Why do the parents of girls care so much?

[Unregistered]

Sure it is, but so are a host of other sports – wrestling, swimming, volleyball, cross country, track, field hockey etc. on both the boys and girls side.

To the anti-title IX lug-head, it’s a good thing it does exist as the benefits of athletics to females is well documented, but it’s sad that it requires a rule. Lug-head would probably still prefer segregation too.

I disagree with you Title IX assertion. Scholarships should be based on the free market system. If men's football generate more cash then the money should go to those players. To balance the money because of gov't invention is wrong. To me, this is no different than race quotas. Let the best raise to the top

[Unregistered]

I disagree with you Title IX assertion. Scholarships should be based on the free market system. If men's football generate more cash then the money should go to those players. To balance the money because of gov't invention is wrong. To me, this is no different than race quotas. Let the best raise to the top

College sports should not be about the cash, period. If anything, div 1 football and basketball should be self sustaining and let all the other non-revenue generating sports equalize the scholarships.

[forcepush71]

Title IX has helped both women and men. I have two boys and playing on mixed gendered teams at a young age has had an incredibly positive effect on both my boys. We had a girl on our U-10 club team back in the day that could hang with any of the boys on our team (and by hang I mean dominate most of them). And without the US Women's National teams success soccer would be no where near as popular in the US as it is. My kids know more of the women on the U.S. WNT than men on the U.S. MNT.

As far as Women's soccer being unwatchable that is plainly an unreasoned comment. Akin to saying that all male soccer in the U.S. is unwatchable because it is not up to European or South American standards. If you like a sport you should like it at any competitive level as long as the players are demonstrating effort and sportsmanship.

But, the best boys athletes are still drawn to the traditional glamour sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey and now lacrosse) and while that is changing, it still is more of an exception than the rule.

I agreed with much of what you said however I would dispute that the best boys athletes are being disproportionately drawn to what you call the glamour sports and what I would describe as legacy sports. Participation in team sports is down over all in the last few years but particularly in Baseball and Football.

[Unregistered]

So many threads about girls soccer. So many threads that start neutral that turn into a girls' thread.

History, as usual, helps explain the present. In the beginning was Maple's Touchline forum. One needed to be registered to post on the Touchline, and many if not most of the registered users were parents of female players or coaches of girls' teams. When Maple pulled the plug on Touchline, the users migrated to Talking Soccer and brought the emphasis on girls' soccer with them.

Given this history, then, it doesn't bother me that so many posts are about girls' soccer. I wouldn't mind seeing more posts about boys and boys' teams. It seems those posts do flourish in threads that are clearly marked as boys' threads. I don't recall seeing a boys' thread that turned into a girls' thread.

[Unregistered]

Title IX has helped both women and men. I have two boys and playing on mixed gendered teams at a young age has had an incredibly positive effect on both my boys. We had a girl on our U-10 club team back in the day that could hang with any of the boys on our team (and by hang I mean dominate most of them). And without the US Women's National teams success soccer would be no where near as popular in the US as it is. My kids know more of the women on the U.S. WNT than men on the U.S. MNT.

As far as Women's soccer being unwatchable that is plainly an unreasoned comment. Akin to saying that all male soccer in the U.S. is unwatchable because it is not up to European or South American standards. If you like a sport you should like it at any competitive level as long as the players are demonstrating effort and sportsmanship.



I agreed with much of what you said however I would dispute that the best boys athletes are being disproportionately drawn to what you call the glamour sports and what I would describe as legacy sports. Participation in team sports is down over all in the last few years but particularly in Baseball and Football.

You are looking at a very small segment of the impact of Title IX. Since the Women's NT won the worl cup, thee has been a huge increase in the amount of women's collge soccer programs, which has hlped fuel the near double digit growth in the youth soccer industry. Some of the consequnces are the influence on risinfg prices.

" If you like a sport, you should like it at any competitive level ..." Just your opinion, and not fact. There is more to what goes to liking a sport besides demonstrated effort and sportsmanship.

I happen to love soccer, but find women's soccer, even at the D1 or Pro level, unwatchable.

[Unregistered]

You are looking at a very small segment of the impact of Title IX. Since the Women's NT won the worl cup, thee has been a huge increase in the amount of women's collge soccer programs, which has hlped fuel the near double digit growth in the youth soccer industry. Some of the consequnces are the influence on risinfg prices.

" If you like a sport, you should like it at any competitive level ..." Just your opinion, and not fact. There is more to what goes to liking a sport besides demonstrated effort and sportsmanship.

I happen to love soccer, but find women's soccer, even at the D1 or Pro level, unwatchable.

I find male US soccer unwatchable too. (town, club, HS, college and pro). To each his own.

[Unregistered]

You are looking at a very small segment of the impact of Title IX. Since the Women's NT won the worl cup, thee has been a huge increase in the amount of women's collge soccer programs, which has hlped fuel the near double digit growth in the youth soccer industry. Some of the consequnces are the influence on risinfg prices.

" If you like a sport, you should like it at any competitive level ..." Just your opinion, and not fact. There is more to what goes to liking a sport besides demonstrated effort and sportsmanship.

I happen to love soccer, but find women's soccer, even at the D1 or Pro level, unwatchable.

Then don't watch it!

[Unregistered]

A real simple solution would be for the forum to have two high level folders - girls and boys. That would stop much of the takeover on cross over topics.

[Unregistered]

Sure it is, but so are a host of other sports – wrestling, swimming, volleyball, cross country, track, field hockey etc. on both the boys and girls side.

