# Is there a compelling interest for race-based diversity in sports? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 6, 2015, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-compelling-interest-for-race-based-diversity-in-sports/736791 "2015-11-06T11:20:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-compelling-interest-for-race-based-diversity-in-sports/736791/81 "2015-11-13T16:26:56Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > This wold put an end to women’s sports. You can get a low-ranked male tennis player and beat the Williams sisters. Etc. Only if women’s sports were also opened up. The NFL, as far as I know, already is open to women. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-compelling-interest-for-race-based-diversity-in-sports/736791/82 "2015-11-13T17:28:14Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > This wold put an end to women’s sports. You can get a low-ranked male tennis player and beat the Williams sisters. Etc. Maybe, maybe not, but so what? Integration of baseball put an end to the Negro leagues, but few would say it wasn’t worth it. And there are some sports, and some positions, where women may have advantages over men. As for any man beating the Williams sisters - I’m not so sure about that. I’d like to see that first. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-compelling-interest-for-race-based-diversity-in-sports/736791/83 "2015-11-13T17:41:50Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > As for any man beating the Williams sisters - I’m not so sure about that. I’d like to see that first. [Already been done](http://www.topendsports.com/sport/tennis/men-v-women.htm). > [@](#): > > Karsten Braasch v the Williams Sisters > > During the 1998 Australian Open, sisters Serena and Venus Williams boasted that they could beat any man ranked outside the world’s top 200. The challenge was accepted by Karsten Braasch, a German player ranked No 203 (his highest ranking was No 38). Before the matches, Braasch played a round of golf in the morning, drank a couple of beers, smoked a few cigarettes, and then played the Williams sisters for a set each, one after the other. He defeated Serena, 6-1, and Venus, 6-2. Serena said afterwards “I didn’t know it would be that hard. I hit shots that would have been winners on the women’s tour and he got to them easily.” Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2015, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-compelling-interest-for-race-based-diversity-in-sports/736791/84 "2015-11-14T08:48:17Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > And there are some sports, and some positions, where women may have advantages over men. No, I don’t think so. Can you suggest an area where women may have an advantage? Anyway, you have to have a healthy dose of pragmatism here. Even within single-gender sports we have age segregation and weight segregation and elements of handicapping. The reasons for that are because we know that those criteria make a massive difference when trying hold an even competition. It is allowable for someone from a “lower” category to compete (if they can) in a “higher” category, but not vice-versa. That seems sensible. I think that gender is merely a subset of that. > [@](#): > > As for any man beating the Williams sisters - I’m not so sure about that. I’d like to see that first. We’ve discussed this before, they’d be lucky to take a single game off any man in the top 200. They are playing pretty much a different sport and that is why they have to have a ring-fenced tour and tournament structure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-compelling-interest-for-race-based-diversity-in-sports/736791.md?page=4)