Coach wears high heels: Pau Gasol on gender and the NBA

Men’s major league sports coaches are proven leaders, role models, iconic authority figures, sometimes even larger than life. And, up to now in the US, they’ve always been men, but that may be about to change. San Antonio Spurs (NBA) player Pau Gasol talks about that possibility in this May 2018 essay in the Players’ Tribune.

Gasol, “An open letter about female coaches”

1. Gasol expresses pride in the NBA, and he also asserts that the league is “just getting started.” What is it just starting to do? And why is Gasol proud?
2. In the middle of his essay, Gasol pivots and introduces some discussion of the NBA becoming more open to European players and, recently, European coaches. Does that discussion strengthen and support Gasol’s main argument? Why or why not? Explain your reasoning.
3. Gasol makes frequent use of the strategy that Chapter 6 of your text calls “planting a naysayer in your text.” For example, he anticipates objections when he begins a section with “Another argument that I’ve seen tossed around…”  Identify three other points in the text where Gasol employs moves that follow the advice in Chapter 6. Is his use of the strategy effective? Why or why not?
4. What do you say? Should women candidates be considered for high level coaching positions in the NBA? In all men’s professional major leagues? Why do you think so? Use Gasol as your They Say and write an essay responding to the questions and explaining your position.

Comments

[Joseph Paredes]

Of course women should be considered for high level coaching positions. Woman should be considered for any job opportunity as long as they are qualified. But, if I may speak frankly I wouldn't suggest women to aim for a male dominant field such as major league sports unless the woman are ready to fight for their rights. Honestly speaking the world is still stuck in their gender norms and gender roles, and the world will try to put these striving women "in their place". Ultimately I believe woman should try for success in any field they desire, but major league sports will require work.

[yunhuwang]

I think there is no difference between men and women in most positions, as long as you are qualified for that position. But each profession has its own particularities, and there are some potential rules. On the issue of the basketball coach, as long as she can train the whole team, it is entirely appropriate for her to hold this position. But for basketball coaches to wear high-heeled shoes is inappropriate, because the coach is to put into practical operations. Wearing high heels will affect her work.

[malik alexander]

the nba has taken huge steps in including women into the m=nba which they should have. when it could to sports the only thing that matter in winning and if he or she knows their stuff and hpw to win it shouldn't matter gender. it 2018 we should be moving past the sexest stuff.

[Zaquanna]

This was a great article presented by Pau Gasol. I love his illustrating of the critics that are against his opinions towards women coaches in the NBA. I personally believe in his opinions. More women need to be common in sports such as the NBA. We only idolize the men in the NBA but there is a lot of great women that go unnoticed. In this case, women coaches go unnoticed. A lot of people say that women should not be coaches because most of the men in the team would not approve. However, Pau presented that any men on his team approved of their coach and loved what she did as a woman coach for them. Gender biased activities need to be put to a stop because a woman can do as a man when it comes to any activity if they put their mind to it. I hope in the future that woman are more recognized in thew sports industry and I hope most of their work does not go unnoticed like it still is today.

[Jamie]

Pau Gasol is surely right about females being a coach because, as some may not be aware, women have been seen as a less dominant figure and should stick to cooking. I believe that females have the right to coach equally as a male coach. Pau Gasol's article was fantastic in expressing the reasons why females should be given a chance to coach and be equal with men. His personal examples of his home life shows that he has not been diving what a female should do and a male. I totally agree with Paw Gasol and loved how he helped stand up for females in general. Like Zaquanna said above, "Gender bias activities need to be put to a stop because a woman can do as a ,am when it comes to any activity if they put their mind to it".

[Corey Childress]

When it comes to women coaching in the NBA, I believe as long as they can win games nothing else matters. Fundamentally there isn't any reason why a female coach can't be as successful as long as they take the same approach to the game as any other coach and be given the same level of expectations as well. Anyone who says differently either doesn't know how basketball works, or is still living in the 1950's.

[Derrick Lewis]

Pau Gasol on gender. Women aren't qualified! Women aren't capable! Like Pau i too have heard it before and I agree when he said most people think it's absurd to think that that a woman can coach in the NBA. Just like pau, I think a woman can be just as or more qualified than her male counterparts. I remember a time when i was in middle school, and my mother coached my basketball team;all my friends thought it was funny that a woman was gonna teach us how to play basketball. Which was odd to me, because my mother is the one who taught me how to play in the first place. So, yes for me a woman can and should be one day a head coach of a NBA team.

[Irie Snider]

Yes, women should always be considered for high level of coaching. I agree with Gasol an his views. He explains his message very well and I would hope that most would see that he is right. His personal examples on his parents complete his article. Women coaches often go unnoticed and for this article he is making it noticeable. Overall, I agree with Gasol and hopefully more women become coaches in the NBA.

