You may have seen the story on CBS’s “Sunday Morning” about Lauren Hill, the freshman student at Mount St. Joseph’s University. Lauren, afflicted with a rare form of brain cancer, had only weeks to live and her only wish was the chance to play basketball with her beloved college team.
Her college asked the NCAA to move up the season-opener by two weeks so she could have the opportunity to play. The game was moved up and the venue was changed in order to accommodate all the people that wanted to come and support her. Lauren made the first basket and was called in toward the end of the game with Hiram College to score the winning basket.
At the end of the game, the camera focused on the opposing team immediately after Lauren scored. The team members were seen wiping away tears and clearly overjoyed with Mount Saint Joseph’s win. It was then that my husband remarked, “That would never happen at a men’s athletic event.”
To me, the story showed both respect and compassion, but to my husband, it elicited a very different response. He went on to say that having played competitively in college, he was struck with how different men’s athletics are from women’s. In addition, he suggested that a male’s worth is performance-driven, reinforced by testosterone and a will to win.
My husband is a political science instructor at Metropolitan State University and I’m used to his different takes on subjects. One of his favorite topics is the presidency. Of course, all 44 presidencies have been men. He went on to suggest that since the advent of the modern presidency (FDR 1933-1945), the positive attributes of presidents have been very much aligned with performance-driven goals.
Sports analogies abound. Presidents have used basketball analogies such as some effort is “a slam dunk.” Baseball analogies have included “hitting it out of the park.” The most popular football term used by presidents is “throwing a hail Mary.” This shows the mindset of a competitive male.
Nowhere do these sports analogies seem as obvious as in the role of the president as commander-in-chief. Every president from the start of the Cold War through the war on terrorism has sought to preserve, protect and defend the country in a time of crisis. Yet, upon a more careful reading, the oath of office that the president takes promises to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.
We both agreed that perhaps it is time for a female commander-in-chief.
Jeanne Nott (jeannenott@comcast.net) of Denver is a property manager.
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