Joan Jett Now Coaching in NHL?

Clarification:

This is a piece about accepting females into male-dominated sports. I did not and will not include text, photos of "Lingerie Women's Football," for to me, this is not a sport, but a pure case of male sports promoters exploiting women for the pleasure of (mostly) men watching them scamper about in scantily-clad uniforms.

These poor women are nothing more than Playboy bunnies dressed in football gear.

Kenneth

I watched a trailer this week about "PITCH," a new FOX television project scheduled to premiere Sept. 22. This, to me, is an adult version of the story line: "Underdog Athlete versus Established Sports Team," as we watched in "Rookie of The Year," released in 1993. Thomas Ian Nichols portrayed "Henry Rowengarten," the kid with an amazing right arm that hurled fast balls over 177 M.P.H., due to a tendon in his arm not healing correctly after Henry was in an accident. No, I am not going to say, "the accident that changed his life forever." That would be ad nauseum.

"PITCH" is from executive producers Dan Fogelman (“Cars,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”) and Rick Singer (“Younger”). The plot in capsule form: is the dramatic and inspirational story of a young pitcher who becomes the first woman to play Major League Baseball.

A beautiful, tough and gifted athlete, GINNY BAKER (Kylie Bunbury, “Under The Dome”) is vaulted into instant fame when she’s called up by the San Diego Padres to make her Major League debut. You will have to watch the premier on FOX, Sept. 22, to see the story unfold. I admit it. This show has potential that is off the charts and I hope that it survives more than three seasons.

Now let's go back to 1986, when lovable-and-quirky, Goldie Hawn starred in "Wildcats," as Molly McGrath, who followed her dreams when she quits her cushy girls track coaching position at Prescott High to become the boys football coach at inner-city Central High. Even though she's faced with both racial and gender prejudices, she whips the team into shape, so they can compete.

"Wildcats," and "McGrath," was accepted and enjoyed on film, so my question is: "Why can't we, the American sports lovers promote the mindset of allowing qualified females to be head coaches of high school and college football and maybe one day in the male-dominated world of NFL football?"

Before I go further, do you remember "Gus," the Disney film that was released in 1976? This project was an American family comedy film directed by Vincent McEveety and starring Edward Asner, Don Knotts and Gary Grimes. Its center character is "Gus," a football-playing mule. The film did well at the box office and was released on home video in 1981. The movie is remembered for two sequences involving a hotel and a supermarket.

We laughed and enjoyed this film, but remember, this movie unveiled the hypothetical premise that an animal, although smart, could participate in a rugged sport such as football. So now are you following me to where this is going?

Acceptance. And our accepting of someone of a different gender doing something that we as a society were mentally trained to view as a male-based activity. That is key. Accepting and then supporting the person who is, let's say, the head coach of a high school or college football team. Both acceptance and support go hand-in-hand if we allow it.

My point: "Rookie of The Year," as was "Gus," was delightful when "Henry Rowengarten," was a sudden super star with a Major League ball club, but would be think this was so delightful in real life? No. Our fears of him messing up and causing us some unwanted shame and causing full-time gamblers to lose monies. Those are just two reasons why children will never (in our lifetime) see action in professional sports.

Another point: Over the years we have grown to love and support female softball, professional basketball with the WNBA and in a few colleges, a handful of female athletes. But this thesis is not about just female athletes, but female head coaches.

That's right, sports fans. Female football coaches. What's that, a frown on your forehead? Why? I really mean why not have female football coaches? Is it a matter of prejudice against females or is it we have just grown insulated against the fact that a lot of females are much smarter (in the field of football) than men? I'd like to know. I really would. Then maybe this muffled controversy could be put to rest and by that I mean settled once and for all.

Please humor me with this segment for I want to point out the pluses of having a female football coach.

• Females are more in control of their emotions than males. This would prove beneficial when a team is behind in a key game that could lead to higher goals. Most male coaches' anger would cloud their judgement in making key decisions as to what personnel or plays to use.

• Females can be a lot more tolerant with football players who are a bit rebellious and have a problem with authority. Most males have or did have a positive ground base with their mothers so when a female football coach gives them a certain position and advice on how to play it, would come more apt to listen to a female than a male.

• Females can withstand a bit more resistance from other male coaches than a new male coach. Females have fought against being denied the right to vote, have jobs in male-dominated workplaces and the ongoing fight for equal pay where male employees are involved. So I would rather see a qualified female head coach take over the reigns of my favorite team than an under-qualified male head coach who got the job strictly because he is a male.

• Females have the ability to listen more intently to those around them, namely a male athlete, than say, a male head coach. Why? I cannot give you an intelligent answer here, but I know from personal experience that my mom could listen to what I said when I was young and make such sound judgements on what I didn't say. She knew how to listen to my tone of voice as well as discerning the pain in my talking to her about someone who had wronged me or hurt my feelings. Listening is a crucial tool in being a head coach no matter if the coach is male or female.

And to the males who are dead-set against females as head coaches as well as athletes, you still have the NHL where there are no female players or head coaches. And although I am not a fan of hockey, I would love to see a hot-but-fiery female coach head-up the New York Rangers. In this case, I can promise you that no male coach or competing athlete would be able to push this girl around for I opted to not mention that females possess a formidable temper and what man, athlete or not, can come close to taking up for her team or protesting a bad call?

I would, with great pleasure, nominate rocker, Joan Jett for the next head coach of The New York Rangers. I truly believe that with a nominal amount of orientation, Jett would be the ideal person for this job. One reason being is that in the hockey arena there are always fights, bloodshed and cursing. Jett came from this background in her early rocker career. You can tell that she is one tough gal by the way she talks and acts. I think that I have presented something positive for all females everywhere who have and are now dreaming of that one chance to be a head coach of an NHL hockey team.

We shall wait. We shall see. We shall hope.