There was a story a couple of weeks ago that would have never been a story except for the incomparable public stupidity of two sports radio talk show hosts. They always have a touch more time on their hands than they should and instead of playing something recorded where they weren’t saying anything at all but someone else saying nearly anything else, they chose to talk about something they had heard about in the news. They had day after day, broadcast after broadcast proved themsleves immensely deficient at filling these special moments with one vapid comment after another. Worse, they both that thought their uncogent comments really funny. They are not. They are even painfully not funny. Their audiences are not their equal though. They are less cerebral and their retorts only reveal the certainty that we’re losing ground in education to other nations. Because of their combined witless behaviors commenting about a situation that they were not even a part of and where no story was brewing, became the butt of a ridiculously vicious attack. It seems a transgendered person had jumped through hundreds of hoops for a little playing time on a small college team. Now thanks to their shallow reporting, she had a few more. Thanks guys.
Her story is fascinating. When she was a he, he played for a small college team and after a year, for whatever reason, decided not to keep playing on a team. However, he never lost the love of the game. He instead pursued a career in coaching but continued to play but this time only in pickup games. Years passed and like me and so many others he had this unresolved feeling that nothing he tried seem to answer. He was trans sexed and it just did not make any sense. 6’ 6” and not “pretty” like me and almost every trans person I’ve met. He could be A 6’6” man yes but woman? Just didn’t follow. He finally turned to see if this one constant quandary in his life could be resolved. A few years ago, he started to become a she and indeed found peace. He was around 40 when he started his transition and by the time he was 45 he was a she and yeah there were some bumps along the way but all was resolved in her very private life. All this time she kept playing pickup still with men and then when it seemed appropriate with women. She was finally herself and the quality of her playing got better and better. She was a better player as woman than she had been as a man. One of the “keen” observations by the dream duo was that women’s backetball will always be inferior to men. So it made perfect sense that she would be better. So would Pee Wee Herman!! (Snicker, snicker, laugh, laugh) Through a strange set of circumstances that often happens when you become yourself she found herself with an opportunity to play for a college team again only now at the youthful age of 50.
She didn’t want make any trouble for the team and on the team she found none. Her teammates were incredibly supportive and loved the idea of playing with such a good and experienced player. But everytime it seemed that she had been cleared to play another "hoop" was put in front of her. She has jumped through each one with great dignity of little fanfare. She wasn't looking for any notoriety. So when she didn’t start the season with the rest of her team she didn't make a fuss. Until the college board members cleared her she could only practice. She did. When she finally was cleared to be eligible to play the season was well underway and the team’s coach who was so instrumental in getting her her chance, let her play that first game in a very limited manner. If was after her second game when she had gotten more playing time and played pretty well that the Bozo boys made their specious commentary.
These agile minded morons, who worked indirectly for ESPN, sandbaged her from their privileged perch. Their insults and inconsistent riffs are not for the readers of this blog. They’re not obscene they’re stupid. I value your time and your brains so I will not give them another hearing. What happened next had to be a complete surprise to them.
These two Road Scholars (correct spelling) were excoriated for their needless harangue and suspended for a WHOLE WEEK by their indirect employer ESPN. ESPN who use to mine this kind of vein when they were doing nothing but curling championships CONDEMNED them for their outlandish and unprofessional behavior because ESPN would never endorse in any way what they did and damn them to FOX Sports or the MLB Network. Damn them straight to a better time slot in a few months for finding a nugget like this. According to ESPN this was intolerable...until it isn’t again.
I haven’t mentioned their names or the young woman’s name (to me she’s very young, I wish I was 50!). The former because they don’t deserve anymore coverage and the latter because she has my respect and gets her wish to remain as private as possible. Let her enjoy playing the game she so obviously loves in the nonanonymity that she enjoys again.
Afterthought - One of the stories I read regarding this trailblazing woman was that her story sounded like a real lfe version of "The Natural" except of course for the gender identity. What in the hell does that mean? The Gender Identity indeed!! The only reason you are reporting the story is because of the “Gender Identity”. Even those who were attempting to report the story with no bias had bias. I look forward to the day when a story such as hers needs no qualifiers or further explanations. Here was the story of an older person getting one more chance to be young. Believe me that should be story enough.
