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April 09, 2016

Ballplayers Can Wear Dresses

In this day and age, both girls and boys like to wear dresses, and both are socially acceptable, and welcome.  The same people that do so, are not choosing to do so at the same time in which they are participating in a competitive sport.  Instead, they would choose to attire themselves in whatever clothing and demeanor befit the task at hand; sweat-wicking under wear, breathable and stretchy overwear.  If they did take the field in dresses,  it would make mockery of both themselves, and the sport in which they are trying to compete as the clothing would not fit the task.

This is the humour in John Gibbons' comment this week about his team 'taking the field in dresses' in response to the perceived 'soft' call at second base that ruled that Jose Bautista interfered with Logan Forsythe's play around the 2nd base area.  Yes, he said it in the heat of a testy moment.  Yes, he almost certainly didn't think it through.  But, why are so people quick to the trigger on things like this?

I am sure that Gibbons, and the entire team, understand that there are women and those identifying as women who play baseball, and are damned good at it.  But there are also many people, both men and women, who would never put themselves infront of 100 MPH fastballs, or quick one hoppers at 3rd; never lay their body out at full stride in an attempt to catch a seamed leather sphere, or brace their body mass against another charging for the plate in an attempt to score a run.

Even if there is money or contract on the line, there is always a line.  Gibbons was not saying that 'dress wearing' or, by poor extrapolation, that women are inherently soft, just that there is an implied level of physicality within the game, and that to engage with that level of play, most people are not wearing dresses to their day at the ballpark, and that the game is engaged by those that love it willingly. 

From pro to amateur beer league player, the body is sacrificed, bruises are taken, all within the rules of the game.  We take bumps and bruises and the rashes from awkward slides.We all, sometimes literally, take it on the chin. We all dress for the game in which we are playing.  If Gibbons had only said 'maybe we'll show up tomorrow in business suits' there would have been no controversy at all.