It seems there is just no place for a boy on a girls' field hockey team. New York officials have ruled that 13-year-old Keeling Pilaro, who has competed with the Southampton High School field hockey team for the past two seasons, will not be allowed to play with the team when the fall season starts.
Echoing a controversial ruling last fall by the Wilson Intermediate Football League limiting the scoring ability of one player because of his exceptional skills, Section 11, which oversees high school sports in Suffolk County, has ruled that Pilaro is just too good and that his participation is causing "a significant adverse effect on some of his opposing female players," said Ed Cinelli, Section 11 executive director. According to MyFoxNY.com, Cinelli went on to explain, "The rules state he would be allowed to play if he wasn't the dominant player."
The issue of equality is often raised whenever a male athlete wishes to compete in a female sport, and vice versa, with opponents arguing that males' size and strength provide an unfair advantage or create a safety concern when competing amongst girls. But it's hard to make that argument in this case - Pilaro is 4 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs in at 82 pounds. Pilaro's advantage may simply be that as a native of Ireland, he grew up playing the sport and has had more practice.
At greater issue might be the increasing popularity of field hockey among male athletes. "As a sport, it's a girls' sport," Cinelli told MyFoxNY.com. "When a boy plays, it leads the way for other male players to come in and take over."
Having grown up in Europe where the sport is more popular, Pilaro had few outlets to play in New York, but Title IX requires that an athlete be allowed to compete in a sport offered to the opposite sex, allowing Pilaro to join the girls' team. The decision to ban him from even trying out could be seen as discrimination under Title IX, and should it stand, it could set a precedent for other states looking to limit participation by male athletes in female sports and strike a serious blow to Title IX enforceability, not to mention the effect it will have on male athletes like Pilaro interested in playing field hockey. Currently, 308 boys participate on girls' field hockey teams nationwide, according to CBSNewYork.com. If more male athletes are excluded, the growth of the sport will be significantly stifled.
The school district and other coaches and players have offered their support for Pilaro. The family has hired an attorney and taken the matter to court, losing the initial appeal. The case will come up again in May, and the family hopes that Pilaro will be reinstated.
