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And what is true of race is also true of gender, though not only in the obvious ways such as that...

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And what is true of race is also true of gender, though not only in the obvious ways such as that the women’s game doesn’t get nearly the coverage the men’s game does. It does so also in that one line of criticism of Lebron’s decision was that "he would never be The Man" in Miami. Several of my male students are practice players for the UM women’s team. We talked about that briefly. I think it’s a minor act of gender courage for a young man – who has probably grown up veering clear of the possibility of being told he plays like a girl – to assume the role of practice player for a women’s team. That is a young man who loves to play the game and who gives me hope that the next generation will have fewer hangups around gender issues than my own does.

From Go Yago!: Cultures of Basketball Course Diary: Why can't I be Chris Paul? (Day 4). This blog is worth following in general - Yago Colas is a professor at the University of Michigan who is teaching a class using Free Darko's Undisputed Guide To Pro Basketball History. But this particular post about gender and race dynamics in basketball is particularly interesting and well worth the read for women's basketball fans.