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Section One: The Fundamentals
A) History and Context
Exercise 1: Notebook Prompt
| In this episode I was surprised to learn how deeply the history of sex testing at the Olympics was rooted in the assumption that women could never truly compete at the same level as men. The episode discusses how female athletes were subjected to invasive and degrading sex tests, reflecting broader societal skepticism about women in sports. I also learned about the ethical dilemmas of these tests, which often lacked scientific accuracy and caused harm to the athletes’ careers and personal lives. This reinforced the broader theme that women’s athleticism has been systematically policed based on outdated gender norms.
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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.
| One Other significant case was in 1972 when Title IX law passed in the U.S. This law made it illegal to discriminate based on sex in education, including sports, if the school received federal funding. It opened up more opportunities for women and girls to play sports, leading to big growth in women’s athletics in the U.S. and influencing sports worldwide. I think this is important because it helped women get equal chances in sports, making a big impact on the growth of women’s sports over time.
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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?
| As a female wakeboarder in a male-dominated sport, I often feel the need to prove myself more to gain the same recognition as male athletes. There are fewer women competing at the top levels, and the spotlight tends to shine on men as far as sponsorships and accolades, which can be frustrating. I sometimes feel like I have to work harder just to earn respect. Finding other women to ride with can also be tough, as the community is smaller. Still, the challenge drives me to keep pushing, showing that women can hang with the guys and set new standards. Despite the obstacles, the sense of achievement in wakeboarding keeps me motivated, and I’m hopeful for more female representation in the sport.
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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?
| I think a lot of popular sports are still gendered. Football, rugby, and hockey are seen as “male” sports, while gymnastics, volleyball, and figure skating are viewed as “female” sports. Even though anyone can excel in any sport, these gender ideas are still pretty strong. Tennis, swimming, and athletics seem to have clearer gender divisions, but women have more opportunities in these than before.
The poll results confirm what I thought that people still see sports as “for men” or “for women.” I was surprised that even sports like skateboarding and soccer have gender assumptions. It shows we’ve made some progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do.
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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.
| I don’t fully agree with Leah Thomas’s statement. While trans women are a small group, I think the impact on women’s sports is more complicated than she suggests. The concern isn’t necessarily about “domination” by trans women, but the fact that trans women who transition after puberty may have physical advantages, like muscle mass and stamina, that give them an edge in some sports. Even though the NCAA has had rules in place for a while, the ongoing debates and controversies show that the issue is far from being resolved. I feel that while the number of trans athletes may be small, the conversation around fairness and inclusivity is still growing, and it’s something that needs careful attention to ensure true equality in sports.
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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?
| Rose Eveleth argues that the “unfair advantage” concern often ignores other factors, like genetics or height, that can also give athletes an edge but aren’t tied to gender. She suggests the conversation should focus more on these broader biological and circumstantial advantages.
Height – Athletes like basketball players benefit greatly from being tall.
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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.
original post :  Response: 
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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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