How can you play fair when there’s no fair playing field?
Hi Friend,
I am a former NCAA Division 1 volleyball player, and I currently coach girls who are working hard to play at the next level.
I can speak from personal experience when I say I’m greatly concerned about the bills being rammed through Congress (such as the misnamed Equal Rights Amendment and so-called Equality Act) and executive orders that President Biden signed on his first day in office that would undermine women’s sports and hurt female athletes.
The fact is that there is a large distinction between men's and women's sports, particularly volleyball. The speed of the men's game is faster and the hits are stronger, while the women's game is more about strategy.
To put a biological male on the women's court gives them an unfair advantage in jumping, speed, and the strength behind the ball. There is a reason that the men's net is nearly 8 inches higher than the women's net.
While I support policies to protect our LGBTQ citizens, we can do that without sacrificing women’s safety and opportunity. It runs contrary to the purpose of Title IX, which only became law—providing protections and opportunities for female athletes—when my mom was young. It wasn’t THAT long ago…
Our elected officials don’t need to erase women’s protections, eradicate women’s rights, and threaten girls’ safety and opportunities in order to give some protections to some individuals.
Our female athletes were born with a smaller stature, natural strength, and less lung capacity than their male counterparts. I know that from experience.
I played libero in college, which is known for being the shortest member of the team, as it is a defensive position. Those who play my position on men's teams are frequently above 6’ at the collegiate level (I am 5'3"). If I were forced to compete with my male counterparts for the same roles on teams, I would never have gotten to play.
Adding biologically-born males to females sports eliminates opportunities for females, like myself, to compete at a high level. Now, I worry about the athletes I coach and how it will affect their prospects.
