MJ Lawson...In a League all her Own...

If you really want to know how M.J. Lawson feels about youth sports, all you have to do is read the writing on her yellow T-shirt. It says: “What boys can do, girls can do better.” For the past nine years, this 14-year-old girl has set out to prove the accuracy of that statement. As you scan the baseball field at Esperero Canyon Middle School, you’ll notice one player with softer features and long, blonde hair hidden underneath a baseball cap. That would be M.J., which is short for Mary Jean. The truth be told, M.J. prefers playing with boys.

Name-calling, shoving, cursing, throwing equipment- all actions witnessed during local youth sporting events. But it’s not the players acting this way- it’s the parents. At a recent lacrosse game, the referee threatened to terminate the game unless the coaches stopped yelling at each other. Insults and obscenities were exchanged by both teams. “I don’t know who’s younger: the players or the coaches,” said referee Jason Owens. “I usually ignore it, but today it’s out of control.”