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| Yes | 62% | 315 votes | Total: 507 votes | |
| No | 38% | 192 votes |
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Add to FavoritesWhile gender equality is an issue in many occupations, this issue is strictly about skill set. I'm not totally familiar with the rules and regulations of Major League Baseball, but I am guessing that there are no rules that state, "This league is for men only". I could be wrong. It wouldn't shock me if such a rule actually did exist, though in today's politically-charged atmosphere, I wouldn't be surprised if MLB had taken steps to remove such a rule.
Major League Baseball and the teams that participate in the league are privately-held entities. Therefore, they can make whatever rules they want in regards to their employees. To be a player on a major league team, you must be able to PLAY at a very high level. You have to be able to pitch, hit, field, or perform some combination of those skills. There are literally thousands of really good baseball players (if not more) in the world today. However, there are only 25 players on a major league roster and there are only 32 teams. Granted, there are extensive minor league systems so hundreds of other jobs are available, but the competition to play at any "professional" level is still very high.
So, in returned to the question, should women be allowed to play on Major League Baseball teams? The answer is, yes. In fact, a few have tried out in the past. But again, the problem comes down to skill set. If you do not hit well, field well, or pitch well you aren't going to make the team. It doesn't matter your gender, race, religion, or creed. In addition, it is not fair to expect a sport to change their rules in order to incorporate a different group of players. The goal of the team is to win games, and to do that they will put the best players on the field possible. Keep in mind that professional sports is a business and if the business is not interesting people will not buy tickets. Teams do not have the luxury of making sure everyone plays, like it used to be in little league.
A similar situation has occurred in other sports. For example, a few women over the years have played high school football. Granted, I believe they have always been kickers, who rarely get into the action in regards to tackling. The same situation applies. Football is a fierce contact sport, and teams want the biggest, fastest, strongest people on the field. If a woman tries out who is 6'4", 250 pounds and is as strong and as fast as her male counterparts, then perhaps she will have a shot. The reality is that few women are built that way. That isn't a statement of discrimination, it is just a biological fact.
Gender equality is an important issue, and there are many fields where women have been treated unfairly and could do just as well as men, if not better. However, professional sports requires not only a certain mental attitude, but also a specific set of physical gifts. When more women can throw 95 miles an hour and hit a baseball 400 feet, then perhaps they will have a better chance of making the team. Until then, they will have to remain spectators.
Learn more about this author, Todd Pheifer.
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No
There is absolutely no reason for women's participation on men's Major League Baseball teams. Every professional sport has its female equivalent; for women to play professional baseball, a women's league needs formed and funded.
There is a professional female soccer league.
There is a professional female golf circuit.
There is a professional female tennis circuit.
There is a professional female basketball league.
There is a professional female football league.
There is a professional female boxing circuit.
And for good reason.
First - the physical prowess displayed by men in their respective sports can not be duplicated by women. The overall decreased speed and power will dilute the game, of which part of any sport's allure is its physical component. To be fair, women should be judged on a level field, thus playing against like counterparts.
Second - women's leagues traditionally don't fare as well with the public. Purses in tennis and golf are less; coverage of the WNBA and other pro leagues is drastically less than men's leagues. In other words, women on men's teams would be a financial disaster. In the short term, perhaps a female might spike financial returns, but this is purely for novelty's sake, such as Annika Sorenstam playing against the men on the PGA tour. Danica Patrick spiked racing interest, but in the long run, she has to win to sustain interest; to date, she hasn't won and interest in her gender has faded.
Third - Fans. On the heels of point #2, fans would turn away from the game if gender equity forced itself upon Major League Baseball. Fans produce revenue, and revenue produces more games. Allowing women to participate on a MLB team would once again provide an inferior product to the marketplace, and the marketplace would turn.
I have been a high school coach for 17 years, and I have coached a few phenomenal female athletes in track and field. As pleasurable as it is to aid in their success (and the team's success), there is a reason why women's track and field does not compete against men's track and field. Women are not as strong or as fast as the male athlete as a whole. This is why hurdles are placed at different heights and shot puts weigh differently. This is not a derogatory issue; it's simply the facts of biology, anatomy and physiology.
I enjoy magnificent athletic competition, be it male or female athletes. Yet, there is no sound reason to intertwine the sexes at the professional level and call it entertainment. It's simply an illogical proposition that must fade like rosin dust in the wind.
Learn more about this author, Stuart Kantor.
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