Is Brittney Griner Worthy of a Shot in the NBA? A Brief Look at the History of Women in Sports
Published by Nicholas Greiner (Columnist), Edited by Daniel Lewis (Editor-in-Chief) on April 27, 2013 in The Penn Sport Report. Click to read article in The Penn Sport Report.
Tony Gutierrez/The Associated Press
Baylor women’s basketball player Brittney Griner was recently selected number one overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA draft. She finished her collegiate career as the only player to have 2,000 career points and 500 career blocks. Standing in at 6’ 8” with an 86” wingspan, the center projects to dominate the professionals just as she did for four years in Waco.
Controversy surrounded the period leading up to the draft when outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban remarked that he would look at Griner, a woman, as a potential draft prospect for his NBA franchise. These words prompted a response from Connecticut women’s head coach Geno Auriemma who claimed that if Griner were given the opportunity to workout for the Mavericks, it would be a sham and called the idea that she could compete with the men “absolutely ludicrous.”
In modern day, the idea of women competing on the same level as men is not well received by the media, coaches, or fans. There is an inherent bias against women and, as a result, few are given the opportunity to attempt playing with men. The two shining examples of women competing against men today are Danica Patrick in auto racing and Kelly Kulick on the PBA tour. However, neither one of these sports require direct, physical activity in opposition to a male athlete. The fact of the matter remains that these situations are rare in modern sports even though many male athletes are open to the idea of allowing women to compete with them.
Much of the argument against women competing is that they would not be able to compete physically with their male counterparts. This can be a little head scratching since it is difficult to know for sure whether or not they could match up with the men unless they are given the opportunity. What most people do not realize is that history has shown that women may very well be able to compete. The problem here is, most people do not know the story.
The great Babe Ruth once said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen if they begin to let women in baseball. Of course, they will never make good. Why? Because they are too delicate. It would kill them to play ball every day.” The irony in this story is that Babe Ruth himself once faced a female pitcher. The result? He was struck out. And if that is not enough, the next batter she faced was “The Iron Horse,” Lou Gehrig. The second Yankee legend swung at three straight pitches and followed his future Hall-of-Fame teammate back to the dugout.
Jackie Mitchell, a 18-year-old girl, had just recorded back-to-back strikeouts for the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts against the big, bad New York Yankees and their super stars. Mitchell was born in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 29, 1912. Her neighbor, Dazzy Vance, taught her to throw one pitch. It was a “drop ball” or a “sinker.” Vance himself went on to pitch in the major leagues and was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 1931, the Chattanooga Lookouts owner, Joe Engel offered the left-handed pitcher a one-year contract in order to boost ticket sales by promising that his team was the only team with a female pitcher. Although Mitchell was indeed the only female pitcher of her time, she was not the first. Lizzie Arlington pitched in 1898 for the local team in Reading, Pennsylvania against their rivals from Allentown.
The Yankees would go on to win the game 14-4, and Mitchell was pulled out of the game in favor of Clyde Barfoot after walking the next batter. But Mitchell’s claim to fame was forever solidified. She would forever be the woman who struck out Ruth and Gehrig.
Her contract was declared void a few days after the game by the league commissioner who claimed that baseball was “too strenuous” for women. Instead, Mitchell went on to pitch for teams in other men’s leagues for another five years. Major League Baseball officially banned the signing of women on June 21, 1952.
The point of the story is that almost a century ago, a woman did the unthinkable. Before she had even peaked physically, she struck out two of the greatest hitters of the era. If an 18-year-old could compete in the 1930’s, then why is it so crazy to believe that women today can do the same? We have all heard the argument that they are not the same physically, but that did not seem to stop Jackie Mitchell.
If anything, the institution of Title IX a few decades ago has empowered women in athletics to achieve new heights and reach for loftier goals. If an 18-year-old girl throwing just a sinker can strikeout Ruth and Gehrig, doesn’t arguably the best women’s basketball player ever deserve a shot to prove she belongs with the boys?
Controversy surrounded the period leading up to the draft when outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban remarked that he would look at Griner, a woman, as a potential draft prospect for his NBA franchise. These words prompted a response from Connecticut women’s head coach Geno Auriemma who claimed that if Griner were given the opportunity to workout for the Mavericks, it would be a sham and called the idea that she could compete with the men “absolutely ludicrous.”
In modern day, the idea of women competing on the same level as men is not well received by the media, coaches, or fans. There is an inherent bias against women and, as a result, few are given the opportunity to attempt playing with men. The two shining examples of women competing against men today are Danica Patrick in auto racing and Kelly Kulick on the PBA tour. However, neither one of these sports require direct, physical activity in opposition to a male athlete. The fact of the matter remains that these situations are rare in modern sports even though many male athletes are open to the idea of allowing women to compete with them.
Much of the argument against women competing is that they would not be able to compete physically with their male counterparts. This can be a little head scratching since it is difficult to know for sure whether or not they could match up with the men unless they are given the opportunity. What most people do not realize is that history has shown that women may very well be able to compete. The problem here is, most people do not know the story.
The great Babe Ruth once said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen if they begin to let women in baseball. Of course, they will never make good. Why? Because they are too delicate. It would kill them to play ball every day.” The irony in this story is that Babe Ruth himself once faced a female pitcher. The result? He was struck out. And if that is not enough, the next batter she faced was “The Iron Horse,” Lou Gehrig. The second Yankee legend swung at three straight pitches and followed his future Hall-of-Fame teammate back to the dugout.
Jackie Mitchell, a 18-year-old girl, had just recorded back-to-back strikeouts for the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts against the big, bad New York Yankees and their super stars. Mitchell was born in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 29, 1912. Her neighbor, Dazzy Vance, taught her to throw one pitch. It was a “drop ball” or a “sinker.” Vance himself went on to pitch in the major leagues and was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 1931, the Chattanooga Lookouts owner, Joe Engel offered the left-handed pitcher a one-year contract in order to boost ticket sales by promising that his team was the only team with a female pitcher. Although Mitchell was indeed the only female pitcher of her time, she was not the first. Lizzie Arlington pitched in 1898 for the local team in Reading, Pennsylvania against their rivals from Allentown.
The Yankees would go on to win the game 14-4, and Mitchell was pulled out of the game in favor of Clyde Barfoot after walking the next batter. But Mitchell’s claim to fame was forever solidified. She would forever be the woman who struck out Ruth and Gehrig.
Her contract was declared void a few days after the game by the league commissioner who claimed that baseball was “too strenuous” for women. Instead, Mitchell went on to pitch for teams in other men’s leagues for another five years. Major League Baseball officially banned the signing of women on June 21, 1952.
The point of the story is that almost a century ago, a woman did the unthinkable. Before she had even peaked physically, she struck out two of the greatest hitters of the era. If an 18-year-old could compete in the 1930’s, then why is it so crazy to believe that women today can do the same? We have all heard the argument that they are not the same physically, but that did not seem to stop Jackie Mitchell.
If anything, the institution of Title IX a few decades ago has empowered women in athletics to achieve new heights and reach for loftier goals. If an 18-year-old girl throwing just a sinker can strikeout Ruth and Gehrig, doesn’t arguably the best women’s basketball player ever deserve a shot to prove she belongs with the boys?