Caroline Pla on “Ellen.” Go Irish!
Both of my sons play in the local YMCA flag football league. It’s a pretty tame version of the game, but the kids do bonk heads or trip over each other, so injury is a risk. They will not be playing tackle football, as much as my husband and I both love the sport, because we shy away from exposing them to that level of contact, and they haven’t shown any desire to do so anyway.
If they did, as 11-year-old Caroline Pla of Doylestown, PA did when she was 3 years old, attending her older brother’s Pop Warner football games and declaring that she would play too when she got old enough, I would certainly consider it. After all, my boys are big, fast (when they want to be) and smart enough to avoid injury if they can help it.
And so it went with Pla, who signed up for football as soon as she was of age (5) and went on to play every year after that, coming into her own as defensive end and offensive guard. At first, she told Ellen Degeneres during a January the boys were “Like woah, there’s a girl,” and acting “weird” around her. But Caroline’s favorite part of football is the contact. The boys soon got used to her. “I put them on their butt,” she said. “Now they treat me like one of them.”
Last season, it seems that a family from one of the opposing teams complained to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which runs the CYO football league that includes Pla’s team, that Pla shouldn’t be playing because the rules exclude girls. At first, the plan was to kick her out of the league immediately, but cooler heads prevailed and the league at least let her finish out the season. Now, however, it is questionable whether she will be allowed to play in the future.
The issue made local and then national news when Pla’s mother put a petition up on Change.org that currently has over 100,000 supporters, including Degeneres herself.
Pla’s coach, her family, and her teammates have all appealed to the Archdiocese, which has the issue under review. In a statement sent to me via email, Kenneth A. Gavin, Associate Director of Communications, tells me that ” the Archdiocese has approached this situation in a fair manner at every turn.”
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) currently designates football as a full contact sport for boys only. It is important to note that most CYO sports are designated by gender, with some sports offering separate leagues for boys and girls. These measures are taken in an effort to ensure a safe and appropriate playing environment for all participants.
Traditionally football is a boys only sport due to its full contact nature. Most parents and players have preferred this; some now disagree. An archdiocesan panel of coaches, parents, pastors and experts in the sports medicine and pediatrics fields will evaluate the current rule. Calls for an immediate change in the policy are premature and unwise without adequate consultation, especially given the potential safety issues involved. A final decision in this regard is expected by mid-March of 2013.
is a freelance writer in Los Angeles. She publishes her personal blog, House of Prince, where she writes about her misadventures in parenting, and a hyperlocal blog called Agoura Hills Mom. Kim enjoys hiking, reading, and a tasty cocktail.
I hope they do the right thing and allow her to play!
I am so glad you brought this to my attention. I hadn’t heard the story and this girl lives about 15 minutes from me. Yes, she should be allowed to play just like anyone else regardless of gender or any other factor. Good for her!
I don’t have children, so, thankfully, IMO, haven’t had to face this issue. I’m also not a fan of football, so really given the danger inherent in the sport, I wonder why anyone wants to play the game. I also feel similarly about women in combat- why would they ever want to do that?
But, there are women who want to be given the full right to be in combat positions, and they have just been given that right, which also gives them access to higher positions in the military, so it’s a question of equal opportunity under the law. Therefore, if there are girls who want to go out and play what I think is a very dangerous game, just like boys who are equally susceptible to the dangers, then why shouldn’t they be allowed?