This year NCAA Women’s College Basketball Tournament was the most-watched and arguably most successful women’s college sporting event in history. Millions logged in to view if South Carolina Gamecocks would have a perfect championship seasonto see how much Iowa Hawkeyes Legend Caitlin Clark would light up the scoreboard in his second straight appearance in the finals and whether his final college game would be a victory. But Saturday, the eve of the national championship game, which South Carolina won 87-75A conservative sportswriter asked South Carolina coach Dawn Staley — a legend on the field and on the sideline — one of the dumbest questions possible.
Staley was asked if trans women should be allowed to play women’s basketball.
On the eve of the national championship game, which South Carolina won 87-75, a conservative sportswriter asked Staley one of the dumbest questions possible.
There were no transgender players in the championship game the next day. There were no transgender women in the Final Four this weekend. In fact, there are no openly transgender players in Division I women’s college basketball. To say the issue is irrelevant is an understatement.
Outkick reporter Dan Zaksheske asked the question anyway. Trolling female sports figures about transgender women has quickly become his journalism specialty.
In response to that question, Staley was blunt. “I think if you’re a woman, you should play,” Staley said. “If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports, or vice versa, you should be able to play. That’s my opinion.”
Staley’s Response triggered a predictable storm On social media, the usual list of professional X-rated transphobes lashed out at the topic on the timeline, as did trans supporters who praised Staley. Staley took her place among other women’s sports legends who openly support trans inclusion in women’s sports, including former professional basketball player Sue Bird and her wife, former U.S. women’s national soccer legend Megan Rapinoe.
Hearing Staley so openly support the inclusion of girls like us as she was on the cusp of one of the biggest games of her career was a huge boost for trans women in the United States, who have suffered huge political losses on this issue in recent years.
At least 20 states have banned transgender girls and women from playing on girls’ and women’s teams in elementary, high school and college sports, including Iowa and South Carolina, the states represented in Sunday’s championship game. This is despite the fact that, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, only 34 trans athletes to have Never participated in college sports, which features over half a million athletes in all sports every year.
So now an avalanche of people is going to invade my schedule and distract me on one of the biggest days in our sport. And I have no problem with that. Really.
SOUTH CAROLINA COACH DAWN STALEY
It’s the epitome of a non-issue, and yet one man, Zaksheske, brought that issue into the spotlight in the midst of a Final Four weekend that drew unprecedented attentionThe question of whether transgender girls and women should play sports may be a hot-button political issue for a small minority of people in the United States, but Zaksheske disrespected the sport and the teams preparing for the championship game by bringing it up Saturday.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder had the right approach when she declined to answer a similar question posed to her by the same reporter. “I understand it’s a topic that people are interested in, but today I’m focused on the game tomorrow, my players,” Bluder said. “It’s a big game that we have tomorrow, and that’s what I want to be here to talk about, but I know that’s an important topic for another time.”
Ultimately, no matter what you think about the issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports, there is a time and place for questions and debates on the subject. Reporters could have asked Staley anything, from how she planned to silence Clark, to her own legacy as a player and coach, to the historic television ratings this tournament generated.
It’s not up to Staley or Bluder to cater to the personal political obsessions of any reporter who asks them questions at their press conferences. Zaksheske has tried to stir up controversy and promote himself rather than allow the coaches and players to shine before the most crucial game of their season.
The teams in Sunday’s final deserved better. It’s a tribute to Staley for taking such a stand. “So now the crowd is going to invade my schedule and distract me on one of the biggest days in our sport,” she said at Saturday’s news conference, “and I’m OK with that. I really am.”
Staley and her team didn’t let the controversy distract them. They won the national title on Sunday and finished the season with a 38-0 record. As a player, coach and now transgender ally, Dawn Staley is an absolute legend.
