The recent controversy surrounding the participation of a trans athlete on the volleyball team at San Jose State, USA, has unleashed a political and social firestorm that has rocked the sports arena across the country. Several universities in the Mountain West Conference have decided to cancel their matches against San Jose State, opting to bypass the competition without giving explicit public reasons. However, the motive behind these cancellations is no mystery: a lawsuit in Georgia argues that NCAA rules allowing trans athletes to participate on women’s teams violate Title IX, which has put a San Jose State player under national scrutiny.
The issue came to a head when Brooke Slusser, captain and former roommate of the player in question, joined the lawsuit after learning of her teammate’s gender identity through a leak in April. Although the trans player has not made her identity public, the scandal exploded on social media and was fanned by politicians with conservative ideologies, generating pressure groups and a broad debate about the inclusion of trans people in women’s sports and the safety of cisgender players. In the wake of this situation, pressure on coaches and sports administrators has intensified, forcing universities to make decisions without clear knowledge of the issue.
POLITICS TO THE CORE
The NCAA and the Mountain West Conference have taken a stance of compliance with existing rules, which require testosterone testing within established limits for one year prior to competition. Despite this, three teams (Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State) have opted to forfeit their games rather than face San Jose State, highlighting the growing power of politics over athletic decisions. Most troubling is the influence that politicians (who are not doctors, sociologists, psychologists or sports experts) have had on these decisions, as in the case of Wyoming, where a state senator went so far as to threaten funding cuts if the team participated in the game.
Emma Testi with the kill for the Spartans!#AllSpartans pic.twitter.com/8hiwwSiIRT
— SJSU VOLLEYBALL (@SanJoseStateVB) October 4, 2024
The situation reflects a complex landscape, where sports institutions are caught between the inclusion of trans rights and pressure from outside forces attempting to restrict their participation. The lack of a coherent approach and uncertainty about how to address the issue have left universities in an uncomfortable position. These incidents are fodder for social networks and the media, and many colleges, universities and institutions do not know how to manage them. In fact, opinions within teams about the participation of trans athletes are often divided, further complicating the situation.
THE TROUBLING SITUATION OF THE PLAYER
Most troubling is the impact on the trans player in question, who has competed at San Jose State without issue for two previous seasons. Now, her private life has been exposed without her consent, while the public debate over her right to play intensifies. Despite having complied with NCAA rules, the athlete has been the victim of a demonization campaign, highlighting the vicious nature of this controversy.
This dramatic episode suggests a review by experts of these matters so as not to create controversy, make the rules clear and, above all, not to sink any life by the media noise that accumulates in the form of discrimination around the athlete.
