‘We want to treat women with gentleness and respect’: Christian high school forfeits football game against rival with female athletes

A California Christian school is sacrificing a football championship opportunity by forfeiting football games against teams playing female athletes.

“We have the utmost respect for the women that we enroll here at our school, the women that are enrolled in other schools, for women in general,” said Joel Mikkelson, superintendent at Valley Christian Academy in Santa Maria, according to the Los Angeles Times. “And that’s the reason for our policy is to teach our young men to be men who love God and respect women. And that does come down to some tough policies, but it is all about wanting to be people who are good citizens in this world and examples of Christ.” 

The statement comes after the school forfeited its scheduled Sept. 30 game against Coast Union, which has two females on the team, and two months after the school settled a Title IX lawsuit brought by a female football player in 2021.   

The judge in the case dismissed several claims, including athose against Mikkelson as an individual, before the school agreed to pay the family $20,000 for attorney fees and damages.  

Valley Christian maintains its stance that Title IX doesn’t apply. 

“Title IX is very clear that contact sports are exempt…,” Mikkelson said, according to USA Today. “That’s the language – contact sports are exempt from Title IX. It is an unfortunate tragedy that that is not understood by most people.” 

Section 106.41 of Title IX states; “Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, a recipient may operate or sponsor separate teams for members of each sex where selection for such teams is based upon competitive skill or the activity involved is a contact sport. 

“However, where a recipient operates or sponsors a team in a particular sport for members of one sex but operates or sponsors no such team for members of the other sex, and athletic opportunities for members of that sex have previously been limited, members of the excluded sex must be allowed to try-out for the team offered unless the sport involved is a contact sport. For the purposes of this part, contact sports include boxing, wrestling, rugby, ice hockey, football, basketball and other sports the purpose or major activity of which involves bodily contact.”   

Despite the lawsuit and lost championship opportunities, Mikkelson says the school will continue to forfeit future football games if a girl is on the opposing team.  

“This is not about arrogance, this is not about pride, this is not about unfairness. In all fairness, we want to treat women with gentleness and respect,” Mikkelson said, according to USA Today. “And so, we want our young men to apply that to the football field. And we believe football is a violent game, and accordingly we want them to operate within the rules of football and hit people well. And we don’t want them to do that to a young lady. 

“And so, we will forfeit a game. … We give the victory to that other team, so any other team that would complain about that, it’s extremely unfortunate. You know, the reality of this situation is … we probably won’t win the league championship this year because of that policy that we want to stand by, to treat young ladies with respect,” Mikkelson continued.  

This is the fourth season in a row Valley Christian has forfeited a game according to the policy.