Don't you love how the coach is automatically accused of being unfair? I'm thinking that it's possible that Mackenzie's been benched because the coach doesn't want to risk her health or that of her unborn child. Or perhaps he decided that Mackenzie's condition would limit her ability on the volleyball court. I seriously doubt that the coach based his decision on something like, "Wow. One of my players is a friggin' slut. Better sit her ass on the bench to teach her a lesson."
And I just love how Mackenzie's mom, Brenda Horton, is handling the whole thing. Rather than assume some of the responsibility for her daughter's actions, she's taking a stand against tyranny and injustice toward unmarried pregnant teenage athletes everywhere. She's quoted as saying, "My goal is for [the school] to include and nurture pregnant athletes."
Include and nurture pregnant athletes? Is it THAT big of a problem? Do we have legions of knocked-up softball, volleyball, and field hockey players nationwide that are being oppressed? How exactly would a coach "nurture" his pregnant players?
"All right team, I understand that some of you girls are not pregnant right now. In order to be sensitive to the needs of your child-bearing teammates, I'm asking you all to go out this weekend and find a suitable young man to impregnate you. You didn't hear it from me, but there's a killer frat party at the Gamma House on Saturday night. Go get 'em, girls!"
Opposing coaches could develop a whole strategy for playing against a team of moms-to-be. Hit it to the girl whose contractions are only two minutes apart, or schedule games for nine in the morning to take advantage of morning sickness. How hard could it be to defeat a team of preggos, regardless?
There's another potential problem that Mackenzie's team faces, though. What happens if they're playing against some Catholic school in the Bible Belt who's coach is one of those "right to life" folks? I can see it now. The opposing coach claims that Mackenzie's unborn child is in fact a life, and as such, should count as one of the players on the court. Arlington Heights would have to pull one of its other players off the court, essentially putting them one player down. I'm assuming, of course, that the fetus would be ineffective as a volleyball player.
Look, Mackenzie, here's the deal. You made the decision to have unprotected sex and, surprise surprise, you wound up pregnant. That means you're going to have to give up a few things for the next nine months, and volleyball is probably one of them. No one's trying to infringe upon your rights or discriminate against you. Since you and your mom obviously place your high school volleyball career above the safety of both you and your child, you should be grateful that your coach cares enough to step up and assume that responsibility. And let's be completely honest here, the minute you dive for a ball and miscarry your child, your mother's gonna be calling a lawyer and filing a lawsuit against your coach, your school, and anybody else she can think of. Just go home, relax, take care of yourself, and I hope you have a happy and healthy childhood. Volleyball can wait.
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