[Eric Lynum Jr.]

The NBA is one of the most progressive sports in the world. Its also helping change the culture of women in sports. Becky Hammond will get the opportunity to coach eventually in the NBA. You cant say that about most other sports. Gender bias has an unfortunate hold on the big leagues though. Like when camnewton said unprofessional comments towards a reporter because she was a woman. another. A lot of people think just because they don't or never played the game they don't understand or should have an opinion on the sport. This is completely ridiculous

[Ben]

I agree with the author that there shouldn't be a stigma against women coaching in the NBA. As he said early on, the only thing that really matters is that you're qualified and well equipped for the job, regardless of biological sex. If women are underrepresented then they may have a spotlight on them at certain times, but then that could also be used as extra motivation to perform well, exceed the role's expectations, and put much of the unfounded criticism to rest. Ultimately I think Gasol makes an excellent point that forward thinking shouldn't just stop at a particular industry like the NBA, but it should extend to all industries, and the most qualified person should get the job.

[Tim Stein]

Yes, I do think that Gasol's statement about the league opening up on European players and coaches supports his statement about female coaches in the NBA. Even though, as he stated it, it is not the exact the same situation with European coaches and female coaches, as the European coaches are still men. However, it shows that a process started in the league for more openness. Said openness is contemporary as it is a topic that is not only relevant to the NBA but the whole world. This openness might start with European coaches but hopefully will end with female or LGBTQ coaches in the league. Sticking to male coaches because it is a men's league seems outdated to me, as the league might miss out on the best basketball possible due to sticking to male coaches only. So overall it makes absolute sense for Gasol to mention European coaches to prove the point he made about female coaches in the league.

[Latoya Howerton]

This was a great story and interesting topic. I feel that if a woman is qualified for any career than so be it! I believe that a woman is capable of all things. And if being a NBA coach is a desire than go for it. There is no rule that only men can be coaches. Society has done a great job at separating the career jobs with gender profile. Which may be a result from the past with coaches only being men. Gasol used a great example, dad being a nurse and mom being a doctor and mom having the more dominant career job. should we say men are not able to be nurses!? Women can be NBA coach and get dressed to come to a game with suits and high heels!

[Darryle Carpenter]

Yes, women should be considered for positions in high level sports really any position in any field women should always be considered as long as they're qualified for the job. The NBA is one of the most progressive leagues in the world and I believe as time goes on the league will be filled with even more diversity and set an example for other professional sports leagues like the NFL or MLB to follow.

[Charles Hawn]

This article by Pau Gasol was excellent. I totally agree that women have the capability to coach in the NBA and should be looked at more seriously for coaching roles. If a woman is qualified, then she should be considered for the job without any hesitation. It is just a historical normality as to why there have only ever been male coaches in the league, and I believe it is time that the norm is broken. The story Gasol told at the beginning of the article was great for this topic. His dad being the nurse and his mom being the doctor is just another example of a social norm. I myself am in school right now as a male to become a nurse, and expect to see this social norm pop up in my life. It was a great article by Gasol and it pointed out a real problem in our society.

[Rachel Blanchard]

I personally like that Pau Gasol was not trying to argue that she was qualified to be an NBA coach, he was simply voicing his opinion on it and why she is such a great coach to him. Everyone is raised a different way, and he was raised seeing that there was no specific jobs for a gender. I think this essay is very important seeing as though there are on going arguments about gender in the world today. I agree with Pau Gasol, just because men normally coach for the NBA does not mean a woman can't live up to them.

[Amanda Martinez Rojas]

In the article Coach wears high heels by Pau Gasol, he shows pride to the NBA and the reason he said they are just getting started is because just one protest against racial problems, one parade supporting the LGBT movement and just one female coach in the NBA doesn't mean that is going to stop the racial problems and gender inequality. With this he means that they can do a lot more to help and support this cause. I agree with Gasol's ideas about females coaches. Of course a woman is capable of coaching. Females can coach at the same level male coaches do.

[Jacob Heck]

Today"s average adult n America has multiply devices to stay connected and well advised with things happening in their community. I'm sure we all have had those days where we are running around like chickens with our heads off. I believe that this article addresses a free and effective way to unwind the chaos in ones busy and over packed day. Taking just a couple of minutes or an hour to simply meditate your mind on a simple topic, can be therapeutic. This article gives good examples of this method and may help others when they are stressed and over worked, to remember to take a break and relax.

[Demetrie Warren]

Yes, I agree with Gasol when he talks about gender equality. One should be able to have a chance to coach men at high level. My thing is if any female can coach at a really high level and is a good role model, then yes they are capable to coach in the NBA. I love how brought up his mom being a doctor and his dad being a nurse, and his mom was looked at as female doctors the just doctor. It would be nice if the NBA let females be a head coach because others sports would notice and give it a try.

