The court of public opinion: examining the CFE v. MHSAA lawsuit

This article reviews the recent Communities for Equity v. Michigan High School Athletic Association (CFE v. MHSAA) lawsuit in light of the opportunities it provides to examine current debates and understanding of gender equity and Title IX within high school sports in the United States. By conducting semi-structured interviews with 18 participants who were familiar with the case, this paper seeks to present and interpret the ideas of those who serve on the court of ‘public opinion.' The findings of our analysis suggest that the lawsuit inspired many "small stories" of gender equity and fairness which referred less to the disadvantages experienced by female high school athletes in Michigan and more to the potential disadvantages of male high school athletes in Michigan should the lawsuit require changes in the delivery of MHSAA programming. These findings remind feminist and legal scholars to remain mindful of the small and ancillary stories that gender equity lawsuits often inspire.