Keith Strudler: Pass The Cup

Any boy who’s ever moved to a certain level in certain sports has had the unique and often uncomfortable option of wearing what’s commonly known as a cup. For the uninitiated, a cup is a hard plastic, well, cup, that fits over the male private region, strategically protecting male athletes from things like ill thrown baseballs or someone’s knee or perhaps a foot that misses its target or, and this is the worst, a low blow in boxing. It could happen in most any contact sport, from soccer to basketball to football – pretty much any place that something might end up where it shouldn’t. Being largely averse to contact and quickly gravitating towards track, I never actually wore one of these devices, which always seemed to me remnants of the dark ages. I suppose my JCC youth basketball league never got competitive enough to be concerned with shots to the groin, and make any circumcision joke you’d like. But competitive athletes in rough sports probably take more precautions.

That certainly goes for Oklahoma City center Steven Adams, who seemed not to be taking such safety measures last week against Golden State in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, a game that OKC won handily. In the second quarter of the game, Golden State forward Draymond Green threw his foot right into the nether regions of an unsuspecting Adams while Green was shooting the ball. Adams fell to the floor, which is typically what happens, and Green was called for a Flagrant 1 – which is defined as “unnecessary contact.” After the game, and after what I’m sure was way too many video reviews, the NBA changed it to a Flagrant 2 – which means “unnecessary and excessive,” with which I’m sure Adams strongly concurs. Green was also fined $25,000, which stings, but it’s all relative. What didn’t happen was perhaps more surprising. The NBA didn’t suspend Green for the pivotal Game 4 of the series, which by the way Golden State lost last night, giving the Thunder a 3-1 choke hold on the series. Now, this stands in strong contrast to what happened across the nation in the Eastern Conference Finals, where Cleveland Cavalier Dahntay Jones was suspended one game for his low blow on Toronto Raptor Bismack Biyombo. The rational on this decision, or the discrepancy between the two, is that Jones basically punched his opponent down low in the closing moments of a tough loss, while Green somewhat incidentally kicked his foe in the course of trying to draw a foul – or flailing, as it’s called. This is the nuance we’re dealing with; just how much you wanted to hit someone in the nuts. For the offended party, the subtle distinction is likely an afterthought. More pressing is the availability of a frozen bag of peas.

There are a whole lot of theories about why Jones was really suspended and Green was spared, and it has little to do with fist vs foot, because there are no winners there. Fans suspect that the league went easy on Green because he’s a star, and stars get preferential treatment, especially when they play on the best regular season team in history in Game 4 of the conference finals. The NBA will refute that till the end of time, but it’s common conjecture none-the-less. And to be fair, I’d wonder how this might have worked if it were LeBron James or Kyrie Irving on the punch instead of Jones. Perhaps intentionality may not have been so assumed.

But that aside, what’s fascinating about this case is how much it illustrates just a slice of the gendered hypocrisy that’s historically existed around contact sports. For generations, women were told they couldn’t engage in certain physical activities because they were dangerous, or might harm their fertility. That women couldn’t have children if they get hit too hard. Which I’m guessing might be a more serious concern for men who get wacked in pants. Another common critique is that contact sports are simply too rough and masculine for women. Yet what’s less masculine than 6 foot 8 guy writhing on the ground with his hands between his legs? For all the nonsense and patriarchy that has kept sports a gendered institution throughout our history, it’s amazing that almost every man on the field or court is simply one shot away from being rendered useless.

The reality is, sports are potentially dangerous for everyone, male or female, especially when people start throwing their hands and feet around like they’re trying out for the Rockettes. Should Draymond Green have been suspended? I don’t know. It might not matter if Oklahoma City wins one of the next three games. But I do know one thing. Next time, Steven Adams should wear a cup.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.