Thought they did that in the Kennedy years.

Obama should start by declaring that each amateur and professional sports team must have a collective physical size profile reflecting that of the rest of the general population. No more favoring of the physical, accidental advantages afforded by birth and hereditary. Let´s see how that one would play out.

They did, #1. In my state, at least, Special Olympics has this covered in the schools. I guess Zippy forgot that he compared his bowling skills to that of a Special Olympian. That one still stings-my Special Olympian carries a 145 average!

Would being white be considered a disability for playing basketball?

It would be unfair to use a flashing light instead of a started pistol since light travels faster than sound. Will the starter pistol be allowed in a no gun zone? So many problems and so little time.

Once the lawsuits start, schools will simply disband their sports programs, so no one gets to play.

I´ve had my fill of the nanny state telling us what we must do in our homes, in our schools, and in our states.

My command is for all of these nation transformers to go do something obscene to themselves, especially the Kenyan at the top of the heap!

If you are disabled, you just are and cannot do what regulars do. If they haven´t figured that out yet, they are beyond stupid. I can just see the pro teams doing a wheelchair touchdown or blockikng for his quarterback. I would think that the disabled would realize this and stick with the Olympics for those who have problems. - special ones, not mainstreamed.

Can someone tell me exactly where in the constitution the federal government has any authority regarding education whatsoever?

#9, it´s right there by the right to an abortion, and the rights of all people to be equal in all ways.

Didn´t you listen to the inauguration address?

Title IX resulted in many sports teams being disbanded at HS and University level so that womens sports can have teams.

The wussifing of America continues.

Just where in the Constitution does it give ANYBODY the right to dictate to schools they MUST open sports to anybody?

This has disaster written all over it. Imagine a school has only 1 disabled kid. That kid wants to play football. Does the school have to give him a slot on the team? What about the kid that doesn´t get on the team because this disabled kid got the slot? Do they have to let the disabled kid play a certain amount of time? What about if they are playing a team with no disabled members? Would that be fair?

Butt out, all of you liberal do-gooders that make the rules for everyone else then exempt yourselves.

The democrats would get a lot of diaabled people hurt with this ridiculous idea. Wheelchairs in football? Back braces in soccer? Blind people on the baseball diamond? I could go on....

Problem solved!!!

Let´s say that there is someone in the school with a broken leg and he wants to play football. Just line up 10 kids, break one of their legs and the problem is solved!!

Art

Yup, tell that to a winning sports team!!

I, for one, am immensely gratified that the government has succeeded in getting braille keypads put on all drive-up ATM’s, a heartwarming example of our tax dollars wisely spent. And now they bring more of the same to our schools.

Do NOT make diehard football fans angry. Just as unintended consequences pop up on other d´rat laws. This will follow suit. Disbanded school teams, alumni contributions dry up and colleges go up even to a higher degree in costs to students. Meanwhile, pols throw more of our dollars into keeping their doors open.

Will they be required to try out for the sport right along with all the other team hopefuls? That, alone, should cull the herd.

The answer to this, to the demand of letting girls play boys sports, the issues with same sex prom dates, all of this is simple.

Get sports programs and all other of these types of extra-curricular activities OUT of the public schools.

You want to play football? Fine, pay your own way and set up teams within your local Parks District.

In my city, we have a massive Soccer presence. We have a private stadium that hosts adult and junior soccer and softball leagues. Our parks host huge amounts of private soccer leagues and games. You want an awards event or a prom? Pay for it yourselves and host it at your local community center, many of which stand vacant for many days of the year. At a time long ago when whole towns and social events revolved or involved the local high school, the present setup more or less made some sense. Today, schools should be solely focused on education and preparing students for real-world jobs.

The advantages are many. Teams are free to select who they want, the pay for all this is not on the taxpayers shoulders. Pre-built stadiums and fields that are already on the school premises can be rented back for a small fee. Distractions to students trying to study are minimized. If you want a league for kids that are special needs, go for it.

Best of all, you can tell the White House, the ACLU, the Dept. of Education, and your local sue-happy mouth-breathers to go pound sand.

Let´s have a glee club for the tone deaf!

Exactly, #1. My cousin and her husband have a son with Down Syndrome; he´s now about 22. Several years ago, they established an organization, that provides vocational, educational, and social/recreational opportunities for special needs children and adults in northwest Oklahoma. Each year, they also host an annual walk/run event to raise money for the foundation. Special needs children/adults participate, or someone in place of a special needs individual who can´t physically participate.

In the interest of fairness, disabled people should also be registered for the selective service and serve in combat.

The marching band of the University of Louisville had a kid in a wheelchair who was pushed around the football field by his dad. Now I´m sorry the kid (a trumpeter, I believe) was confined to a wheelchair, but a marching band is a visual thing which depends on uniformity and precision -- the wheelchair being pushed by dad ruined all that. ESPN thought it was an incredibly heart-warming story, but I never saw an ESPN story about an offensive lineman in a wheelchair pushed by his dad. Oh no, that would be silly!

It´s the parents fault.

I like the way #23 thinks. Fair is fair and libs are particularly big on fairness.

As I read this latest bit of regulatory insanity, a school could set up a team of handicapped children, but expenditures, coaching, facilities, travel, would all have to be equal to non handicapped teams.
Any school district with half a brain will eliminate sports, which then can be run by private organizations. Those organizations would not fall under these regulations.
(Think ice hockey clubs, for example.)
The geniuses at the white house once again failed to understand the consequences attached to their stupid regs.

Also, the racial make up of all teams will be the same ratio as in society generally.

"Equal access" means just what the words state. Handicapped/ disabled students already have that. Separated by gender, anyone can "TRY-OUT" for a sports team. What this Administration really wants is a sports PROGRAM for the handicapped/disabled, which is an enormously expensive endeavor, depending on the severity of the handicap. Which is why the "special olympics " exists. Obviously it is a rare occasion when a person with a disablity can compete with those without. This Administration is simply filled
with ignorant individuals with mental impairments.

There have been blind Umpires and Referees forever.

LOL@poster #30.

My 11 year old grand nephew is visually impaired (albino). His parents know that life is not going to give him any breaks so they don´t give him any breaks. He´s very intelligent and home schooled.
He probably won´t pass the eye test to get a drivers´ license. Gotta eliminate the eye test, right?

I want to see more 5´6" and under players on pro basketball teams. Each team also needs to have the same percentage of whites, blacks, asians, hispanics, etc as the general population. And we need more 150 pound linemen in the NFL. There´s discrimination everywhere and it has to stop. Now, about those "scholarships" for students who have high scores on tests and get good grades. That´s unfaaair to the "F" students and dropouts. Life´s unfair Obamanuts. Get over it.

#29--Obama is of the school that doesn´t just believe in "equal access." He wants equality in outcomes. Remember Professor Seidman who wrote that article about getting rid of the Constitution? I took a course from him where he argued that rights are essentially worthless unless the law enables people to exercise them. So federal funds should pay for abortion and birth control, students should be bussed to achieve racial integration and, in this instance, athletic teams should be required to let the disabled participate by making the necessary accommodations. This is the Obama administration´s ideology. We can expect more of the same over the next four years.

What modifications can I expect at 5´6" for a fair crack at winning an Olympic gold medal in high jump? What about in basketball? Can I expect either the bar or the hoop to be lowered?

PS Absolutely men are born equal in their rights, but definitely not equal in their aptitudes or in their physical and intellectual abilities. There is nothing that can be done about this to provide for an equal outcome for everybody.