A Guelph, Ont., basketball league and Ontario Basketball will drop the term âmidgetâ from their age classifications next year, in an effort to help make the sport more inclusive.
âMidgetâ is a term thatâs long been used in minor hockey, baseball, basketball, lacrosse and many other sports. But itâs also considered an offensive word when used to describe people with dwarfism.
For Chris and Regina Scott, the term took on a new importance when their two-year-old son Jeremy was born with dwarfism.
âItâs tough to educate kids and tell them about the meaning of the word â about how itâs hurtful, about how itâs a derogatory term â when itâs so commonly used in their sports,â Regina Scott told CTV Kitchener.
Chris Scott, a longtime player and now a basketball coach, and Regina shared their concerns with the Guelph Youth Basketball Associationâs president Kurt Vosper, who took action immediately.
As of the 2019 season, the term midget will no longer be used for any age classification by Guelph Basketball.
Instead, Grade 9 and Grade 10 players will be referred to as âminorâ and âmajor-minor.â
âIt wasnât something that we had to fight and protest about,â Regina Scott said. âThey really agreed that just because itâs always been done like that doesnât mean itâs the right thing.â
Itâs a seemingly small decision, but they hope it will have a huge impact for people.
âWe want to be forward thinking and we want to be inclusive to everyone,â Vosper said. âAnd we want every kid to have a chance to play basketball.â
That sentiment has been echoed by the Ontario Basketball Association.
After Vosper reached out to the organization, it also committed to end its use of the term starting next season.
Chris Scott said the sport communityâs willingness to listen to the coupleâs concerns brought tears to his eyes.
âLittle by little, this change â these changes, will help,â he said.
And theyâre hopeful that the changes wonât stop there.
âIâm hoping thisâll carry over into other sports as well,â Vosper said. âThat other sports will realize itâs not an appropriate term anymore and theyâll wanna make the change on their own.â
Itâs a change the Scotts hope will keep kids like Jeremy from ever feeling reluctant about taking part in sports.
With a report from CTV Kitchenerâs Randy Steinman