Jaime Nared Takes On The Boys (and America)
September 15, 2008 by mhueter
Filed under Basketball, Famous Women in Sports, From the blogosphere, Sports Headlines, Sports Journalism
14-year-old Jaime Nared is making headlines across the country. So far, she’s been on ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN’s Headline News and featured in Thursday’s New York Times as well as big time sports blogs like The Bleacher Report. Why? Because she’s breaking barriers.
Gender barriers… in basketball.
The NY Times calls her “12 going on Candace Parker.” At 6 foot 1″, Nared is catching attention for her participation on Team Concept boys’ team in Portland, Oregon.
All was cool until a game back in April, when she scored 30 points. Suddenly, Jaime got a call from her coach who informed her that she was banned from planning on the team.
Interesting coincidence.
Apparently, Team Concept played in a league called Hoop, a private gym that runs the league that Team Concept plays in. All of a sudden, after her performance scoring 30 points, the league cited a previously unenforced rule against mixed-gender play.
Timing seems a little bit too perfect, doesn’t it?
Only problem now is the GIRLS don’t want her playing with them, either. Poor kid.
Girls teams don’t want her playing because she KILLS. Apparently, the last time she played against girls her age, the final score was 90-7. Her coach equated her participation with girls her age like Shaq playing on a high school team.
By forcing Jaime to play against girls her own age, she’s not getting any better.
The NY Times even says, “Playing with boys is a standard part of girls’ basketball training. Often it’s where talented girls can find the game best suited to their skills.”
So it is going to take some pushing.
It’s not surprising to me that there’s a strong-willed mom behind this effort.
When Jaime’s mother, Reiko Williams, heard that her daughter had been kicked off the boys’ team, she says she felt she needed to act. “I have three daughters,” she told the NY Times. “The world is going to give them pink and dolls. My two older daughters, Jackie and Jaime, want to play basketball. I feel it’s my job as a parent to help them be the best they can be at what they choose to do.”
After the league cut Jaime from the boys’ team, Jaimie’s mom called the Portland media. Then, a trail of media coverage and support followed.
When I read the NY Times article on Jaime last week, I sent it around to some of my blogger friends. One asked me whether I think Jaime should be allowed to compete with older girls or if she should compete against boys her age.
My answer..
Playing with the boys got her on Good Morning America.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rBbZ01FrKA]
I say stick with the boys.
Best of luck, Jaime!
I cannot for the life of me understand why people are so blantantly sexist and would *actually* enforce such a dumb no-gender mixing rule.
Please tell me how a girl playing on a boys team is detriemental to boys? (because the obvious ego-issue)
I am so glad that Jamie’s story is getting so much attention. Perhaps this will spark real action that will allow talented athletes to play wherever they choose!
Good job, Megan! I’ve given my take on Jaime’s story at my blog, and included a link to your piece as well.
Wow, I wonder how many of you would be willing to support a boy playing girls’ teams.
Just so you know, in 47 states, the high school sports associations ban boys from having the same rights as you want to give her.
That includes not only when the boys are bigger than girls, but any boy at any time – even when boys are smaller in middle school.
Why does she make GMA when she has to live under the same rules the boys do? Why is the fact that a girl is subjected to equal rights a major news story?
Double standards anyone?
Does anyone remember a Rick Reilly article in SI a while back about boys playing field hockey on girls teams in the midwest (there were no boys field hockey teams). To sum up: girls playing on boys teams is good. Boys playing on girls teams is bad. Parents were losing it, telling there daughters to cheapshot the boys and such.
But then again modern feminism isn’t about equality – its about seperate rights above and beyond.
Forget ego, forget esteem. If a daughter could beat my son at basketball – great. My son should practice more. But please feminists — stop pretending like there isn’t a double standard!!
Should she be allowed to play with boys – absolutely. But by saying this you are only confirming that boys basketball is better than girls basketball. Is that really the message that you want to send to the other millions of girls with big dreams to play basketball?
Why do you have to blame feminists for a double standard?
Let’s look at the facts…
Girl playing on a boys basketball team = PLAYING UP
Boy playing on a girls basketball team (or Jamie Nared playing on a girls team) = PLAYING DOWN
So allowing Jamie to play on a boys team is allowing her to move up a class and become a better player.
You simply cannot compare this to a guy playing on a girls team.
And by the way – if you read the blog post above, they didn’t have a problem with her playing in the league until she scored 30 points in a game. All of a sudden, there was a gender rule.
So it’s OK if girls compete on guys teams, but not if they make them look bad?
That’s where the problem is my friends.
I go to school with her she’s awesome she’s funny and really fun. I have art class with her and she’s really cool