I’m just gonna go ahead and make this known for anyone who is unaware… it is very common for guys to scrimmage a women’s basketball team, from high school all the way to the NBA.
Back when I was in college, I had a handful of buddies who were apart of the women’s team’s “practice squad,” and constantly scrimmaged them throughout the season. In fact, I remember them beating the women’s team 30-0 in a scrimmage, and our women’s basketball team won the conference championship that year.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I thought this was a very common realization amongst sports fans. However, one particular ESPN reporter had absolutely zero clue that men scrimmaged against women in basketball…
Elle Duncan and the ESPN crew made an appearance at one of the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team’s practice to get some info from head coach Dawn Staley about the upcoming season.
That’s when Duncan, who was visibly confused to see a group of guys playing against the women’s team, couldn’t help but ask Staley:
“I was the ignorant one, I’m gonna address the elephant in the room. Who are these dudes?”
That’s when Staley responded:
“These dudes are ‘The Highlighters.’ They’re The Highlighters because they actually are the main reason why we are as successful as we are.
They’re students, they’re male practice players. They come here, they’re committed. We win championships, they get rings. Several of them have gotten a National Championship ring from 2022. So anytime we win, they win.”
Well, Elle, there’s your answer.
I’m still having a hard time wrapping my mind around why this is such a shock to an ESPN reporter, but at least she’s aware now. But then again, there seems to be a push right now for men and women to be able to compete together, with some folks even arguing that women and men have no biological differences and operate on a level playing field when it comes to sports.
But you can take it from Dawn Staley, a 2017 and 2022 NCAA champ: Women scrimmage against men because men are bigger, faster and stronger, and playing against stiff competition makes you a better… plain and simple.
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