As clear-cut as that rule may seem at first glance, there are complications. For example, there are safety issues that need to be considered when a girl is playing in a sport otherwise dominated by boys. Genetically and physically speaking, high school boys and girls are not built the same and thus there must be exceptions. For example, "issues of safety may dictate that a girl does not play on a particular boys team, or that she play in a particular position on the team (such as punter in football)" (Findlay, 2010, p.10). The question then becomes, how do administrators determine which sports (and which positions) are safe and which are not? I'm not sure a general sweeping rule would be fair, because not all girls are created physically equal to each other either. Where it might be dangerous for one girl, it's possible that it could be suitably safe for another (or at least as safe for her, as it is for her male teammates). .
There are also situations where a girl may have a girl's team to play on, but still seeks to participate on the boys' team. This happens when the girl possesses a high level of skill in her sport and is seeking competition that is equal to her abilities. If there are no overly concerning safety issues (for example in a sport like soccer) and she's good enough to play on the boys' team, then shouldn't it be permitted? While it's understandable for the girl to seek opportunities in order to improve and get better, what about the team she is leaving behind? As I mentioned above, there is a need for further development of sporting opportunities for all girls. Hilary Findlay, an Associate Professor for the Department of Sport Management at Brock University points out, "In these situations, hiving off the top females from the girls' teams (to allow these girls to play at a level consistent with their skills) is often believed to lead to the depletion of female teams and impede the development of opportunities for girls" (2010, p.