Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Tuesday, June 15, 2004

The Supreme Court has agreed to take a case with some important issues regarding Title IX and gender equity in sports.

Roderick Jackson coached girls' hoops at Ensley High in Alabama. He says he was fired after complaining that the boys got preferential treatment.

According to Jackson, the girls were forced to practice in the old gym with its wooden backboards, a smaller-than-regulation-sized court, crooked rims and no heat. "It was winter and we were cold. Sometimes, we'd cut practice a half hour early and go down and just watch the boys," he said. When, on top of it all, the school axed the girls' JV program, Jackson complained.

"I was told that I was not a team player, that I needed to play ball or I was going to make problems for myself," Jackson says. "And they weren't joking."

The Eleventh Circuit said that Jackson couldn't sue for retaliation under Title IX, but the Fourth Circuit reached the opposite conclusion in a similar case, so now the Court will settle the circuit split.