When I was in fourth grade, we went out for PE and the coach said we'd do flag football. The coach then divided us into two groups: those who were confident in their football skills and those who weren't. I hadn't played much football at that time, so I went to the noob group. As it happens, that group consisted of every girl in the 4th grade and 3 boys. Hmm. The other two boys quickly decided they were more confident after all. I didn't. Looking back now, I feel a bit embarrassed about that, but there you go. There I was, a 9 year-old boy with a bunch of 9 and 10 year-old girls, some of whom were already taller than me. In 6th grade, I remember the tallest kid was Kirsten, this beanpole giant of a girl. I saw her about 8 years later by which time I towered over her. Funny. Anyway, there I am with my flags and on one of the two teams, this pre-pubescent boy. What do you suppose happened? My team dominated. If I got the ball, it was a touchdown. I made most of the 'tackles' on my team. We trounced them. Wow, that was fun. I had never been the best player on any team.
Today, we have post-pubescent men who have decided they are women. Fine, I have no problem with that. Live your life. However, a surprising number of these trans-women have decided to compete in women's sports. Currently, the big story is about Lia Thomas, who is breaking records left and right in NCAA women's swimming. The thing about Lia is that she had participated in NCAA men's swimming for three years when she was Will Thomas, but seldom won. By transitioning, she's the GOAT of women's swimming. Huh. Reminds me of a 9 year-old boy I knew.
What to do? Though dominant trans-athletes headline the news. they are relatively rare. It's not like every women's team has a coterie of trans-athletes. As far as I know, Lia Thomas is the only trans-swimmer and it is her senior year. Many trans-athletes have competed and lost. For example, Laurel Hubbard made it to the Olympics and failed to even finish the event. Change to a unisex system? That would essentially wipe out women in athletics. Venus Williams, often said to be the greatest female tennis player ever, was trounced by Karsten Braasch, who was ranked 203rd in men's tennis. How about requiring trans-athletes to compete against fellow XX or XY chromosome people? In Texas, something like that happened. Mack Beggs, a trans-man who wanted to compete against other men in wrestling, was instead left in the women's league. As he was taking testosterone, he decimated other wrestlers, winning the state championship two years running. It was a big story. If not for being trans, the taking of testosterone would instantly disqualify a competitor. What about a separate trans-category? Men, women, trans-men, and trans-women divisions? Nope, because that is clearly stating that trans-men aren't men and trans-women aren't women. That is the sort of talk that draws a lot of flak (e.g. JK Rowling). Perhaps the problem will resolve itself. In the not too distant future, it may be possible to do some gene-editing that will dramatically transform the body. Or maybe Meta (formerly Facebook) will really take off and sports events will be held in cyberspace where only skill determines the outcome. No good solution presents itself as yet.
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