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Section One: The Fundamentals
A) History and Context
Exercise 1: Notebook Prompt
| One thing in this episode that stood out to me was how the discrimination of cis-gendered women and transgendered women is carried forth. It talks about the supposed ‘male’ traits, and how a woman’s body was too ‘male-like’ to allow her to compete as a woman was a major issue for Maximila Imali. I was shocked to hear about the concept of nude parades that were used in the 1960’s as they weren’t based on anything concrete. To me, it seems that they were primarily based on subjective observations to rule out women who participate in sports if they ‘looked too masculine.’ This really surprised me, mainly because the thought of it creeps me out. Since it caught my attention, I looked deeper, and it turns out the concept is exactly how it sounds. In the ’60s, “women at Olympic Games were obliged to undertake “peek and poke parades” – naked inspection by a panel of (usually) male physicians” INTECT. However, only cis women “were ever identified, but some women were excluded who did not “look” feminine enough to those judging them” INTECT. This bothers me as, as I mentioned before, this is all based on subjective viewing and opinions and offers no basis in reality. Thus, this is a gross and surprising piece of information that I learned in this episode.
References Donnelly, M. K. (2013, September). Sex testing, naked inspections and the olympic … Centre for Sport Policy Studies Research Reports. https://kpe.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/donnelly-donnelly—sex-testing-naked-inspections-the-olympic-games.pdf Eveleth, R. (2022, July 24). Episode 3: Card-carrying females | tested | CBC podcasts | CBC listen. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1733-tested/episode/16082853-episode-3-card-carrying-females
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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.
| I would add “World Rugby bans trans women from elite women’s game due to injury risks” which occurred in 2020. This was done on the basis that the “Body warns ‘ciswomen will be at significant risk of injury” and that “individual unions will be able to set grassroots policy” (Ingle, 2020). This is an important milestone in this timeline as it is one of the first organizations to set new rules around testosterone in female athletes which is already part of the timeline from 2019. Furthermore, it’s one of the first leagues to set the rules from 2019 into motion, showcasing the impacts of such policies and regulations.
References Ingle, S. (2020, October 9). World Rugby bans trans women from Elite Women’s game due to injury risks. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/oct/09/world-rugby-bans-trans-women-from-elite-womens-game-due-to-injury-risks |
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?
| At first consideration of this topic, I thought that the gendering of a sport has never really impacted my own choices on participation in a sport on a personal level as I have never been super involved or drawn to sports in general. However, I don’t believe this to be true upon second thought. I do think that gendering of sports has been a constraint on my involvement in volleyball. I used to love volleyball as a child, however, as I got older, I started to notice the sexualization of women who play the sport. This chipped away at my excitement for the sport, and I envied my male counterparts who got to just play the game for fun, without being forced to wear revealing and uncomfortable clothes. The game stopped being about a game for me, and I’m sure many women can agree, whereas the men could just play for fun. Another example, that isn’t on a personal level, is that I do see sports through a gendered lens even though I do not actively participate in them. I primarily associate hockey, baseball, and basketball as male sports due to the male domination in major leagues. For example, the NBA, NHL, and MLB are all widely appreciated and hyped up, whereas female-oriented games of the same sports are widely mocked and undervalued, such as the WNBA. Another important note is that the WNBA requires the distinction that it involves women, whereas there is no ‘M’ to represent the NBA as being a male league. It implies that the male-dominated leagues are the baseline, and anything more detracts from the sport itself, thus creating a division that contributes to the lack of appreciation for women’s leagues, based on my own experience. |
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?
| Based on my assumptions, I would say pretty much every response coincides with my beliefs. It is clear that the more ‘rough’ games, such as rugby and football, as well as hockey, are male-gendered, whereas the more entertainment and show-based sports, such as cheerleading, figure skating, and gymnastics, are more female-gendered. Thus, all of my assumptions outlined below were confirmed, therefore, nothing surprised me.
Padlet Responses: Male
Female
Neutral
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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 have mixed feelings on where I stand in regard to this statement. On one hand, I do not believe anyone should be discriminated against or unable to participate in a sport based on their identity, and on another hand, I think that transgender women can be at an advantage compared to cis women. For example, when looking at Lia Thomas, who is a transgender woman who had “previously competed for the men’s swimming team at the University of Pennsylvania, posting the 32nd fastest 1,650-yard freestyle time in the nation for men in 2018–2019 and ranking 65th and 554th in the 500-yard and 200-yard freestyle” (2022, Weisman), before her transition. It’s argued that, when compared to cis-gendered women, Lia’s physical qualities have given her a competitive advantage due to her “larger heart size, more hemoglobin, leaner body mass, and larger lung capacity….[which allow Lia to] underpin the strength, speed, and recovery required to be competitive in most sports” (2022, Weisman). To counter this issue, it is evident that “hormonal therapies that decrease testosterone and increase estrogen can significantly reduce this advantage” (2022, Weisman), however “natural male advantages, including bone structure, heart size, and lung capacity, are not eliminated by hormonal therapy, especially if the transition is post-pubescent” (2022, Weisman). Thus, I think the issue is not just about the competitive disadvantages between transgender and cis-gender women, but that there haven’t been any policies that eliminate the unfairness. However, to counter these physical advantages, we could make the argument that any professional athlete has a physical advantage that they were born with regardless of gender. For example, someone could be born with the ability to hold their breath for an abnormally long time, which gives them advantages in sports that other people were not born with. This raises the question “Should they be barred from participation because of this advantage?” I think most people would say ‘no’. To be clear, I don’t know how to address this issue. As I said before, I do not believe it is ever okay to discriminate against someone for any reason, however, I still am unsure of how this issue can be addressed. Also, part of this issue is mentioned in the statement above, that these issues are overblown by politicians who don’t care. Therefore, I don’t know if these situations will ever be addressed in a fair and unbiased way, that creates a solution that best serves everyone as the politicians don’t care.
