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AIBU?

to think I should be allowed to play in the men's team

55 replies

ICBINEG · 07/03/2013 12:25

The local badminton league has no women's league but has a mixed league and a men's league.

For those not immersed in the world of badminton, mixed is essentially a different game to the 'levels' version played in men's / women's leagues.

I don't particularly enjoy playing mixed and would much prefer to play on the men's team.

The local league rules allow women to play in the men's league however the men's team captain has stated that women will only play on the mens team as a last resort (ie when it's that or not get a team out at all) because apparently it would be humiliating for men to play women (and lose Grin).

So yes...I am being unreasonable to think I should get the same shot at the men's team as everyone else?

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Phosphene · 07/03/2013 12:29

YABU.

It's for men.

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BabyMakesTheBellyGoRound · 07/03/2013 12:30

Start your own women's team so you won't be around sexist fools.

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JacqueslePeacock · 07/03/2013 12:30

YANB at all U. Especially if the rules already sanction women playing in the men's team. Can you appeal the decision? And did he actually say it would be "humiliating"?! Clearly he thinks you are going to wallop them.

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RobotLover68 · 07/03/2013 12:31

YANBU I play squash and play for the ladies team - however some ladies are too good for the ladies team so play in the mens teams - one man in our men's team keeps being beaten by an 11 year old girl - she is England ranked!

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Thumbwitch · 07/03/2013 12:32

Why do you want to play on the men's team? Is it because the play is better and you are above the standard of the mixed teams? Because if so, then YANB that U - you want to play to the best of your ability and have decent competition.

But I can also see their point - they don't like losing to women.

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LRDtheFeministDragon · 07/03/2013 12:32

If the rules say women can play, women should be able to play - his reasons are discriminatory shite.

However, it's a pity there isn't a women's team.

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ICBINEG · 07/03/2013 12:33

to be honest the 'humiliation' angle is the most annoying thing.

Getting beaten is getting beaten. I don't feel it more if it is by a man or a woman. I don't celebrate a win against a man more than a woman...unless it is this particular bloke who I do get a little tiny extra frisson of excitement over.

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LRDtheFeministDragon · 07/03/2013 12:33

If they don't like losing to women, they should learn to play better, shouldn't they? I didn't know being in possession of a vagina made you suddenly enamoured of getting beaten in competitions, so I expect women don't like losing either. Hmm

Honestly, what a load of 1880s rubbish.

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ICBINEG · 07/03/2013 12:34

the standard probably is higher in the mens league than the mixed...but mostly it is just a different game.

Even when myself and my partner play 'level', it is different playing against a team that has one very strong and one weaker player than playing against two players of roughly equal strength.

The tactics are different and the feel of the game is different.

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Thumbwitch · 07/03/2013 12:35

Yeah, but that's because you are a woman, isn't it. Wink

When I said I could see their point, btw, that doesn't mean I agreed with it - just I know it happens. not looking at you DH, OH no, definitely not

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CockyFox · 07/03/2013 12:35

I think YANBU to want to play in the men's team but YABU to expect then to let you when there is a separate mixed league. YANBU to not want to play in the mixed league if it is so different and YWNBU to demand a womens team at your club, with or without girly footstamping and diva-ness.

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Thumbwitch · 07/03/2013 12:36

Sorry, xpost makes mine look silly - I was responding to your previous post. :)

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LRDtheFeministDragon · 07/03/2013 12:36

It does happen, true.

It also happens that the response is a gale of laughter and 'FFS's, I think. Grin

If they'd said it's a men's team full stop, I think it would be ok, it's just saying women can play as a last resort is really nasty.

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LRDtheFeministDragon · 07/03/2013 12:37

No, I got it, I was just being snarky. At the menz, not at you. Grin

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ICBINEG · 07/03/2013 12:39

I am stumped as to why in general you need separate leagues for men and women.

I mean if players are different standards then they tend to stratify in a league. Stronger teams at the top and weaker at the bottom. So why not just have a single league with several divisions and let people find their level irrespective of sexual organs, which the last time I checked don't have a massive role to play on court.

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eachtigertires · 07/03/2013 12:42

Yanbu, I find that you tend to get a better quality of game when you play against the men if you are at a small club with not that many women.

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Bluegrass · 07/03/2013 12:45

If they let up play just because you want to, how would the men's league then differ from the mixed league? Wouldn't you potentially have opponent complaining:

" it is different playing against a team that has one very strong and one weaker player than playing against two players of roughly equal strength.

The tactics are different and the feel of the game is different."

Presumably if they let you play they would have to let other women play in the "mens" league?

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flowery · 07/03/2013 12:51

Why wouldn't your team captain want to field the best team. Why is he worried about the opposition feeling humiliated? Isn't that a good thing? Confused

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ICBINEG · 07/03/2013 12:55

blu hmmm

There is nothing to stop a men's pairing being very unequal in strength either I suppose.

We played a mixed match last night. If the strengths of the individuals in the team are 1,2,3,4,5,6 from best to worst then we played as:

1+2, 3+6 and 4+5. So only one of our teams was unbalanced.

The opposition played as 1+5, 2+6 and 3+4 and all three teams were very unbalanced because there was a massive difference between 123 (men) and 456 (women).

In a levels match regardless of how many of the team are men and women, you would play 1+2, 3+4 and 5+6. There is a massive advantage to having the pairings as even as possible.

That's the big difference. In mixed format the pairs are fixed to be one of each and often come out wildly unbalanced...whereas in levels you can mix up however you can to generate the 3 most balanced pairs.

Hence playing levels is a different experience to playing mixed even if every team is still male female....

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ArielThePiraticalMermaid · 07/03/2013 12:56

If you don't have to be of one sex or another, why call it a "men's" league at all? Why not just be a league in which the best players play? Confused

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ICBINEG · 07/03/2013 12:57

flowery dunno....although it occurs to me that thrashing him at singles probably wasn't the best move to get myself on the team regardless of gender issues....

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ICBINEG · 07/03/2013 12:59

ariel well yes...they could just relabel it as an 'open' league instead of a 'men's league that allows women'.

Would save a lot of hassle.

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AnnieLobeseder · 07/03/2013 13:00

I had a big rant about this the other day. There are so many sports where women are perfectly able to compete at the same level of men, and to still have separate leagues is nothing but traditional sexist bullshit.

Oh no, the poor men might be upset by being beaten by a woman! And what does this tell us loud and clear? That men are of the opinion that they are superior to women.

Keep arguing. There must be some higher legal authority you can appeal to.

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MrsBethel · 07/03/2013 13:08

YANBU

I don't see why the captain should be so interested in people's genital situation.

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ICBINEG · 07/03/2013 13:08

bethal ha! I will use that in the next argument :)

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