To the anti-title IX lug-head, it’s a good thing it does exist as the benefits of athletics to females is well documented, but it’s sad that it requires a rule. Lug-head would probably still prefer segregation too.

Does the girls game slow down immensely after U13? Without a doubt. Girls' bodies change, there is no denying it. However, the fact remains that for most High Schools, the girls’ soccer team are the rock-stars of the school on the female side. Not to the level of football of course, but significant none the less. The fact is that there are not many non-club players on Eastern Mass high schools varsity teams. The additional training is essential. On the boy’s side, supreme athleticism still has a place on the pitch provided the player has some semblance of skill. But, the best boys athletes are still drawn to the traditional glamour sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey and now lacrosse) and while that is changing, it still is more of an exception than the rule.

As for this board, there are a few dynamics in play. First, you have 2 absolute lunatics who have been arguing for years and years about the same thing. One is resistant to change, longs for the days of the old outdated model and has a really creepy and perverse allegiance to his kids club to the point that he has become nothing more than an advertising shill for their viewpoint and who even goes so far as posting on other state’s forum to push their larger agenda. Then you have his nemesis, who is also perverse in calling him out and going into long rambling dissertations that go way off point and nowhere and usually end up making no sense whatsoever. He fails to realize that sometimes, less is more.

Then there are the club employees, who in their own insular and incestuous world fight for relevance and will lie, cheat and steal to get what they want. They regularly post untruths about situations and lay out the gossip and try to stir up the drama, particularly leading up to tryout season. I cannot believe some of the crap I have read over the years about my kids’ age groups, teams and clubs. When this happens, parents in the know react strongly (I know I have) and that perpetuates the threads and blows them way out of proportion making them seem to be more important than what they really are. And to the earlier poster, yes, it is all about the money.

Women's sports are an acquired taste. You have to appreciate the effort and skill more than the athleticism because theirs just doesn't compare to what you see in a men's game. That said, we've all seen many men's games that are just as boring because the men rely too much on their athleticism and don't exhibit enough effort and skill.

Title 9 is now working itself back around to benefiting men's sports. At my daughter's school they don't have a football team and are actually creating new varsity men's teams in things like lacrosse and rugby because they have to equalize the money spent on all of the women's teams.

[forcepush71]

You are looking at a very small segment of the impact of Title IX. Since the Women's NT won the worl cup, thee has been a huge increase in the amount of women's collge soccer programs, which has hlped fuel the near double digit growth in the youth soccer industry. Some of the consequnces are the influence on risinfg prices.

" If you like a sport, you should like it at any competitive level ..." Just your opinion, and not fact. There is more to what goes to liking a sport besides demonstrated effort and sportsmanship.

I happen to love soccer, but find women's soccer, even at the D1 or Pro level, unwatchable.

Of course it is an opinion. And I would contend if you hold the opinion that you say you hold then you would be unable to watch pretty much any soccer men or women's in the U.S. and would be unable to watch youth soccer at all.

The relative increase in pricing in all youth sports has more to do with the societal/parental expectations for our kids than Title IX. Kids specialize far too young and play their core sports all year round. People pay to get any perceived advantage for something that really should just be a pastime. I am fairly sure that Title IX doesn't explain why all the Hockey kids in my town are held back by their parents and start kindergarten at 6 rather than 5. There has been a tonne written about the rising costs of all youth sports lately and really none of it attributes blame to Title IX.

[Unregistered]

So many threads about girls soccer. So many threads that start neutral that turn into a girls' thread. Why so much effort and care? Why the insanity?

Because nobody else does

[Unregistered]

Women's sports are an acquired taste. You have to appreciate the effort and skill more than the athleticism because theirs just doesn't compare to what you see in a men's game. That said, we've all seen many men's games that are just as boring because the men rely too much on their athleticism and don't exhibit enough effort and skill.

Title 9 is now working itself back around to benefiting men's sports. At my daughter's school they don't have a football team and are actually creating new varsity men's teams in things like lacrosse and rugby because they have to equalize the money spent on all of the women's teams.

Besides football and basketball no one is watching any of these sports unless they have an interested party involved. The whole argument is absurb. At my kids school water polo and fencing are varsity sports. Zzzzz to say the least.

[forcepush71]

Besides football and basketball no one is watching any of these sports unless they have an interested party involved. The whole argument is absurb. At my kids school water polo and fencing are varsity sports. Zzzzz to say the least.

Well of course sports should be more about participation than spectator enjoyment. However Rugby is fairly popular at a club level in Mass and matches will be pretty well attended. HS LAX attracts pretty large crowds in my town substantially more than Basketball for instance. As far as Water Polo and Fencing are concerned Water Polo is complicated and hard to follow without some research; but if you like physical sports it doesn't get much more physical than Water Polo. And fencing is pretty awesome. It is a great spectator sport and can be really fun to watch even if you don't know much about it. Fast, precise and skillful even at youth levels.

[Unregistered]

i'm girls coach in CT, the girls side is the absolute worst because the parents are completely delusional.

Which club?

[Unregistered]

So many threads about girls soccer. So many threads that start neutral that turn into a girls' thread. Why so much effort and care? Why the insanity?

Because, in the USA, soccer is a girls' sport.

Top male athletes in the USA play football, baseball, basketball, even hockey ... soccer does not attract the top male athletes. (Okay, baseball is a pastime, not a sport.)

On the women's side, there are fewer competitive sports on a national level, so soccer has it.