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ESPN looks at changing negative recruiting from the top:

"As far as negative recruiting, I can tell you, [from] working with coaches, that it very much does exist, and it's very harsh," Slater says. "It is probably more prevalent in some sports than others, but it's there, regardless of sport."

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In "Finding Your Voice," a public speaking class that Slater teaches, here is one of the questions posed to the class: "A parent on a recruiting visit asks you, Do you allow lesbians on your team? If you do, how do you feel about that?" Slater says coaches have confirmed that this does happen, and they do get asked this question. Many coaches have shared that "they disagree with being asked this question ... and how much they look forward to the day when this is not an issue." Slater also said that sometimes "coaches are asked this question more and more because [the questioner's] child is gay, and they want to make sure it's a safe environment for the child. So it goes both ways. It's not always antagonistic."

Slater is particularly concerned with how all of this affects the players themselves. "The part that's missing in this whole dialogue is the student-athletes," Slater says. "I've heard coaches tell me, 'I feel badly that I want to be a positive role model for my gay student-athletes.' We forget a lot of this. We're forgetting about a lot of the student-athletes that are kind of in the mix here. What about them? How does this feel to them? How does this affect their world on a day-to-day basis? Because supposedly we're in the business because we care about student-athletes -- all student-athletes."

Wow.
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Very touching story about Northwestern University Coach Joe McKeown, and how he and his family have found a home at the school. His teenage son Joey is autistic.

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This brief notice of the cancellation of tonight's New Mexico State-Fresno State game due to weather puts into perspective the problems it's caused for games all over the effected U.S.:

“Using the power necessary to operate a game and placing the extra stress on the fragile power grid is not prudent when our community is faced with potential power outages at home. In consultation with President Couture, El Paso Electric, Special Events, and the WAC office, we have decided that cancelling tonight’s game is in the best interest of the community.”

Color me grateful.

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Three Tennessee players have been named to the Academic All-District Team: Angie Bjorklund, Glory Johnson and Taber Spani.

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Maybe it's the new arena, but the Oregon women are re-energized.

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The Conneticut Sun signed two today, as did San Antonio, and it looks like Ashley Walker will get another chance.

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• Filed Under:  
• SportsPLUS, College, Discrimination/Title IX, High School, Student-Athlete, Recruiting, Coaching, LGBT

This post is related to an ongoing story:

• Homophobia and Recruiting