[Shaina Horn]

In my personal opinion, biological sex is not a quality that needs to be observed for a high position job in the NBA or for any job for that matter. I think there is no difference between men and women in most positions, as long as you are qualified for that position. On the topic of the basketball coach, as long as the coach can appropriately and effectively train her team then she/he has every right to uphold that position. But, being a woman myself I feel it is necessary to speak on behalf of all women in the workforce. Personally, I wouldn't suggest that any women aim for such a male dominant position if she is not willing to face the backlash that is going to come with it or the fight she will have to go through to get it. Nowadays, we live in a world where many people want to tear down these successful women. At the end of the day, I believe women should aim for a job in whatever they please even if it does require some more work and to push some extra boundaries

[Nicolette C]

Yes, I believe that women should be considered candidates for any high-level coaching positions in the NBA as well as all major league teams. Gasol continuously speaks about the gender inequality that is occurring in the NBA and how he believes that gender shouldn’t matter. He points out the idea that we are striving to make changes and sports shouldn’t be an exception. Gasol states “I guess it just reminds me that, for as much progress as we’ve made as a league over these last few years … we still have a ways to go”. Considering how big of a push there is for gender equality, women should be given the same chances as men coaches. Overall, I agree with Gasol’s views about how women are capable of coaching in the NBA as well as any major league sport.

[John Smith]

I believe that Pau Gasol makes a very good point in his article. Gender doesn’t determine the skill somebody has in any profession and he supported it very well. A lot of women are overlooked and just because this is a men’s league doesn’t really establish the reasoning behind why women shouldn’t be able to coach in the league. We understand that they can’t play because there is a WNBA but they should be able to coach in the NBA if they have the skill for it. A lot of men that are in the NBA at the coaching position aren’t necessarily good at it. Having a female take the male’s position is something that will be good for women and the league as well. Becky is better than most of the coaches out there and Pau defends her with strong evidence. The staff of the team and the players support her and respect her being there. No one is against the fact that she’s a female and around men all the time. It just doesn’t make sense to even be against it if she’s good at what he does. If Becky wasn’t good at coaching than we can understand as to why people may dislike her being there because no one likes a bad male coach either that’s why you see them get fired all the time. It’s hard for women like Becky to receive support in such a situation because the world is stuck in their gender norms and roles but one day it will change and we will most likely start seeing more females coaching in the NBA alongside Becky.

[Nick Agapion]

I found this article to be quite interesting mainly because of my love for the game of basketball. It was a huge part of my life up and until very recently. However, I love seeing things like women making strides in areas never done before. It is they way things should be. To hit on what Gasol said about his coach Becky Hammon being a great coach in general, not just because she is a woman or it is P.C.. His point was if you can coach you can coach. Bottom line. It has nothing to do with gender. I 100% agree with what hes saying, because in my many years of playing ball i feel where he coming from. Sometimes you have these coaches that may seem good from the outside looking in but in reality just can't coach

[Tala Locklear]

This article is about women coaches and how it shouldn't matter about gender as long as a woman can do her job. Pau Gasol put great examples and made good points in his article about gender inequality in the NBA. I completely agree with him, it shouldn't matter that she is a woman. What should matter is that she is great at what she does and loves doing it. I support women coaches in the NBA in the future, they should give them a chance.

[Shaedyn Housh]

The league is only at the beginning stages of accepting the things in life which society has not fully accepted: the LGBT community, the black lives matter movement, and even gender equality are all things this league is beginning to stand for publicly. Gasol is proud that these things are finally being addressed and supported by the NBA, but he is also excited because he knows that more movements will rise and more change for the better will be made. As for the pivot towards European coaches and players, I believe that this strengthens his main argument because it displays another example of how the league is working and changing to be more accepting of the world.
Gasol made a great point when he stated that a position should not be given based on gender but rather on qualifications. I believe this mind set should be taken to not only head coaching positions but also to any other gender dominated job within the work force. As both a female and college level athlete, I admire Becky and the things she is pursuing. I will always agree with equality and the true meaning which that word implies.

[Savanna Smith]

In the article "An Open Letter About Female Coaches" Pau Gasol argues that female coaches belong in the NBA just as much as male coaches. I agree with Gasol that as long as women are coaching efficiently they belong as a head coach in the NBA. I feel this way because many males have dominated sports, however just because the NBA is not the same as the WNBA does not mean women are not capable. Gasol references Becky Hammon as one of the greatest coaches he has ever seen. The article mentions she was star player herself and just as qualified as a male coach. I agree women deserve every opportunity as a man.