Over the weekend, an embarrassing and, frankly, unacceptable situation occurred during the field hockey game between Maine and Temple that was being played at Kent State. The game was 0-0 and headed into a second overtime when Kent State officials told them that they had to stop and clear the field. Why? Because the Kent State football team had a game at noon and they had to get prepared for the pregame fireworks show!
A regulation field hockey game is 60 minutes long, so the 9 a.m. start time shouldn't have been an issue. However, once the game went into overtime, then double overtime, they were coming close to their 10:30 cutoff time. Both teams had been informed of the 10:30 cutoff when they signed the game contract in the Spring, but it was never communicated that it was to be a hard stop at 10:30. They only found that out when Kent State officials came on the field and told them they had to clear off because of fire marshal regulations regarding the fireworks (sidebar: am I the only one who thinks fireworks at noon make no sense?).
Instead of letting them decide the game in a shootout (which is what's done in the NCAA Tournament), they made them stop playing immediately. Although, to show how "understanding" they were, Kent State did offer to let them resume the game at 5:30! They even offered to pick up Temple's hotel rooms! Wasn't that nice of them? Too bad this "solution" wasn't practical since Temple was driving back home right after the game and couldn't wait that long.
As a result, the NCAA considered the game a scrimmage. So, both teams traveled all the way from Maine and Philadelphia to Kent, Ohio, to play two games, only to have one of them not count...after playing for 70 minutes! And, since the schools aren't exactly close to each other, there are no plans to make it up.
Both teams immediately took to social media to express their displeasure at what happened. And the criticism of how Kent State handled it was as harsh as you'd expect. Especially because it's a situation that could've easily been avoided.
Kent State quickly went into damage control mode (but not until the football game was over). Although, the Athletic Director didn't release a statement until Monday, nearly 48 hours after the incident (is it just me, or is that too late?). He apologized to the student-athletes and coaches while acknowledging that "a different decision should have been made." He continued, "We hold ourselves to a high standard, and in this situation, we failed." Ya think?!
Where do I start with how offensive this is? The statement, which rings incredibly hollow, is insulting enough. And it's not just insulting to Temple and Maine, or even to the sport of field hockey! It's sending a horrible message to all female athletes. Kent State essentially told them that their Division I contest was nowhere near as important as their football pregame festivities. (Not that it matters, but I'm also left wondering if they would've halted the field hockey game had Kent State been one of the teams involved.)
It's 2019. I thought our society was long past this. Yet, here we are, telling Division I athletes that they don't matter. Would the same decision have been made if things were the other way around? Of course not! They would've told the field hockey players that they just had to wait until the football game was over. That alone shows how backwards this entire situation was.
No one's going to deny that BCS football rules the roost. Many schools fund their smaller programs from the revenue brought in by football and men's basketball. That's true even a school like Kent State, which plays in the MAC. The Golden Flashes are playing guarantee games at Arizona State, Auburn and Wisconsin this season. That money, plus whatever they bring in from the conference's TV contract, will cover the operating budget for a number of other Kent State teams.
And other fall teams having to make accommodations around the football schedule is nothing new. Penn State's women's volleyball team has won seven NCAA titles, but often has to schedule its Saturday home matches so that they don't conflict with home football games. They're not the only top-flight volleyball program that has to do this, either. (Although, it should be noted, this isn't done to "accommodate the football team" as much as it is because of all the extra staffing, security, parking, etc., that's needed with all those extra people coming onto campus for the game.)
Does any of that make what happened at Kent State on Sunday acceptable, though? Of course not! I'm not trying to suggest it does. In fact, it had the opposite effect. Because, for all the progress that has been made in terms of equality for women's sports, this sets it back nearly as far. It tells the female athletes that, despite earning the same Division I scholarships and putting in all the same work as their male counterparts, they're unimportant. Is that really the message you want to be sending?
The National Field Hockey Coaches Association is predictably upset. And rightfully so. As are the coaches and players from both teams, many of whom simply don't understand why pregame festivities took precedence over an official, regular season Division I game. Maine's Athletic Department is even looking into filing a Title IX complaint against Kent State.
Unfortunately, Kent State had its priorities reversed on Saturday. Which is really a sad commentary about the state of college women's sports in 2019. Because for all the progress that has been made in terms of equality, there's still a long way to go.
But, hey, at least the fireworks went off without a hitch! And Kent State won the football game (against that powerhouse team from Kennesaw State), which was obviously the most important takeaway from the day!
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