Your thoughts on a baseball team forfeiting their chance to win a State Championship over a girl playing->?

The St. Pius X team is following its religious principles, as is their right - out of the 18th century or not. If it leads them to skip the game, it's their loss, so to speak.

I think it was quite accomodating for Sultzbach (the girl from Mesa Prep) to sit for the two regular-season games against St. Pius X. And that was also a choice.

But if someone were to try to force Sultzbach to sit for the game in order to accomodate the religious beliefs of St. Pius X, that, IMO, is crossing the line, in that it would seek to discriminate by imposing one's religious practice on another.

In this area, a team from a Jewish school qualified for a playoff game, but the game was scheduled for a Friday after sundown. The team chose to not play. The athletics association caught some flak for not switching the game with another at a different time. But the general attitude seemed to be that, "Hey, it's their religion, their choice." While the team was somewhat disappointed, they were clearly making the choice of its own volition.

[I have this feeling that a number of people are misreading the OP. The team with the female player is being awarded a state championship due to the Catholic school's refusal to play. In no way is that player being shorted in this, other than they're not playing the game. She's decided that she wants to play, and apparently her school is standing behind her.]

It is too bad that they forfeited. That's something those kids will remember and regret for a long time. But it is similar to the Texas Jewish parochial school that was willing to forfeit in the state basketball championships rather than play on Friday night. Such decisions teach kids that there is something more important than baseball or basketball. In the Texas case, the opposing team agreed to a Friday afternoon game. In this case, the girl did not have to agree to be benched. Another point worth considering and I don't know the answer, a girl can play on the boys varsity if she is good enough, but no boy could play on the girls softball team. Title IX requires equality of teams by gender, it does not require that there be mixed gender teams.

At this point of time the school (Lady of Sorrows) decides they will opt out on that choice knowing that possibility could happen. (two games she opted out but I think she should be able to play if the rules say she can) So that choice is theirs(Lady of---) to bear and nobody else has to worry, if that outcome is the only one. Perhaps they should read the by-laws of competition between teams and their crying foul can be overcome by the by-laws stating if a team fails to compete for the championship the other team should be the winner by default. I think there has to be an a decision made to eliminate any feelings of guilt by the winner......

The ESPN article says this:

Officials at Our Lady of Sorrows declined comment. In a written statement Thursday, the school said the decision to forfeit was consistent with a policy prohibiting co-ed sports.

The statement also said the school teaches boys respect by not placing girls in athletic competition, where "proper boundaries can only be respected with difficulty."

Our Lady of Sorrows is run by the U.S. branch of the Society of Saint Pius X. The group represents conservative, traditional priests who broke from the Catholic Church in the 1980s.

Therefore, this is a group who has specific religious beliefs and they feel that playing with a girl on the opposing team is something they cannot oblige. No matter what your feelings about it are, the group has a right to practice their beliefs.

The team everyone is overlooking right now is Australia. All they've done is warm up by spanking every team they've played in the lead up to the tournament, including Argentina, Greece, Turkey and China. Look out for Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and co to surprise a lot of people.

I saw the article this mornin on TV, and they deserve the forfeit, and I hope she don't quit, and her school backs her. Totally sucky and immature. I bet they still throw rocks at girls and pull pig tailss. I wonder if they ever considered their moms are females??? I hope she don't ever hook up with Jocks.. On an up note though the reporter said, They had a girl on his B ball team in school, he had a crush on as well as many other guys and she was the third best on the team. Plus, this girl is a cutie, and immaturity, as well as ignorance, is hopefully curable.

I guess co-ed only applies to sports and priests and choir boys?

Stupid, stupid. To lose a championship game over something so petty is an insult to their athletes who worked so hard to get where they were. And Paige was absolutely right to refuse to sit out the championship game. I'm glad she finally stepped up and made a statement. I'm just sorry she bowed to pressure in the previous 2 games. If a school has stupid principles, they deserve to lose out.

I don't see their point of view. If playing against a team with a

girl on it violates their mission, they shouldn't play the school

at all. I do find it a little suspect that they kept the girl out of

the other games and not this one.

I guess that team was afraid to lose to a girl.

the team that forfieted should be baned from playing post season baseball next season

its a very immature move and really only hurting the players especialy the Seniors that worked hard for years to reach that game

I tend to agree with the thought that the team that forfeited has the right to practice their religion freely. I wonder, however, what the reaction would be if they refused to play because the other team had a black person on their team. Or a Jewish person.