TEAM SPORTS CREATE LEADERS

USATODAY
Posted 2/25/2003 7:30 PM

As someone who took up soccer six years ago at the age of 45, I'm both a victim of pre-Title IX discrimination (no team sports for girls in my youth) and a convert to the importance of the lifetime leadership lessons embedded in team participation. That's why I'm worried about the final report from President Bush's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, which is being sent today to Education Secretary Rod Paige.

It's too early to know how members of the Bush team will treat the commission's recommendations. But if critics of Title IX prevail, opportunities for men in college athletics could be increased at women's expense. If that happens, thousands of young women could lose a future edge: the powerful and unique leadership training team participation provides.

The commission was formed last year to answer concerns that Title IX — the 1972 federal law that bans sex discrimination at schools receiving federal funds — was decreasing campus athletics for men in its effort to increase similar opportunities for women. Critics of Title IX have made college wrestling the poster sport for the law's unintended consequences. They argue that the loss of scores of wrestling programs across the country is a direct result of Title IX requirements to provide proportional athletic opportunities for women on campus.

Unfortunately, the commission is headed toward replacing one unintended consequence with another. In an attempt to get men back on the wrestling mats, the commission could reduce opportunities for women in sports — and also reduce their opportunities for leadership in life. That's because:

• Team sports create an understanding of teamwork and loyalty.

Marita Fegley, a senior executive at a global professional services firm, played on an all-boys soccer team as a girl. "When boys from other teams tried to pick on me, my teammates were fierce in defending me," she remembers. And if she scored, she was taught to point at the person who assisted her. She points to those experiences when explaining her ability to give others credit and to work collaboratively.

•Team sports build players' confidence.

Ever since my first team experience on the soccer field, I've been amazed at my much younger teammates. On my women's over-30 team, there's a distinct difference between the pre- and post-Title IXers — and not just in endurance. Many of the post-Title IX women played in high school and before. That experience shows in the confidence and comfort they have in their ability to give directions, organize and inspire.
bullet Team sports teach how to fail and recover.

Sheryl McAlister, a senior vice president at Bank of America, says, "I draw on my sports experiences every day, whether I'm building a team, solving a problem or searching for an innovative way to achieve an objective. And when facing disappointment or failure, I have relied on the lessons of losing as well."
bullet Team sports build competitive spirit.

Late last year, BusinessWeek cited two university-based studies showing women to be less competitive than men. The article concluded that women's relative lack of competitiveness would hurt their chances of gaining equality in the workplace. But the study clearly didn't include the younger women on my soccer team. Their fierce and unapologetic competitiveness, something women in my generation were told to squelch as unbecoming, will be propelling them forward long after they leave the field.

• Team sports build courage.

On my coed team, the players are 18 and over. The bold play of the youngest women against male players who often tower over them makes me swallow hard. I lament my missed opportunity, but I also envision the future as these women run by in fearless determination. It won't surprise me to hear about them heading Fortune 500 companies, becoming four-star generals in the military or sitting in the Oval Office.

Because of my late entry into the team-sports world, I see what I've missed and what I've gained. I've learned that team players share the credit and the blame, regardless of individual performance. I've seen that a team is about meshing different skills, helping all of us play to our strengths. I've learned that you can succeed by being bigger, faster, stronger, but you can also be smarter and more patient.

Bank of America's McAlister sums up her transference of sports skills this way: "Tagging up on a fly ball was about squeezing the most out of an opportunity. It was learning that an assist is as good as a basket, and it really doesn't matter who gets the credit as long as the team gets the win."

Her attitude is reflected in the way corporations recruit new talent. At a recent leadership seminar I taught, Mark Lipscomb, a human resources director at a major medical equipment manufacturer, explained how he selected professional employees. "We look for people who were team captains in college, those who've shown leadership on the playing field and on the court," he said. "And that helps us recruit a lot of women."

Bush likes to talk about leadership. It's an important value to him and his administration. That's why, before they move to roll back Title IX advances, the president and his team should go watch the girls' soccer or basketball team at a local high school or university. Running down the court and up the field are tomorrow's leaders. Now is not the time to shortchange their training for the future — or the country's opportunity for their leadership.

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