Male sports need women — A LOT more women — to stop stupidity of men

Carlos Monarrez | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Spurs promote Becky Hammon to top assistant Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon was promoted to the front of the bench to fill the vacancy of James Borrego, who left to become the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced.

I have an idea. I’m pretty sure it will work. And I think it can solve an epidemic plaguing male-dominated American sports.

Here it is: Women.

We need women — and I mean a lot more women — to help stem the tide of all the stupidity being perpetrated by men in American sports.

Football, baseball, basketball and hockey. They need women, women, women and women.

It wasn’t just the scandal at Ohio State this week involving football coach Urban Meyer and claims of domestic abuse against former assistant coach Zach Smith, and that the only person who reportedly was trying to do the right thing was Meyer’s wife. It isn’t just the Larry Nassar abuse case at Michigan State.

It’s any number of issues, from cases of physical and sexual abuse, to less serious but also harmful transgressions like inappropriate comments, discussions and attitudes.

We need women in positions of authority and influence in our male-sports landscape. We need a different perspective attuned to the experiences, the plights and the needs of others.

Of course, simply having more women isn’t foolproof or a panacea in and of itself. Ousted MSU president Lou Anna Simon proves that. But certainly the more women we have in male sports, the better chance we have to stem the tide and heal the wounds that some men have inflicted.

So what does this look like? What could more women in positions of authority do?

It’s too much to ask women to be watchdogs and the moral conscience of the entire male sports world. But their mere presence at various organizational levels could remind players, coaches and executives that there is an entire segment of society who might think differently about gender issues. Perhaps in executive meetings or in locker rooms they would provide a check against wrong-minded thinking.

More women would unquestioningly lead to more conversations about their perspective and experience with issues like domestic violence. It might even lead to these women pushing forward mundane changes like requiring more workshops or sensitivity training on women’s issues.

I’ve thought for a long time we have a cultural problem in male sports. In fact, the Free Press anonymously surveyed 33 players last month at media days for the Big Ten and Mid-American conferences and 11 said there’s a cultural problem in college football as it relates to sexual assault. Fifteen players said there was no problem and seven declined or were indifferent

Is this proof? No, but the fact that even one-third of the players believe it is a cultural problem says a lot.

Change happens slowly, but I have hope. Last year, ESPN and CBS play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins became the first woman in 30 years to call a “Monday Night Football game.” On Sept. 10, she’ll call the Lions-New York Jets game on Monday night. Hearing a woman’s voice on the biggest stage of our most manly sport starts to change everyone’s perspective, if even just a little.

In 2016, Kathryn Smith became the NFL’s first full-time female coach as a special-teams quality control coach with the Buffalo Bills. Last year, Katie Sowers became the NFL’s first openly LGBT coach when the San Francisco 49ers hired her as an offensive assistant. Also in 2017, Sarah Thomas became the league’s first full-time female referee.

In 2014, the San Antonio Spurs hired Becky Hammon as assistant and made her the first full-time female coach in any of the four pro sports in North America. The Spurs have promoted her and this season she will sit on the bench next to head coach Gregg Popovich.

This is a trend that’s long overdue. Let’s hope it continues.

Monarrez: Fire Urban Meyer immediately. What is Ohio State football waiting for?

Name game

All right. I’m lame. I couldn’t decide on a name from the many excellent suggestions you sent me for my "Name This Column First Annual Contest." But please keep sending them in via email or Twitter.

Even though I didn’t pick a name, I’ve picked a winner. Dave Rigel of Dundee was my favorite with this gem: “You Want The Truth … You Can’t Handle The Truth — by Carlos Monarrez”

Makes me smile every time. As promised, some Free Press merch is coming your way, Dave.

I’ve enjoyed all of the offerings and I’ll keep publishing a few from time to time. I might even get around to eventually picking one.

Rigel’s rating: 14/10. His spirit animal is: Bonnie the GoPro-stealing pit bull.

More: Dog steals GoPro while recording, creates an insane viral video

Blake Griffin’s brutal week

Pistons forward Blake Griffin had a brutal week. First, he was shredded by comedian Jeff Ross in a Comedy Central roast battle last weekend.

“… just like the Clippers,” Ross told Griffin per TMZ, “Kendall (Jenner) eventually traded you for another basketball player. The season hasn't even started yet, and your ex is already leading you in rebounds."

Then Griffin reportedly was ordered to pay his ex-fiancée, Brynn Cameron, $258,000 a month in child support for their two children as the result of a paternity case in Los Angeles Superior Court. Griffin and Cameron released a joint statement on Friday denying the dollar amount listed in the Radar Online report.

Either way, yikes!

Griffin’s rating: -258,000/10. His spirit animal is: Anything he can sell for money.

President King James

LeBron James told CNN he might consider running for president in 2020 if the Democrats don’t have a viable option. I like it. But before he solves racial conflict in this country, James must prove he can reach a unilateral agreement on his no-dukes treatise between Draymond Green and Tristan Thompson.

Bron’s rating: 11/10. His spirit animal is: Anything the Warriors say it is.

Drake’s “In My Feelings” video

Do yourself a favor and check out Drake’s awesome video for “In My Feelings.” The great introduction features a hilarious cameo by Phylicia Rashad, but the surprise ending is even better.

Call me a homer, but as good as Drake is, I still think Lions receiver Marvin Jones’ cover is better. Judge for yourself.

Drake’s rating: 13/10. His spirit animal is: Will Smith.

Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.