This is a beaut. From Inside Higher Ed comes news that the National Collegeiate Athletic Association's Committee on Women's Athletics wants the practice of women's teams using male players in practices stopped.

Note that these aren't the coaches pushing for this, but bureaucrats.

Women’s basketball coaches overwhelmingly support the use of male players, according to a survey by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. “With all the issues we could be rallying around for women’s athletics, to make sure we’re being truly integrated, it’s mind boggling that this is what’s getting all the focus,” said Beth Bass, who heads the basketball coaches’ group. “Most of us grew up playing with and against the guys, and it’s how a lot of us improved. That’s what we’re looking at here: ‘Let me have the opportunity to improve.’”

Newsflash: For the vast majority of all athletic competition, men are superior to women.

A few years back, Sports Illustrated had an article on Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summit and the fact that she used male athletes in practice to help the women improve. The aforementioned males were typically guys who had played in high school, but weren't good enough to get a college scholarship. Even with this supposed difference in abilities -- the top women basketball players in the country vs. a bunch of former high school athletes -- the guys won most of the scrimmages (with additional rules prohibiting them from using their superior athleticism -- no crashing the boards for the men or charging to the basket if there was a woman anywhere near the hoop).

Heck, I remember scrimmaging against a girls team when I played in AYSO as a youth. The girls team was two divisions higher than us -- three to four years older -- and were in first place. We were in third. Who do you think won? If you said the boys, you'd be right -- I think we crushed them 4-1.

If you want to get better, you've got to play people who challenge you. For some of these women's programs -- especially the elite ones -- the only way they're going to get that kind of experience is from playing men. It's ironic that those who want to trumpet women's empowerment choose to treat them like babies.