Suns and Sports Magic Sex Discrimination Settlement: A Newspaper Advertisement Seeks "Male' Employees Phoenix More than fifty years after sex discrimination was prohibited by law, some companies continue to practice overt discrimination. In a blatantly discriminatory newspaper ad that was published in Phoenix-area newspapers the Phoenix Suns professional basketball team and Sports Magic Team sought "males with athletic ability and talent" for half-time and community performances by the "Zoo Crew The Suns are part of the National Basketball Association and Sports Magic Team is a firm that organizes the Suns' half-time entertainment and promotions by the Zoo Crew Prior to the Sun and Sports Magic's decision to seek only men for the positions, Kathryn Tomlinson had worked as a member of the Zoo Crew, performing acrobatics and other tricks during games, attending community events, and interacting with the public during basketball season. After the Phoenix Suns and Sports Magic decision to hire only men, Tomlinson and another woman took their discrimination claim to the EEOC, which took the case. The Phoenix Suns and Sports Magic agreed to pay over $100,000 to settle the discrimination charges, in addition to the monetary settlement, the Phoenix Suns also agreed to strengthen policies prohibiting sex discrimination, to train personnel, to establish safeguards to ensure discriminatory advertisements were not disseminated in the future, and to apologize to Tomlinson Requirements for a particular sex may be legitimate when sex is a bona fide occupational qualification (BOC) Assumptions about physical abilities or customer preferences for a certain ses do not qualify as BFOQ Questions to Conside :
1. Is it possible that the organizations involved in this case were unaware of legislation prohibiting sex discrimination? Do you think they considered that their actions might be legal 2. What potent benefits might the Suns and Sports Magik have gained by seeking people (rather than maled with athletic ability and talent as members of the Zoo Crew? 3. How do the attributes of cheerleaders for professional sports leams differ from those of the Zoo Crew? is requiring cheerleaders to be women discriminatory? Why or why not? What, if any, benefits might follow from tuving male and female cheerleaders for professional sports teams