HHSAA might be just a little too eager to do the right thing

This is what happens when progress gets in the way of progress.

There’s no evil monster — at least one who has shown his or her face — to blame in the potential Title IX situation the Hawaii High School Athletic Association faces.

HHSAA chief Chris Chun and his predecessor, Keith Amemiya, are trying to do what’s best for prep sports in Hawaii by expanding the state football tournaments from two to three.

And so is Jill Nunokawa, a longtime gender equity advocate who has kept the good old boys honest for decades, and now correctly points out that new state opportunities for around 400 boys means there should be the same for girls.

Some of the grudge-holding Oahu Interscholastic Association’s leadership doesn’t like change, and was dragged into state football expansion kicking and abstaining. I don’t buy the notion that Nunokawa is being used by this mysterious public school “old guard” to throw a wrench into the plan. If that is the case, shame on them … a new low.

Most enlightened folks realize a third tier of classification is good for high school football here — not just to create an Oahu super conference, but to improve competitive balance overall.

It can’t be done, however, if it means exposure to a lawsuit because of noncompliance to the federal law ensuring equal educational opportunities regardless of gender. Especially not in the home state of one of Title IX’s authors 44 years ago, Patsy Mink.

I know Chun has wanted this for a long time, and so has Amemiya. So when the proposed OIA and Interscholastic League of Honolulu alliance was stonewalled by — you guessed it, the OIA — Plan B of expanding the state tournament went into motion.

The major change in the state tournament format for this fall was announced last week — which was strange, because high school football season had already started.

Why the rush? Why not wait ’til next year?

The answer I got was basically another question: Why not?

Well, here’s your answer to that one: Title IX.

Although Chun said he thinks the HHSAA is on solid gender equity ground, it looks pretty shaky from here. And regardless of how much proactive analysis was or wasn’t done, counting cheerleading as a sport could be problematic.

For many of us, that question has been answered in the affirmative for at least a decade.

We’ve seen what its evolved into since the old songleader days. A championship cheer squad requires as much or more strength, speed, athleticism, endurance and teamwork than more than half of the other sports in which the HHSAA also holds tournaments.

No offense intended … but bowling? If bowling is a sport, competitive cheer certainly is.

You and I might see it that way.

But a judge might not if someone were to take this to court. Even Chun, an attorney, said he has seen no case law precedent determining cheerleading is a sport for Title IX purposes. Most cases have involved college sports and not high school, though.

“Title IX isn’t an issue until someone makes it one,” Chun said. “Looking at our numbers, I’m pretty confident. … With that being said, we will do what we have to do, whether it’s not (expanding football this year) or increasing opportunity for girls where this is a need.”

The HHSAA has a solid track record of providing equal and sometimes even better opportunities for girls (look at wrestling as a prime example), and when challenged in the past on gender equity issues has always eventually done the right thing.

Right now that would be a thorough Title IX analysis and not someday having to rely on a judge’s decision on cheerleading’s validity as a sport.

There’s no shame in waiting until next year for football expansion. There would be in exposure to a lawsuit that could mitigate the benefits of it.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quickreads.