Male Practice or Malpractice?
By Michelle Hosick, The NCAA News, May 8, 2006

Nearly two years after the issue first began to gain momentum, advocates and opponents of the use of male practice players with female teams both seem to be getting at least some measure of satisfaction. Those who favor the practice are relieved that nothing has changed, while challengers think change may be more achievable than once believed. The matter has been a volatile topic for some time, one even the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics — the issue's staunchest critic — has struggled to address.

The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports first raised male practice players as a health and safety concern in 2004, but when discussions shifted to opportunities for female student-athletes, the CSMAS referred the matter to the CWA. That group struggled with the topic for more than a year before finally determining that the use of male practice players conflicted with the committee's core mission of providing equitable opportunities for female student-athletes in all aspects of intercollegiate athletics.

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