Title IX lawsuit looks for trouble where there is none

Last March a crowd of boys, parents and fans crowded the school board meeting trying to get baseball and softball funded as school sports as opposed to their club sport status.

Their voices were heard and the school district found money for coaches’ stipends, travel, umpire pay and field maintenance. Nary a softball player was in attendance. The girls got what they wanted and didn’t have to leave the comfort of their homes to do it.

Now a couple of children and their parents have filed a lawsuit because they aren’t getting fair treatment regarding playing fields.

They say there aren’t as many softball fields as there are baseball fields. If that’s true, then why does one of the Valley’s baseball teams have to practice on a practice soccer field? We’re pretty sure they would much prefer to master their sport on a diamond rather than a rectangle.

Finding a place to practice and play games is difficult for everyone, not just the softball teams.

This mess came to light last spring when an opponent came to Wasilla to play and were not happy to see beer and wine being sold in the concession stand for adult players later in the evening.

Fair enough. So the powers that be determined that games for the younger set should be moved.

The hunt for playing fields began.

Turns out diamonds good enough for softball players were hard to find. Yet one of the boys teams found that scrubby soccer field good enough to practice on.

Teams who want to use Hermon Brothers Field before the college guys show up have to groom the diamond for the season, but they also have to prep before games and cleanup after. In other words, they work for the right to play there a few games in early summer before the Miners take possession.

This lawsuit isn’t about fairness, it’s about a few people who apparently have enough money to hire a Title IX legal specialist from Tennessee.

The plaintiffs should consult with the high school swim teams. Colony doesn’t have a pool. Palmer has one, but not deep enough for competitive diving. So swim meets are held in Wasilla. That doesn’t sound fair, but nobody is suing over it.

The lawsuit also comes just months after the baseball teams and the softball teams got what they’ve been wanting, a little financial help that puts them closer to the level of other varsity sports.

These things take time and a little patience would be appreciated.

The goal right now is to get two fields for baseball and two for softball in good enough shape to support competitive ball games next summer. Perhaps if that doesn’t happen, if one sport doesn’t have fields as good as the other, then maybe a case could be made.

Right now, everybody is suffering equally.