by Thomas Lifson
Senator Rick Scott is not cowering in fear
The National Collegiate Athletic Association, a cartel controlling the multibillion-dollar college athletics business, may be painting itself into a corner. Probably because it is a creature of the higher education industry that has gone off the deep end in its commitment to far-left politics, the NCAA is taking an extreme position on transgenderism and apparently seeking a confrontation with the State of Florida if it passes a law currently under consideration that would limit participation in women's sports to women.
Janita Kan reports for the Epoch Times:
The National Collegiate Athletic Association Board of Governors says that it "firmly and unequivocally supports" transgender biological male athletes competing in women's sports at the college level.
The organization, which regulates college athletics in the United States, responded on April 12 to an ongoing push by Republican-led states to enact measures that seek to protect female athletes, who are likely to have a biological disadvantage if forced to compete against transgender student-athletes who were born male [sic].
"The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports," the board wrote in the statement. "The NCAA has a long-standing policy that provides a more inclusive path for transgender participation in college sports."
Under the association's policy, a transgender female [sic — a male] athlete is allowed to participate in NCAA women's competitions if the athlete is being treated with testosterone suppression treatment. Similarly, a transgender male [sic — a female] athlete is allowed to participate in NCAA men's competitions if they have received a medical exception for treatment with testosterone.
Even if they take hormone suppressants, males have many years of building musculature that advantages them over females. It's science!
Florida appears to be the trigger for the NCAA's statement and is the principal object of its implicit threat to move championship games if its transgender diktat is not followed, as Andrew Atterbury reports in Politico:
The NCAA is "closely" keeping tabs on states including Florida that are moving to ban transgender athletes from playing girls' sports, warning in a statement Monday that locations that don't treat all student-athletes with "dignity and respect" could lose out on hosting championship games.
While not mentioning Florida by name, the statement from the NCAA Board of Governors comes just one day before the House is slated to take up its proposal clarifying that female sports teams are specifically for "biological" women and girls. State lawmakers were quick to criticize the NCAA's ta "When determining where championships are held, NCAA policy directs that only locations where hosts can commit to providing an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination should be selected," the NCAA Board of Governors wrote in a statement.
Florida's former governor, now Senator Rick Scott, is not cowering in fear, as two tweets yesterday demonstrate:
The @NCAA likes to threaten FL and other states. Well, here's a threat to the NCAA – the American people are not going to allow biological males to compete in women's sports. It's not going to happen.
...and...
If you keep threatening the public with your woke elitist psychobabble, the NCAA will not last much longer. Florida cannot be replaced, but you can be replaced.
The @NCAA likes to threaten FL and other states. Well, here’s a threat to the NCAA – the American people are not going to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports.
— Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) April 13, 2021
It’s not going to happen. https://t.co/RQK4oMBQTr
The @NCAA likes to threaten FL and other states. Well, here’s a threat to the NCAA – the American people are not going to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports.
— Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) April 13, 2021
It’s not going to happen. https://t.co/RQK4oMBQTr
Note that the NCAA already is facing some antitrust concerns over its financial regulations of member schools and their athletes.
I cannot recall seeing any polling on how many Americans support males competing in women's sports, most likely because it would demonstrate public opposition to this radical movement to deny the scientific reality of chromosomes determining sex.
Unlike Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota, former governor Scott is unafraid of any bullying the NCAA may attempt in its efforts to in essence destroy collegiate women's sports. Florida, the third most populous state and growing like crazy, swings a lot of weight. Its governor is a leading contender for the GOP presidential nomination at this early stage, and handing a campaign issue to his state could present a welcome opportunity.
Because of Title IX regulations, women's sports receive equal funding to male collegiate sports, so for males who cannot qualify for the varsity in their own sex, declaring themselves female can gain access to varsity status, including the travel and coaching benefits that come with such status, especially at major schools with multimillion-dollar athletic budgets. Hop on to that charter flight to a distant school and enjoy the status of big-time athletics, even if you couldn't make the men's team junior varsity.
If push comes to shove with the NCAA versus the Great State of Florida, it will be irresistible to the media, and I doubt very seriously that the public will line up behind the NCAA.
This could get fascinating and at times hilarious.
Correction: Rick Scott identified as former governor, now senator from Florida.
Thomas Lifson
Source: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/04/ncaa_backs_biological_males_competing_in_womens_sports_as_showdown_looms_with_florida_over_pending_law.html
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