Christian football team refuses to play against girls. How is that OK in California? | Opinion

Here we go again.

For the second year in a row, Valley Christian Academy in Santa Maria forfeited a recent football game rather than face off against Coast Union High School in Cambria.

The reason? Two girls are members of the Broncos football squad.

That refusal is an apparent violation of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in schools. It specifies that girls are allowed to play on a boys team if a girls team in that particular sport isn’t offered.

It also violates California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) rules that require schools to comply with Title IX regulations.

So the question is, why is Valley Christian Academy still allowed to play league football when it repeatedly practices blatant discrimination?

And as we asked last year, why does VCA even want to remain in the league when its policies run so counter to the school’s religious beliefs?

‘No physical contact between boys and girls’

According to a 2021 letter from Pastor Joel Mikkelson, VCA follows the teachings of the Bible, which direct men to treat “older women as mothers, and with all propriety, the younger women as sisters.”

“In our Handbook, one of our clearly defined boundaries is, ‘There is to be no physical contact between boys and girls at Valley Christian Academy,’” he continued. VCA is affiliated with the First Baptist Church in Santa Maria.

Mikkelson sent the letter to Cuyama Valley High School, a small campus in eastern Santa Barbara County, to explain that VCA would not play the Cuyama team because it included a girl.

Valley Christian had actually scrimmaged against Cuyama High earlier in the seaons, which apparently went smoothly until the female player took off her helmet at the end of the game.

“Upon seeing her gender, the observers, coaches and administrators of Valley Christian glared at (the player) while shaking their heads in disbelief,” according to a court filing.

The mother of the student athlete sued VCA on behalf of her daughter, who was “humiliated, embarrassed and shocked,” according to the complaint.

The case ended in a settlement agreement that awarded the girl $20,000, but even that didn’t dissuade VCA from continuing to refuse to play against girls.

Forfeiture is a weak penalty

Simply allowing VCA — or any other schools that follow the same discriminatory practice — to forfeit a game every time there’s a girl on the opposing team is not good enough.

Think of the message that’s sending to young women who are singled out in this way.

It also penalizes the entire team by denying members the opportunity to play.

And what kind of example does it set? If individual athletes can face serious consequences for breaking CIF rules, shouldn’t schools be penalized as well?

Unfortunately, it’s not clear as to whether any organization, such as the CIF or the Coast Valley League, has the authority — or the desire — to take this on.

‘Is equal opportunity brain damage really a feminist win?’

The conflict is unlikely to go away. A growing number of girls and women are playing tackle football at all levels.

On Sept. 23, a Shenandoah University safety became the first female player in a non-kicking position to take the field in an NCAA football game.

The trend is not without controversy, especially as more information emerges about the dangers of concussions suffered when football players take hits to the head.

Frankie De La Cretaz, who writes about sports, gender and culture, put it like this: “Is equal opportunity brain damage really a feminist win?”

Cal Poly kinesiology professor Steven C. Davis shared similar concerns in a 2022 letter to The Tribune.

“It is a biological fact that, in general, women have less body mass than men, including less skeletal muscle mass ....” he wrote. “From a health risk perspective, tackle football is not a wise choice of physical activity for most boys, and is even less so for girls.”

However, once student athletes and their families have weighed the risks and rewards and decided to play, gender should not be a disqualifier.

We respect VCA’s beliefs, but only to the extent that they don’t damage others, because discriminating in the name of religion is still discrimination.

If the school is not willing to play by the rules — and it has repeatedly shown that it is not — it does not belong in a league that follows CIF regulations.

But unless someone is willing to take this on as a cause, it looks like annual forfeitures are the stiffest penalties Valley Christian Academy will face.

Perhaps every school VCA plays should add a girl to their roster, until the school has no one left to play.