Weight... was she a great big fat person

A distraction, I know. But a catchy pun, and a question that apparently has no answer. Let's proceed...

The musing you are about to read has been festering in the recesses of my brain for, well, years. And perhaps it is an age-old rant, or — at best — a tired and misogynistic assault on gender politics.

Whatever:

Kenny George is 360 pounds. And at 7-feet-7-inches tall is the tallest basketball player in the NCAA, although that fact is of little consequence to this posting. Anyway, our boy George probably has a terminal pituitary gland problem and in the coming years will go the way of Gheorge Muresan, the Dodo bird and tamagotchis: gone forever. It's a shame, too, because the man is a spectacle. 

Witness: 

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and

On the second link, you'll notice Tyler Hansbrough, of North Carolina fame, posterizing our boy George. What's interesting, though, is the size disparity between the two and how emaciated — or diminutive — George makes Hansbrough seem.

Because, according to the Tar Heels' official Web site, Hansbrough is 6-9 250. Or, more relatively, approximately twice my weight (that's a joke, for you haters).

The point to all of this is that we know how much Kenny George weighs because it's information available on UNC-Asheville's official athletic Web site, on Wikipedia and in his team's media guide. Same goes for Hansbrough.

But what about the women? 

On the UNC-Asheville Web site, the UNC-Chapel Hill site and even Gonzaga's official Web site, www.gozags.com, the "weight" listing is MIA from the players' information. Apparently it's more important for the viewing public to know the miscellaneous information included in the player's biography page, though, which includes such gems as "cousins played soccer at the University of Hawaii..." or "National Honor Society" in high school. Please, just don't waste my time.

In this age of "gender-sensitivity," why aren't women afforded the same opportunity to display their weight? It's obviously relevant — every men's college basketball roster I've seen offers the information — and from playing basketball, I can tell you that even a 15 pound difference between two players can make an impact. You would think people would want this information.

But, alas, no. According to Title IX, women deserve the same athletic opportunities as men (and for the record, I agree) but they are not subject to the same rules. They don't include their weight — "because a woman's weight is a touchy subject!" — hell, they don't even play with the same ball (although that is another diatribe).

Look, I'm all for equal chances. I like women. My mom's one. But there needs to be some semblance of consistency. I will admit there are some sports where weight probably isn't a factor, like cross country or track... Great, at gozags.com men's weights are not listed (neither are their heights, for that matter) and neither are the women's. Same goes for soccer, golf (even though it's not a sport) and rowing. 

But this basketball problem is a discouraging manifestation of contrasting principles, especially in the college ranks.

In the REAL world of women's professional basketball, the WNBA, we know Sue Bird weighs 150 lbs and center Janell Burse rings in at 199 (www.wnba.com/storm/roster/). 

Why not hold college athletes to the same standard?