Her son had girls challenge his team to a girls vs guys softball game. She thinks it's a no-win scenario. Is she right?

@GiffLasta This is a scenario where a timely injury would occur the morning of.

@GiffLasta If the girls want it, do it. A challenge is a challenge and currently they look like cowards. If they win: the girls got exactly what they asked for. If they lose: well we live in a modern world with equality (although I think this scenario is unlikely).

@GiffLasta At that age anything can happen. Do a best of 5 with the games spaced out by 2 years.

@GiffLasta One softball game and one baseball game, to make it fair.

@GiffLasta Telling her son its a no win situation is telling him to play life safe. If this becomes his frame for life, he will never risk, especially when it comes to women. High schools soccer boys beat the USA women's soccer. The boys win or have reason to fight to be better.

@GiffLasta Don’t treat it as a game against an opposing school: have fun with it, joke and tease with the girls, make a bet on who wins, etc. Same vibe with guys who think “Does this dress make me look fat” is a lose-lose game: it’s not if you’re in your own frame the whole time.

@GiffLasta If they want to do it, let them. It's an organized, non contact sport. Nobody is going to get hurt. 7th grade is an odd time. Some of the girls start to develop into women. Most of the boys look like boys. That will change soon. This might be the girls' last chance to win. 🙂

The boys do have a win scenario here. If they can beat the girls, AND make it look effortless, AND use the game as fodder for teasing the girls later - that’s a win. How do you explain these dynamics to 12 year olds though? Very risky for them to play, probably not going to work out in their favor

@GiffLasta At least one of the girls has a crush on one of the guys, and they want to spend time together doing a shared interest. I say do it. Maybe better for the boys to say, would love to play with you, but let's divide up teams. Maybe they win a round first and then suggest this.

@GiffLasta Let them play and let the girls get destroyed by the boys so they know the truth. Do not shield them from the truth.

@GiffLasta She is correct. It's like when Pitt wants to play Penn State every year. No-win for Penn State.

@GiffLasta I used to love watching guys at BJJ say "it's lose lose" if they sparred a girl... and then get properly ripped apart by the girls It didn't take long before they realised, no, the girls were just far better than them. And then they just loved the battle for what it was. Ego gone

@GiffLasta I think the mom will turn her son into a pussy. Get the fuck over it and let the team decide and let them deal with the consequences. They aren’t 5, they’re 12.

@GiffLasta A gatekeeper on fun, that is this women. Did she consult the other parents involved, or just use her influence as coaches wife to enforce her own rules?

@GiffLasta When I was in high school the section made wrestling co-ed and every boy with any sense drank a 32 ounce cup of water to miss weight at the weigh in if he got paired with a girl. It is a no win situation. Beat a girl, you're a pussy. Lose to a girl, you're a bigger pussy.

@GiffLasta She's right. Even if the boys treated it with lots of good-natured humor, there's still the chance of a losing scenario. I have a better suggestion: Let both teams play croquet. Anything that has less physical strength involved, and to me, croquet evens the field.

@GiffLasta When I played basketball (10-12 yrs old), they let us scrimmage with the boys team a couple times a year. Most of us were friends anyway and it was a lot of fun. The rules were a little more lax and of course they beat us but it was a good time, lots of laughter.

@GiffLasta The win for the boys is win. The girl hits a ground ball and the shortstop picks it up, throws it to third base. The third baseman throws it to the second baseman, and the second baseman slings it to the first baseman who tagged her ass out before her ass gets to the bag.

@GiffLasta Coed sports league are a way men meet ladies. You need to create mixed teams. Also you need talk to boys about goal is not winning at any cost but showing off like harlem globetrotters. They need to maximize fun and show off, not compete. That is the win scenario.

@GiffLasta He's 13. It's fine to trounce them.

@GiffLasta Play the game except everybody has to bat and field with the opposite hand.

@GiffLasta This is silly. Tell the boys to not take it too seriously and have an absolute blast. No one is going to care either way, unless the boys care more than they should.

@GiffLasta 12 year old girls might be better bigger and faster than the boys. By 15-16 no contest, but there are probably gonna be some puny little dudes on this team 😂

@GiffLasta Let them play. When they invariable destroy the girls(likely ending early for mercy rule), they girls will learn the more valuable lesson. You are not men's equal physically. At. All.

@GiffLasta The can play, but only if the terms are winners buy the losers ice cream or something.

@GiffLasta It's a win if they utterly destroy them. Then they can act like men about it and be gracious winners. Even more preferable is destroy them early, and ease off near the end.

@GiffLasta Offer to mix the teams and have an exhibition game just for fun.

@GiffLasta @MyRoosterWisdom Yes this is a shit test and the way a man handles this particular type of challenge is a big contributor to his success in life generally.

@GiffLasta to play is to accept the girls' frame the boys team would never have "challenged" the girls team to a game. because who cares? now the boys are being tricked into thinking it matters just because a girl challenged them. but it doesn't

@GiffLasta Do it but split the teams, make both sides 50/50, change teams briefly. At ~17 I could see this working, they'd likely be laughing and flirting with each other. At 13? Some of them could handle it but most couldn't.

@GiffLasta This is solid strategic thinking. It’s a lose-lose scenario.

@GiffLasta Her son is being flirted with and mom is clueless

@GiffLasta This sounds like some 1960s level of sexism. Let the kids have fun. Nobody will be a sore loser.

@GiffLasta Losing team buys the winners ice cream. Play the game, keep it clean, everybody wins.

@GiffLasta Males and females *competing with” each other is always a bad idea. We’re complementary, not competitors, and a competitive mindset toward the opposite sex can only lead to bad outcomes for both.

@GiffLasta The girls will win bc at that age they are equally athletic (& a better team) and they’d probably play softball and that’s really a hard transition from baseball. Let them play. Not playing is cowardly. The loss means nothing. But the playing 🤌🏼 Coach the boys to cheer the loss