Alright, for my final blog post, I have decided to delve into Title IX and ask a tough question: Should there be coed sports, and if so, what sports should be coed?

For this topic, I have spent countless hours interviewing folks on whether or not we should introduce coed sports in the IHSAA. Here were four of the responses:

Junior Gabby Perelmuter: “No, males and females have a different body structure, and this would lead to more injuries.”

Senior Sam Hipple: “No. Men are better athletes than women, which will only result in more women getting hurt.”

Senior Jake Leitch: “Yes, there should be coed sports. Soccer, wrestling, football…if you got the skills, you should play on a coed team.”

Senior Sean Owens: “There should be coed sports, but to do that we need to start big. In the Olympics, we should make water polo, rowing, tennis, and basketball coed. If those succeed, which should without a hitch, other lesser leagues will follow.”

Ok, so after spending the past few weeks pooling arguments, interviewing folks, and doing research, I’ve come to the following conclusion: There should be coed sports.

Why, one might ask? Well, think of it this way: In Physical Education, we have coed sports (unless you attend a one gender school like La Salle, in which case, I can’t help you), and it’s time to spread the love. Just look at pro soccer. The separation of genders has led to vastly different play styles. The women will not come off the pitch unless they are pulled off. Even if said player has severe head trauma, she will stay on. Whereas, in men’s soccer, a casual touch results in a player falling and screaming “AHH! I’m dying.” Maybe the women can show the men how it’s done so the men stop acting like they are weak. To do that, we need coed sports.
In conclusion, coed sports need to be a thing, both in high school and beyond. That’s all that can be said. And that, my friends, is the final blog post. Thank you for sticking with me throughout the year. Goodbye!