Ludtke Verses Kuhn

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The defendants did not want women reporters in the clubhouse to protect the privacy of the players, to protect the family image of the league, and to maintain the traditional notions of decency. Their objectives were “to protect and preserve the national image of baseball as a family game…and…to preserve baseball’s audience and to maintain its popularity and standing” (Ludtke, 1978). They said the denial of female reporters into the locker rooms was to make sure the players had privacy while using the restroom and showers. The exclusion of Ludtke was based solely on her sex and nothing else. This goes against equal opportunity of the Fourteenth Amendment because she does not have access to all the facilities to fulfill her job as a reporter. The facts are undisputable regarding the fact that she was treated differently than her male reporter counterparts, which gave them a competitive advantage. In order for gender classifications to be constitutional, it must serve some important governmental objective and this case does not fall under that category. The court decided that there are several less severe alternatives to insure the players’ privacy that the defendants could have chosen. This policy does deprive Ludtke of her rights of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

plaintiff, Melissa Ludtke, won the case. The New York Yankees now have to allow females into locker rooms in order to perform interviews with players.

There are several ramifications for managers of sports facilities and managers of sports teams. The obvious outcome for managers from this case is that if male reporters are allowed inside locker rooms, then female reporters should also be allowed to make sure you follow the equal protection policy. With that said, you also want to make sure your players still feel confortable enough to undress and shower. It is necessary to provide other privacy measures, like in this case curtains and cubicles, to allow room for personal space. Another thing that managers need to consider when making policies regarding the facilities is that they need to think through their decision fully before executing it. It is always good to do research to figure out the risks of making decisions that could be exclusive like this one.

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