We’re Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta Our Sports
Sunday’s Super Bowl with 123.4 million average viewers was the most-watched program in television history. From the overtime win for the Kansas City Chiefs, the halftime show evoking nostalgia in Millennials, the calculation of the carbon footprint from Taylor Swift’s jet, and the celebrity-laden ads, there was a lot to take in. We especially noticed one commercial that purported to support female athletes but was silent on the biggest issue regarding girls and sports in the country.
The beauty and hygiene company Dove aired a $7 million commercial highlighting the high percentage of girls who quit organized athletics in their early teens. To the tune of “It’s a Hard Knock Life” and images of girls playing sports, Dove lamented the statistic that 45% of girls quit participating by age 14 because of “low body confidence.” While watching this ad, we couldn’t help but think of the dirty little secret that Dove refused to acknowledge – the unfair practice of boys competing on female teams and the effect that might have on keeping girls “in the game.”
The irony of the images of female competitive swimmers in the commercial wasn’t lost on Riley Gaines. A collegian champion swimmer herself, she personally experienced the humiliation of having to share a locker room with a “fully intact” male, William (Lia) Thomas, and the frustration both she and her teammates felt when losing to him in the pool. Since graduating, she has been a strong advocate against the left’s attempts to erase women’s fair opportunities in athletics. She posted the commercial on X and commented:
Isn’t it almost comical that Dove just had a Super Bowl commercial about keeping girls in sports yet they’re hiding all replies that even slightly suggest women’s sports should only be for women HA They even seemingly strategically used female swimmers as the protagonists lol
As the Biden administration continues its push to redefine “sex” to include sexual orientation and gender identity, House and Senate Republicans remain committed to protecting our daughters. In April of last year, the House passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (H.R. 734) to clarify that sex is “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” It also bans federal money from funding programs that allow males in female sports and private spaces.
As the 2024 Summer Olympic Games approach, the issue of whether to allow biological males to compete in the category of their choice is the elephant in the locker room. Several athletic organizations have already amended their rules. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) made changes to their eligibility requirements after a New Zealand weightlifter, a male identifying as a female, was allowed to compete in the 2020 Olympics. Even though he did not place, his participation denied a woman the ability to do so. The IWF has created a separate category called “Open Gender” and will require the women’s category to consist of “those who are assigned female at birth” or those who have completed a “hormonal transition before completion of puberty.” Other sports governing bodies have followed suit including the World Athletics Council (track and field), World Aquatics, and the International Cycling Union. While these policies are not perfect as they still allow men who transitioned before undergoing male puberty to compete against women, they are a step in the right direction. At least they acknowledge the reality of males’ physiological advantage over females. The World Athletics Federation president said the decision was based “on the overarching need to protect the female category.”
Congressional Republicans are trying to strengthen these policies. One example is the Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act (H.R. 7187/S. 3729) sponsored by Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) and Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) that will prevent any athletic body that falls under the U.S. Olympic Committee from allowing men to compete against women. Encouragingly, twelve female Senators from both parties introduced a resolution recognizing February 7th as National Girls and Women in Sports Day, “to support the commitment of the United States to expanding athletic participation for all girls and future generations of women athletes.”
Currently, 26 states have enacted laws or worked through state athletic associations to ensure that females are not unfairly forced to compete against males. We applaud the work of our Eagle Forum state leaders who have worked tirelessly on this issue from coast to coast. Join Eagle Forum today, put on your uniform, and enter to fight! There is still much work to do to protect American girls’ ability to compete and win!
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