Should Sports Be Coed?

In 2014 Mo’ne Davis became a media sensation as the first girl to throw a shutout in the Little League World Series. Now Fox has a new show in its fall lineup that features a female pitcher in Major League Baseball. Will we soon see women pitching in the major leagues?

What about other sports, such as wrestling? New York City now has a coed wrestling division for high schools, where boys and girls practice and compete alongside one another. Should coed teams become commonplace?

In “Will Women Play Major League Baseball? (And Not Just on TV),” Gretchen Reynolds writes about questions raised by the new Fox series:

The new Fox drama “Pitch,” about the first female pitcher in Major League Baseball, proclaims that it is “a true story on the verge of happening.”

The heavily promoted show, which premieres Thursday, already is drawing praise for its groundbreaking premise. But it also raises questions about just how true and how on the verge the story line really is. Could a female pitcher make it into the major leagues anytime soon? And if so, why hasn’t she yet?

From a scientific standpoint, the answer is yes, she can. While there are some physical obstacles to a woman’s pitching in the major leagues, they aren’t insurmountable. The larger challenges may be social and cultural, as girls struggle to find opportunities and acceptance in a traditional boys’ sport, and boys struggle with the social consequences of being struck out by a girl.

Should women and girls compete alongside or against men and boys in high school, college or even professional sports? Why?

Could making teams coed actually improve the level of play for all athletes? Could it set a better tone at practice? Could it make athletes more encouraging of one another? After all, these are some of the changes that Chris Smith, the coach of a New York City high school coed wrestling team, noticed when girls and boys started wrestling alongside one another on the same team (though individual bouts are same-sex

boys wrestle boys and girls wrestle girls).

Are there sports besides wrestling for which athletes might benefit from having girls and boys or women and men  practice and compete on the same teams?

 Do you agree with the article that some of the greatest obstacles to having coed teams might be social and cultural, rather than physical?

Do you think the premise in “Pitch,” that Major League Baseball might someday soon have a female pitcher, is realistic? Why?

 Or do you think it’s best for both boys and girls  and men and women  to practice and compete on different teams and in separate divisions?