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Section One: The Fundamentals
A) History and Context
Exercise 1: Notebook Prompt
| What I learned from this episode that I found interesting was that there’s been an extensive period of history where women have been subjected to sex testing within sports. I had assumed that testing was relatively new, coming around the ’60s with DNA testing. Still, in reality, it had previously forced women to be subjected to physical exams to ensure women’s physical biology was deemed acceptable in participating in women’s sports. In regards to Maximila Imali, who is still challenging these conformities of policing and enforcing policies on women’s bodies and continuing exclusion of athletes that are based on sexed biology.
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B) Timeline of History
Exercise 2: Notebook Prompt
What other significant case/milestone would you add to this timeline? Note it in your notebook along with a brief (one or two sentences) explanation of why you feel it is important.
| Looking into the timeline of Caster Semenya’s win in the World Championships for the 800 metres run, where she had to go through medical interventions to lower her naturally high testosterone levels for risk forfeiting her win and risk her continuing in competing from judgements executed by the European court. Where later, she had a legal battle against World Athletics and won in the Swiss Supreme Court. I believe its important to mention this as its part of the ongoing debate about biological diversity, while also ensuring there is fairness in competition for athletes, and how it intersects with gender policing where there’s current policies that focus on exclusion rather than inclusion based on definitions of whats biologically acceptable for sexes.
Reference https://www.olympics.com/en/news/caster-semenya-cleared-run-swiss-supreme-court
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C) Gender coding in Sports
Exercise 3: Notebook Prompt
Has the gendering of sport ever been a constraint on your involvement? How?
Or, if not, why do you think this is?
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From my perspective, the gendering of sports has been a constraint in my life, particularly during high school and college. Because my body gave the appearance of male athleticism—being tall, physically fit, and muscular—I was often scouted or encouraged to participate in sports like rugby, soccer, baseball, and basketball. However, I had little interest in most of these sports, especially those involving physical contact. Despite my lack of enthusiasm, there was no support for my own wishes not to participate. Instead, I was repeatedly pushed by peers and teachers who expected me to excel simply because of my physical appearance. The pressure and expectations made me feel obligated to participate, even when I didn’t want to. As a result, I sustained multiple injuries that still affect me today and came to associate sports with negative experiences. These rigid constructs of who is expected to participate and excel as an “ideal” athlete ultimately overtook my own choices and interests.
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D) How is sport gendered in the popular imagination?
Exercise 4: Padlet/Notebook Prompt
While most sports are in fact unisex, gender coding remains pervasive, particularly at the professional level, although with a foundation established in youth competition. Participate in the poll below to share your views on how popular sports are gendered in the popular imagination. Also feel welcome to add or suggest sports that you feel strongly conform to the gender binary!
After you contribute to the padlet prompt, record your response in your notebook AND briefly discuss in two or three sentences how these responses and the polling figures in general confirm or contradict your assumptions about gender-coding and sports. Did anything surprise you?
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I had assumed that figure skating was associated with femininity, while hockey, for example, was linked to masculinity. After reading the poll results, I saw that many responses agreed with this, reinforcing how traditional gender associations and constructs continue to shape sports and athletes. However, I was surprised to see soccer and basketball viewed as more gender-neutral. I grew up under the assumption that these sports were also dominated by men and masculine traits, so it was interesting to see a shift in perception. This highlights that while gender coding in sports is still prevalent, there are noticeable changes, particularly among younger generations.
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Section Two: Breaking it down
A) Title IX
Exercise 5: Notebook Prompt
In a longer version of the interview excerpted in the video above, Leah Thomas states “Trans women competing in women’s sports does not threaten women’s sports as a whole because trans women are a very small minority of all athletes and the NCAA rules around trans women competing in women’s sports have been around for 10+ years and we haven’t seen any massive wave of trans women dominating”?
Do you agree with this statement? See also the image above suggesting that the issue may be overblown by politicians and influencers who don’t actually care that much about women’s sports.
Please share any thoughts you have in your Notebook by clicking on the audio button above or writing a few sentences.
| After listening to the video, I have to agree with Leah Thompson’s statement on trans women competing in women’s sports that, at large, there’s no takeover or widespread threats from the trans women community into female sports. A wor dI noticed that was used a few times is “dominated or dominating” for women sports, where I feel its exaggerated, especially from the public media and politician figures to create publicity and a focus on this topic. Where focusing on the impacts of trans women overtaking women sports is more of a focus than other important issues such as equal pay for sports in comparison to men or funding for sports and recreational programs for girls and women as it is for boys and men. On the other hand I do recognize the discussion on fairness for sports is a complex issue. In comparing biological difference such as bone density, and muscle mass where the focus is on physical advantages for transgender women compared to cigendered women. I feel its an issue that has a focus within politics, rather than scientific based evidence to support ongoing debates such as this example from the video.
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B) Unfair Advantage?
Exercise 6: Notebook Prompt
What does the host and writer, Rose Eveleth, have to say on the issue of unfair advantage?
Can you think of other examples of unique biological or circumstantial advantages from which athletes have benefitted enormously that have nothing to do with gender?
| I recall watching the Olympics and seeing the headlines about Michael Phelps. There was ongoing debate about his physical attributes, including his unusually long wingspan, broad shoulders, and hyper-flexible joints, which contributed to his swimming abilities. Some discussions even questioned whether or not his natural advantages created an unfair playing field for other competitors
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Again, let’s turn to Katie Barnes who points out that we tend to forget amidst all the debate that “sports, by design, are not fair” (235), that “the reality of sports is that we accept unfairness all the time” (235).
Do you agree? Why? In your experience, how fair are sports? Feel welcome to add a video response in the padlet and provide an example if you’re willing. Make sure you include a screenshot of your response in your notebook.
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Katie Barnes’ argument that “sports, by design, are not fair” holds weight, as inequalities exist at all levels of competition. Factors such as access to resources, coaching, training, physical attributes, and broader socioeconomic influences all play a role in an athlete’s performance. For example, Michael Phelps was identified as having genetic advantages that contributed to his swimming abilities. Similarly, athletes with access to top-tier training facilities, or having specialized nutrition, and advanced medical care gain a competitive edge over those who lack these resources. While these advantages are widely accepted, transgender women athletes continue to face scrutiny disproportionately. From my personal experience, sports are not always fair, as they are inherently structured around competitiveness. Rules and regulations create the appearance of balanced competition, but true equality in my opinion is impossible due to the many factors that influence an athlete’s performance.
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B) The Paris Olympics
Optional Response:
What does Robins mean when she argues that:
“The aims of transvestigating an Olympic athlete are not, in any meaningful sense, anything to do with sports, or fairness, or even with women (cis women, at least) as a social category. Rather, they have everything to do with transness, and the public expression of transfemininity.
For my money this has never been about sport.
What it has always been is an excuse to publicly relitigate the existence of trans women.”
Make a note in your Notebook.
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Feedback/Errata