As a former head womenÕs soccer coach, I was disturbed by comments made by Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, the organization that governs world soccer. In his remarks, reported in the January 17 New York Times, Blatter suggested that women soccer players should wear skimpier clothing to draw more attention to their sport and attract corporate sponsors. ÒTighter shorts, for example,Ó Blatter said to the Swiss newspaper, SonntagsBlick. He also said, ÒIn volleyball the women also wear other uniforms than the men. Pretty women are playing football (soccer) today. Excuse me for saying that.Ó

After coaching and teaching women athletes at womenÕs colleges for 10 years, I cannot excuse Mr. Blatter. Aside from the obvious charges of being politically incorrect and sexist, his ÒvisionÓ for womenÕs sports is the opposite of what many coaches, athletics directors, faculty and staff have been trying to teach in college athletics and college classrooms for many years. Just as our culture has begun to appreciate women athletes for being physically and mentally strong, skilled, and competitive, Blatter and others in similar positions of power Ñ particularly in the media Ñ encourage us to ask these women to be more than accomplished athletes.

The idea is that female athletes, unlike male athletes, should wear uniforms not solely for the purpose of sports, but for sexual entertainment, which, in turn, is supposed to provide commercial rewards. Sex sells. But the message sent to female athletes, both girls and women, is that itÕs not enough for them to train hard and compete well Ñ they must also look pretty, reveal their bodies, and re-inscribe old stereotypes about females needing to maximize their femininity and sexuality to be successful. The emphasis shifts away from the primary focus Ñ athletics competition Ñ to something else Ñ exploitation.

As a male coaching college women, I found myself constantly battling troubling, insidious and unfair messages from our culture and media regarding women in athletics. I wanted my athletes to be powerful, athletically skilled, and intensely competitive. I trained them to take themselves and their goals seriously, and I preached discipline, assertiveness, and the pursuit of excellence as life strategies for success. In my program, there was no room for stereotypical ÒfeminineÓ traits like passivity, deference and frailty, to which, unfortunately, so many girls and women try to conform. Far too often, media images and messages similar to BlatterÕs have interfered with womenÕs experiences in sports. Women should be able to get the same things out of their athletics careers that men do Ñ a sense of accomplishment, personal growth and self-esteem, to name a few.

To ask women to wear tight uniforms in order to be marketable is not only degrading, it also usurps the valuable lessons of sports. It presents an expectation that athletic girls and women must somehow compensate for being strong, fit and competitive Ñ that they need to conform to and reinforce cultural stereotypes despite very negative consequences, such as not being taken seriously, worrying about body image or succumbing to eating disorders. In Mr. BlatterÕs ÒvisionÓ for womenÕs athletics, we would be coaching and teaching female athletes who compete at all levels of sport that if they want acceptance, attention and sponsorship they will be expected to participate in and prioritize sexual entertainment rather than compete solely as athletes. There simply is no excuse for that message.

William Kelly
Former WomenÕs Soccer Coach
College of St. Benedict

NCAA compliance coordinator measures plight in dog years

Our family has a golden retriever named Molly. Molly is 3 years old. One day recently our youngest daughter, Jenny, asked me how old Molly was. I told Jenny that Molly was 3 years old. Jenny then said that Molly was really 21 years old in dog years.

This made me stop and think about what I do at the University of Florida and what other compliance coordinators do every day on other college campuses and in conference offices. Compliance coordinators usually are the first and last lines of defense. Compliance coordinators are the ones who have to ask the questions that no one wants to ask. We have to say ÒnoÓ to things that in our hearts we want to say ÒyesÓ to, but we have to say ÒnoÓ due to a rule. We are thrust into positions in which decisions that we make today could very well be tomorrowÕs news.

If a form needs to be developed, usually the compliance coordinator develops the form. If a form needs to be completed, usually the compliance coordinator completes the form. If a form needs to be reviewed, usually the compliance coordinator reviews the form.

If an athlete needs to be certified, usually the compliance coordinator determines the athleteÕs eligibility. If financial aid needs to be awarded, usually the compliance coordinator determines if the athlete can receive the aid and if the institution can award the aid. If a rules education program needs to be developed, usually the compliance coordinator develops and implements the program. If a rules question needs to be answered, usually the compliance coordinator answers the question and interprets the rule. If an issue needs to be investigated, usually the compliance coordinator conducts the investigation. If a violation needs to be reported, usually the compliance coordinator reports the violation and the corrective action. So just as Molly is 21 years old in dog years, the compliance coordinator on your campus or in your conference office who may be looking a little older or feeling a little older Ñ now maybe you know the reason why. In fact, I may qualify for Social Security in a few more weeks.

Jamie McCloskey
Associate Athletics Director
for Compliance
University of Florida

Soccer should borrow from tennis to curb language-abuse problem

IÕd like to comment on an article that appeared in the November 10, 2003, NCAA News that addressed foul language in college sports, specifically soccer (ÒHawking the talkÓ). Stopping foul language is not rocket science. Obscene or abusive language has never been tolerated in tennis. The first occurrence of obscenity results in a point penalty, the second is loss of a game and the third loss of the match. This same rule applies to all NCAA divisions and even junior tennis.

The soccer governing bodies and all soccer coaches must draw a line in the sand and not tolerate foul language. They must set high expectations and hold players accountable.

Al DuFaux
WomenÕs Tennis Coach
University of Tampa