The Michigan High School Athletic Association has lost another round in its court battle over the scheduling of girls’ sports in the state.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati, last month rejected a request from the association for the entire court to reconsider a July decision by a three-judge panel of the court. That decision affirmed a lower-court ruling that the high school sports schedule in Michigan discriminates against girls in some sports.
The association’s governing body is scheduled to vote on Dec. 3 on alternative calendars for sports to comply with the federal court’s ruling, said John Johnson, the communications director. The association also is preparing to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, he said.
The sports at issue include basketball, volleyball, tennis, and golf.
The plaintiffs in the case, represented by an organization called Communities for Equity, have charged that girls are less likely to be exposed to college coaches and receive scholarships because some of their sports are played in the off season.
Under the new schedule, for example, both girls and boys would play basketball in the winter. Girls now play the sport in the fall and volleyball in the winter, which is the opposite of most colleges’ schedules.
