Back To The Future Please!

I don't drive a De Lorean, but I feel like I've somehow been transported back to the 1950's or something. I haven't seen any poodle skirts, and there's definitely hip hop on the radio, but the things that come out of folks' mouths around here are all the proof I need.

I've been having the following conversation a lot recently. The other person (OP) is a composite of many people:

Me: I gotta go. My kid has football practice this evening.
OP: She's playing football this year?
Me: Yep.
OP: Why?
Me: Because she wants to.
OP: What team?
Me: A local Pop Warner team. The team seems solid. They've been champs a few times.
OP: And they have a girls' team?
Me: Uh, no.
OP: So she's going to be playing with boys?
Me: Uh, yeah.
OP: Is it flag football?
Me: Nope. Tackle.
OP: And you're letting her play?
Me: Uh, yeah.
OP: Has she been tackled yet?
Me: No. They're doing a skills and agility camp right now. It's kinda like spring training. There's no contact until closer to the actual season.
OP: Well...she'll quit the first time she gets tackled.
Me: Ha! You obviously don't know my kid very well. The whole reason she wants to play is to tackle someone.
OP: You're not afraid she'll get hurt?
Me: Not really. She's not fragile.
OP: Are you sure you're not making her play?
Me: Entirely her decision. I don't care whether she plays or not.
OP: But she's a girl.
Me: I know this. I changed her diapers.

Now, don't get me wrong. I had expected a few folks to balk at her playing football. I'm not naive. I know that old prejudices die hard, and little girls playing tackle football is not something you see every day. But, come on. It's not like she's the first girl to ever play the game. It's Pop Warner, not the NFL. I mean, girls have been participating in Punt, Pass & Kick competitions for as long as I can remember. And my nephew, who plays high school football, says there's a girl playing on his school's team. (This is not the first time I've heard of girls participating in Texas high school football since I graduated. I seem to remember a lawsuit...) In fact, Detroit has its own female professional football team. (No, Joe, I'm not talking about the Lions.) And, although they got eliminated in a playoff game three days ago, the Detroit Demolition have managed to win four championships over the past several years (only one since joining the IWFL in 2006...they lost in the championship game that year but won it last year). The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, are perennial bottom-feeders who want to charge you a small fortune to watch them lose. They might try recruiting some players from the Demolition. They couldn't possibly be any worse. But I'm not one to gossip, so you didn't hear that from me. LOL

And on the subject of injury. Why is it that people are so concerned girls will get hurt playing football? I mean, hello? Have you seen competitive cheerleading these days? Or gymnastics? Both are infinitely more dangerous than football. I ought to know. I used to play tackle football regularly when I was her age. Only I played on the front lawn without pads with my brother and his friends, all of whom were older than me. I never sustained a single injury. By contrast, I can't even tell you how many sprains, strains, and pains I've gotten from cheerleading and gymnastics because there have been so many. If you think getting tackled hurts, try taking a header off the balance beam or the high bar, or crashing onto the asphalt when a partner stunt or pyramid goes wrong. My daughter did try cheerleading last year (and hated it), and strangely nobody questioned whether I was afraid she'd hurt herself then.

But, I digress.

By far, the most ridiculous conversations I've had on the subject have gone something like this:

OP: I don't think you should let her play football.
Me: Why not?
OP: Because she's a girl.
Me: So?
OP: So you don't want to make her gay or something.
Me: You sound like a fool.
OP: I'm serious.
Me: You can't possibly be serious, because that would make you an idiot.
OP: Well, it could happen if you keep letting her do boy stuff.
Me: Boy stuff? What does that even mean anyway?
OP: If you let her act like a boy, she'll grow up thinking she's one.
Me: And that fantasy would come crashing down the moment she got her period.
OP: Be serious!
Me: I am. And here's a newsflash for you: whether or not she is gay was more than likely already determined before she ever took a breath in this world. I doubt letting her play football at the age of 10 will have any bearing on her sexuality one way or another.
OP: You could turn her gay if you're not careful.
Me: That's ridiculous. And, even if it were true, there are worse things she could be.
OP: Oh yeah? Like what?
Me: Like intolerant. Like ignorant. Like afraid to try things because she seeks approval from the insignificant masses that don't contribute one iota to her worth as a person. Like an idiot. Like you.

Okay. So you see where that discussion always ends up. But I'm still quite baffled. This is, after all, the year 2008. Or is it? I mean, are we really still having the whole nature vs. nurture discussion as it relates to human sexuality? Apparently so. And I've found that out. There are still people out there who think that if put my child in frilly dresses and buy her baby dolls, this somehow guarantees that she'll be heterosexual. Whatever. I hate to break it to you, but science has proven time and again that this is not the case. (Not that it's important, although I might as well note it here, but I've known my kid is firmly heterosexual since she was about nine months old. But even if she wasn't, I'd love her anyway.)

But, there is hope. While a couple of the coaches were caught by surprise when a girl showed up to camp, they seem to be fine with her participation. And, although many are amused by her presence, they have all embraced the opportunity to teach her the fundamentals of the game. (I can tell some of them don't quite know what to make of her yet, but that is perfectly understandable.) And most of the boys don't seem to mind having her on the field. Sure, a few have made comments to her. But most of them seem fine with it, if they notice her at all. At her last practice, one little boy's father seemed surprised to see her leaving the huddle:

Man: Are you playing football this year, young lady?
G: (calmly) Yes.
Man: (enthusiastically) Good for you, young lady! Show these boys how it's done!

And on that note, I've gotta go. Cause I think I've spotted Doc Brown, and he's the only one that can fix the flux capacitor in my Malibu...