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Section One: The Fundamentals
A) History and Context
Exercise 1: Notebook Prompt
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There were a lot of surprising information given throughout the podcast I was unaware of. The first that caught me completely off guard was the nude parades in the 1960s. While my assumption was that testing of some sort occurred back then I definitely did not expect to hear that they paraded women nude in order to identify gender. This seemed to be a very intrusive and humiliating way to verify such a basic statistic. While the screening process had many flaws whether it be XXY women, or the intrusive ways to testing, I believe there is some need for testing to occur. That being said, I question what would be a fair and humanizing way to perform these tests. As individuals from across the world attend many of these events, there are many variables that make it difficult to test, whether it is higher testosterone or the addition of a particular chromosome. Looking at these issues from a physiological perspective, it questions how to identify fair testing processes assuming testing stops in a modern society such as today. Furthermore, it is an extremely difficult topic to build policy around. As much as my options slightly differ, the point is to be the best in terms of a sex assigned at birth. The goal is to be “the best” within a particular category rather than policing variations found within it. For some athletes, height or running speed work as benefits towards success within their sport category, but ensuring that athletes are competing in the correct category is still key. The goal is to divide athletes into appropriate categories instead of the setting limits or policing variations in within the category. Additionally, it is important to note that for individuals such as XXY, a system based on associated developmental features could solve the XXY chromosome issues stated above.
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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.
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A significant case could include the proposal of the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023” in the US congress. While it has yet to pass, it looks to prohibit individuals who were born as biological males from participating in female athletics in the American school system. While some states have passed legislature, this shows a significant shift towards a country wide ban on the matter. |
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?
| The text above this asks for a piece involving a padlet I am unable to see…
Yes, with issues involving eyesight I have always had an easier time with softball compared to baseball. This includes underhand (generally slower pitch) and larger balls. Typically baseball and softball are considered gendered sports, with baseball being considered a male dominated sport and vice versa for softball. This typically leads to a form of constraint mentally from buddy’s following the baseball route, and females not particularly wanting to play unisex. In the end I played softball until 15 before eventually quitting 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?
| Contribution – Baseball.
A few figures confirmed my assumptions in gender-coding and sports such as football, gymnastics, and cheerleading. That being said I was surprised by the answers to rugby, hockey, volleyball, and basketball. I don’t know about other individuals, or if I am the odd one out for knowing many people of both sexes that are involved with these sports, but non the less I was not expecting this…
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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.
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I believe there is two sides to this statement – to be proactive or reactive? Personally, I believe that proactive is a better practice. It is like individuals in the 80s saying that cars don’t drive themselves, where today you have robotaxis or autopilot driving for you. You cannot say that since there has not been an issue yet, that there will never be one. Furthermore, while I believe that the trans individuals currently playing are most likely in good spirit and genuine as it notes there is no trans women dominating, but what happens if it does begin to see it occur?
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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?
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The podcast highly focused on DSD and their pursuit for “fairness” within world athletics. The began with speaking on DSD and medication to lower testosterone with individuals such as Christine, and the “unfair” advantage on the track because of their testosterone. It additionally asks the question of what is sports about if not being faster, or stronger? Quickly giving my opinion on testosterone being an unfair advantage, I would say no because is it any different than an extremely tall individual playing basketball? She speaks on this topic, specifically how a large amount of genetics is involved in how an athlete is physically built in terms of height, weight, and other attributes. But based on this knowledge, I question how the size of a gland producing a hormone is not categorized the same way. It goes on to talk about percentage advantages, which I will also disagree on. In exercise 1, I spoke on the concept of categorizing. Assuming an individual is at birth a female, the genetics for DSD are no different than Usain bolt having genetically more fast-twitch muscle fibers then the athlete beside him. His genetics gives him a title of “legend” in the sport, but DSD does the opposite? But I digress. The paper also focuses on the topic of studies and research done on the topic of testosterone and performance such as the athletics committee, the book by Katrina Karkazis, and various doctors within the field. World athletics eventually wins the case and would go on to limit testosterone further. There are definitely biological advantages within athletes. The first that comes to mind involves basketball and height, where generally basketball players tend to be taller assisting with dunks, lay ups, and general shooting being closer to the height of the net. Additionally making note of what I have learned in animal physiology, track and running athletes typically see increased type 1 and 2 fast-twitch which allow for better and quicker muscle contractions. Individuals with larger arms also could be an advantage in throwing sports with greater travel distance in javelin and discus.
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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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I am in agreeance to some degree that “sports are by design, are not fair.”, In many aspects the idea that everyone is the exact same does not work especially in this context. Looking at geospatial factors and economics, many of the prominent attributes to unfairness revolve around local sponsors with economic support, local fan populations taking part and filling seats, among others. This in turn funds the opportunities for the given team such as hiring top-class staff, hiring or stealing skilled trainers, investing in facilities, and allowing for skilled players in acquisitions. These all can create unfair advantages and disadvantages for teams throughout a league. In terms of refereeing, it is difficult to find someone that does not give preferential treatment due to personal team or home biases (Well maybe not Pierluigi Collina, if you are a FIFA fan). Lastly, looking at individual athletics, genetics will always create unfair advantages since no two people are completely alike. Examples of this could include – More fast-twitch muscle fibres in a runner or taller height in a basketball player, among many others.
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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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