References Weisman, D. L. (2022, September). Transgender Athletes, Fair Competition, and Public Policy. Cato.org. https://www.cato.org/regulation/fall-2022/transgender-athletes-fair-competition-public-policy |
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 details what exactly ‘advantage’ means. She starts by having listeners think of what it requires to make the ‘perfect athlete,’ spanning from mentality, good health, and physiology, such as weight, height, and other proportions. Elite athletes may also possess genetic factors that contribute to their success in sports. For example, those with a genetic mutation can have the ability to produce more red blood cells, which helps them run fast, beating out competitors in sprinting. Rose contemplates the idea that those with these biological advantages are either cheaters or they are celebrated because they are an ‘anomaly.’ What she points out next is the question of ‘why do we allow some with a biological advantage to compete and not others?’ Those who are in favour of the regulation of competitive advantages argue these are necessary based on advantages tied to sex. However, the issue of how much is too much or too little of a genetic competitive advantage still stands, as discussed by Rose Eveleth.
An example of someone who has a genetic advantage that is not gender-based is Ian Thorpe. Ian Thorpe is an “Australian champion swimmer Ian Thorpe is celebrated for huge, flipper-like feet that power him through the pool” (Bostwick, 2012). He is celebrated as “the most successful swimmer in that country’s history” (null, 2025). Throughout his career, Ian Thorpe accumulated “five Olympic gold medals and 11 world championship titles between 1998 and 2004” (null, 2025). References Bostwick, J. M., & Joyner, M. J. (2012). The limits of acceptable biological variation in elite athletes: should sex ambiguity be treated differently from other advantageous genetic traits?. Mayo Clinic proceedings, 87(6), 508–513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2012.04.002 null (2025, February 8). Ian Thorpe. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ian-Thorpe
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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.
| I am in favour of the idea that “the reality of sports is that we accept unfairness all the time” (235). Firstly, many people can be born with different physiological features such as weight, height, or lung capacity, which allows them to excel or underperform in certain sports. For example, someone who is tall may have an advantage in playing basketball as opposed to someone who is short. On a socioeconomic level, this idea reigns true as well. This is because many people who are born into wealthier homes have both the infrastructure and resources to afford intense training. Also, those from wealthy homes tend to belong to wealthy neighbourhoods, where there are more training facilities and emphasis on hobbies that allow them to build their skill set. This is opposed to people who are from low socioeconomic areas, who may not have the access and resources to build their skills towards professional athleticism, which shows the unfairness of sports. Also, people who don’t have as much money, have less access to nutritional foods that could help them achieve such goals in sports, further illustrating the idea that “we accept unfairness all the time” (235). However, without these unfair happenstances, sports would be significantly less competitive, thus, less interesting. If everyone was the same across the board, there would be no point in watching sports as there would be no development or changes of outcomes. Part of the fun of sports is watching someone or being someone who is constantly striving for better and beating out the competition. An example of an unfair competitive advantage based on physiological differences is Usain Bolt. In fact, it is “his longer leg length leads to longer step length and therefore greater speed” and “with Usain Bolt towering at 1.96m and weighing 96 kg , he has a stride advantage over his smaller competitors” (Run, n.d.).
References How does Usain Bolt run so fast?. Run3D. (n.d.). https://www.run3d.co.uk/news/how-does-usain-bolt-run-so-fast#:~:text=HIs%20longer%20leg%20length%20leads,another%20biomechanical%20variable%20to%20consider.
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Padlet Response
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.
| I believe that Robins means that none of the efforts of transvestigating are for what they claim. This means that their efforts are not in the name of fairness as these people don’t actually care about women’s sports, they only dislike the concept and existence so transgender women. To take it a step further, I also think that Robins is trying to say that these people and their actions are riddled with transphobia and cis women are the victims as they are the channel for these people to act in such away. They do not care for cis women in sports, they only use them as a tool to extrapolate their grievances. The excuse of ‘fairness’ and ‘protection of cis women’ is a tired excuse that gives the license for both exclusion and transphobia. |
