Equity issues still a concern in high school sports

Stanford University freshman Greta Meyer is a talented and thoughtful lacrosse player with a voice that had to be heard.

The former Germantown Friends School standout made that known last July when she wrote to ESPN to express her dismay that the boys' Senior Under Armour All-America high school lacrosse game was televised live on the same day the girls' game was not.

"I talked to my mom about what I should do, and we talked about how the worst thing that could happen is that they didn't reply," Meyer said. "But it could be a really great opportunity for change."

ESPN did reply, Meyer said. She received a note from its president, John Skipper, pledging to televise both events in the future.

Not all confrontations turn out so well.

Led by team captain Carli Lloyd, the former Delran High star, the U.S. women's national soccer team recently felt compelled to file a wage-discrimination action against the U.S. Soccer Federation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The players said that the women generated much more revenue than the U.S. men's national team last year but were paid only about a quarter of the men's earnings. The EEOC is investigating the issue.

"Those are such important role models to young women in sports," Meyer said of the soccer players, "and I think that carries over a lot into my life outside of sports."

Locally, from concerns over new uniforms and equipment to practice times, game times and field usage, players, administrators, coaches and others grapple daily with the state of gender equality in their high schools.

"Girls can plays sports, too, obviously," said Kate White, a senior lacrosse player at Agnes Irwin who is to play at Dartmouth.

White has been a team captain in lacrosse, soccer and basketball at Irwin and recently, along with her teammates, played in a Middle School Madness clinic to urge young girls to play sports.

"It's been such a huge part of my life since I was born," White said. "So I think it's important to build that up so that everyone can do whatever they love."

Terry Fromson, managing attorney at the Philadelphia-based Women's Law Project, deals with discrimination and equity issues for women and children in many areas. She stressed that, while progress toward gender equality in high school sports has been made, concerns about participation opportunities remain

"It's really important for kids who have such a short time in whatever school they're in [high school or middle school]," Fromson said. "If they have a strong interest in something, there isn't time to waste to create the opportunity for them."

That issue was addressed in 1972 when Congress passed the Educational Amendments, in which Title IX required schools to provide equal opportunities and benefits for male and female sports programs.

According to data from the National Federation of State High School Associations, which collects participation data submitted by its members, 169,312 boys and 150,250 girls participated in Pennsylvania high school sports during the 2014-2015 seasons.

The difference of more than 19,000 boys can be attributed to several factors that may not be deemed discriminatory, such as the size of football rosters.

Still, issues of inequity arise.

Alex Duckenfield, a 2011 Strath Haven graduate who went on to play lacrosse at Vanderbilt, said she was upset about the condition of her field hockey team's uniforms in her last year at Strath Haven.

"It was frustrating to feel a little undervalued because you ask yourself, 'Why am I working this hard?' " Duckenfield said.

Strath Haven athletic director Charles Carroll and others said concerns about uniforms and equipment can reflect issues about budget limitations.

"The one thing about Philadelphia at the moment," said Frankford High School athletic director Ben Dubin, "is that the budget is so limited that really nobody is getting anything [in terms of equipment] from the schools."

Carroll, in his 14th year as the athletic director at Strath Haven, said his school uses a rotation to determine which teams get new uniforms. Decisions, he said, are often based on need.

The Strath Haven baseball team, for example, is due for new uniforms, Carroll said. But he will hold off because the current ones are in good condition. On the other hand, the field hockey team, he said, will receive new home uniforms next season, slightly ahead of schedule.

At Frankford and Imhotep Charter, time and space limitations require the boys' and girls' basketball teams to frequently share the gym for practice. So each team is limited to half the court.

Creative fund-raising 

Some schools are so restricted by uniform and equipment budgets that officials have taken money matters into their own hands via fund-raising.

It isn't rare these days to see players and coaches holding car washes and bake sales and other events to augment their budgeted money.

In the Philadelphia Public League, South Philadelphia High School athletic director and football coach Frank Natale said money generated by his team often is used to help other teams.

At Moorestown High School, girls' lacrosse coach Deanna Knobloch said her team raises money for anything outside of its allotted budget.

"Honestly, we have total equality in our school," said Knobloch, who is in her 25th year as coach. "I've never had a problem or an issue with the boys' team getting something we wouldn't."

George Dick, in his ninth year as the Harriton girls' lacrosse coach, spoke of similar equality at his school. Dick said he is also on a Lower Merion School District committee of athletic directors, coaches, athletes and parents that discusses issues of gender equality.

Passion is also a motivator for equity activists. Greta Meyer's younger sister, Celia, is a sophomore at Germantown Friends School, and Greta wants her to have every opportunity that is possible.

"This experience [with ESPN]," she said, "was also an important lesson for me in terms of self-advocacy and learning to speak up when you feel wronged or you see an injustice."

Cartera@phillynews.com

@AceCarterINQ