The whole country now knows who Joel Northrup is, which is what can happen when someone is cast as either a hard-headed, backward-thinking coward or a courageous hero of his religious faith.
As a 10th-grader, yet.
So, you sure hope that his father, Jamie, gave his son sound advice that truly is going to benefit him not just now, but for the rest of his life. Because it's Joel Northrup -- a sophomore competitor in the Iowa state high school wrestling tournament who defaulted his match this week rather than wrestle against a girl -- who will have to live with it.
And he's the one who will have to hope he landed on the right side of history.
Plenty before him, in similar circumstances and much older, more experienced and mature, made their choices with the same absolute certainty and clarity, and were applauded for their insistence on standing by their beliefs. And, as enough time passed, they ended up looking like fools, stubbornly and selfishly holding onto an idea whose time had already passed, or was in desperate need of passing.
Dixie Walker and many of his Brooklyn Dodgers teammates are no longer around, but young Joel might want to read up on them.
Walker, in particular, was just as certain, back in 1947, that it was in his best interest, holding to his longstanding beliefs and vital to his business and personal life in his home state of Alabama, to not have a Negro as a teammate. It would ruin him, he was certain. His customers would desert him, his friends and associates would shun him, and he had a right to make a post-baseball living and make his home where he felt most comfortable and welcome. "You're right! You're entitled to that!'' his supporters cried.
Source: http://www.fanhouse.com/2011/02/18/boy-who-refused-to-wrestle-a-girl-might-end-up-wrestling-history/
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