Sunday, February 28, 2010

Test for Discrimination in Grade School Sports

I just saw an 8th grade boys basketball game, the most recent of many I've seen before. But this is the first time I've seen one with a female coach.

One test of discrimination is whether the allegedly discriminated group is more productive on the relative few occasions when they are given a chance. The theory is that the discriminated group has a higher performance threshold to clear in order to be employed. If instead the allegedly discriminated group is less productive, then maybe productivity is the reason the group is under-represented in the marketplace.

In principle, the same test could be conducted in the market for grade school coaches. It's easier said than done, because value added in that industry is more than merely point margin, but also sportsmanship, learning, parental evaluations, etc.

With that said, the two teams were tied at the end of regulation. The female coached team won the overtime by 3pts. The female coach said fewer curse words.

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