St. Mary's did was legal, but I do know that it's frightening because this event reveals an incredibly -- to put it nicely -- "narrow" and prejudicial attitude being taught at that school. If you follow the line of thought of the St. Mary's official, should a woman even have authority over her own male child?

A little respect for big women athletes

By Nancy Jane Moore

Since Diane brought up basketball today, I thought I'd alert the sports fans among our readers to LZ Granderson's article on University of Oklahoma star Courtney Paris (pictured at right)

Granderson calls Paris "the best college basketball player in the country" -- notice that he doesn't call her just the best woman player -- but he also explains why she hasn't graced the cover of any sports magazines:

Not because she's undeserving -- obviously she is -- but because she's not "cover girl material." Paris is pretty. But she's also big. Not just tall -- but big. And she's strong and athletic and confident, and she and others like her make a lot of people feel uncomfortable. Particularly men. Consequently magazines, including the one I write for, will always hesitate to put her on the cover even during the height of basketball season despite the fact she's the best college basketball player in the country.

This is March madness.

Actually, I take that back. I do have a better description for it. It's blatant discrimination.

Obviously Mr. Granderson not only recognizes talent when he sees it, but understands the underlying sexism that still limits the careers of women who don't fit the cultural ideal.

Courtney Paris came up in an earlier post on In This Moment. And we also wrote recently about high school girls' weightlifting down in Florida -- another sport that includes some very large, very healthy women.