If you haven’t seen “The Sandlot,” I suggest you stop what you’re doing and watch it now. It’s hard to forget classic lines like, “You’re killing me, Smalls,” or the ever-inspiring, “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”
But the pinnacle of all the lines was what to every character in that movie and every child watching at home was the worst insult imaginable: “You play ball like a girl!”
What Ham Porter didn’t know is that playing ball like a girl isn’t an insult – at least it’s not anymore.
Mo’ne Davis proved just a few short weeks ago that playing like a girl is impressive. She wasn’t the first female to play Little League, but she was the first to throw a shutout. She also throws at 70 miles per hour and can rely on multiple pitches.
That’s why she made the cover of Sports Illustrated. It’s always big news when a girl makes it in a primarily male sport.
Forty-two years after Title IX, it’s still big news that girls not only like to play sports but can also hold their own against their male counterparts.
That’s why in July it was big news when it was announced that Catherine Conti would be the first female official to work a Big 12 football game.
But why is this such a big deal?
She’s good at her job. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Big 12 officiating supervisor Walt Anderson hired her because of her merits. She’s spent years working her way up from high school football to Division III football to the Southland Conference and Mountain West. Now she’s going to a Power 5 conference.
It’s not the most glamorous assignment. It’s not even a conference game. Kansas hosting Southeast Missouri State on Saturday isn’t the most thrilling matchup.
It could be that the biggest news is Conti officiating the game. Maybe Kansas head coach Charlie Weis will manage to keep his swearing to a minimum, as he jokingly told the press during Big 12 media days.
Conti might make a mistake. She might not. Either way, it’s too much to hope that it’s her merits she’s judged on, not her gender.
The next time a Power 5 conference chooses a female referee, it will still be big news. Attitudes aren’t going to change overnight.
But it’s a start.
