A long time coming
It took nine years, but Michigan finally is in tune with the 49 other states.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear the Michigan High School Athletic Association's lone remaining appeal, forcing Michigan to move its high school volleyball season to the fall and schedule both girls' and boys' basketball in the winter, among other changes.
Not only is this decision groundbreaking for the advancement of Title IX, but it also means the CMU volleyball team, and other Michigan collegiate volleyball teams, will no longer have to recruit year-round.
This new rule, which will take place next year, has been a long time coming for Michigan high schools because it further strengthens the idea that boys' and girls' sports should be equal.
Girls' and boys' basketball teams get to play at the same time of year, and volleyball, commonly an all-girls sport, becomes the female counterpart to football, commonly an all-boys sport, during the fall.
This is the way it should be because girls' and boys' sports should be equal. This is the best way to accomplish that.
But where this decision comes into effect most at the Michigan collegiate level is when it comes to volleyball recruiting.
Since the high school volleyball season runs during the winter, it's been easy for CMU coach Erik Olson and other in-state college volleyball coaches to recruit because they could recruit in January, when only Michigan high schools were competing. The college volleyball season runs from August through November, meaning once the season is over, scouts can watch high school volleyball players live.
The Supreme Court's decision, however, forces Olson to recruit high schools in Michigan when every other state is competing as well.
It wouldn't make sense to exclude Michigan from paying federal taxes or from adhering to the U.S. Constitution, so why allow it to schedule its high school sports differently? Obviously that's a broad comparison, but the principle is there.
It's just a shame it took nine years for the decision to be made.
There shouldn't be too much fallout when this takes effect. Olson used to coach at Miami University, so he is familiar with the new way to recruit. It might take a year or two to get adjusted, but in the long run, this is only going to pay off for CMU and for Michigan high schools' female athletes.
Naysayers of the decision may argue that it would diminish girls' opportunity to gain exposure when paired with boys in the same season. But what's the point of Title IX if boys' and girls' sports are recognized differently?
The Supreme Court made the right decision Monday.
And despite a year or two of adjustments, the switchover definitely will be for the better.
