A Massachusetts superintendent is calling for a change in state rules after a girl’s teeth were knocked out during a field hockey game by a shot from a male player.
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association allows men and women to participate in the other gender’s sports if they are not available in their own—thus, a man can participate in field hockey, which is generally a women’s sport.
The incident took place during a playoff game between Swampscott High School and Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School earlier this week – a girl from the Dighton-Rehoboth team suffered “significant facial and dental injuries” that “required hospitalisation”. after he was shot. the face from a male in Swampscott.
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A general view of a hockey stick and hockey ball during the men’s international hockey match between Ireland vs Austria at the Sport Ireland campus in Dublin. (Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Now, Bill Runey, the superintendent of the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District, is calling for a change in a rule that has been in place since the 1970s.
“While I understand the MIAA has guidelines for joint participation under Section 43 of its handbook, this incident dramatically magnifies the concerns of many regarding player safety,” he said. via the Washington Times.
“Seeing the horror in the eyes of our players and coaches as they hailed their bus last night is proof to me that there needs to be a renewed approach by the MIAA to protect the safety of our athletes,” he also said.
A female field hockey player was hospitalized after being shot in the face by a male player.
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The MIAA cites the Massachusetts Equal Rights Amendment, passed in 1976, which discriminates on the basis of sex—it was extended to school sports three years later.
The MIAA said they “understand” the safety concerns, but the desire for inclusion has outweighed it.
A general view prior to kick-off of the Women’s Hockey One League semi-final match between NSW Pride and Perth Thundersticks at the Bendigo Regional Hockey Complex on November 19, 2022, in Bendigo, Australia. (Martin Keep/Getty Images)
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“We respect and understand the complexities and concerns that exist regarding student safety. However, student safety has not been a successful defense to excluding students of one gender from participating in groups of the opposite sex,” the MIAA said in a statement. . “The arguments generally fail because of the lack of association between injuries and mixed-sex groups.”