08.03.2004:Girls' Basketball Season Must be Same as Boys'

In a unanimous decision(full decision link), the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled that girls in Michigan must be allowed to play basketball  at the same times that the boys play, that is, during the prime Winter and Spring seasons and through the "March Madness period."

The Court affiirmed the District Court, which found:

     "[G]irls' basketball [is played] in the fall. Forty-eight states schedule girls' basketball in the winter. . . .

   Michigan's female high school basketball players do not get to participate in "March Madness" or the excitement and publicity surrounding this time period when the rest of the country's high schools and colleges are participating in championship basketball tournaments. . . .

     Kristi Madsen said that not being able, as a high school basketball player, to participate in the "March Madness" hype made her feel "[a]ngry. I didn't like it. Again, the guys get a ton of special perks or attention because it's ?March Madness' and because they are playing in March, during ?March Madness.'" . . .

     Michigan girls have decreased ability to be nationally ranked or obtain All-American honors because they play basketball during the non-traditional fall season. . . . 

     [I]t is undisputed that if Michigan girls played basketball during the winter season, they would, at the very least, be on ?equal footing' with Michigan boys and with girls in the rest of the country with respect to collegiate recruiting. . . . "