CNN . . ."However, the NCAA said an athlete assigned female at birth who has begun hormone therapy (testosterone, for example) can practice with a women’s team but cannot compete on a women’s team without risking the team’s eligibility for championships.
"Member schools remain responsible for certifying athlete eligibility for practice and competition. The NCAA also said schools are subject to local, state and federal legislation and such legislation supersedes NCAA rules.
"The NCAA policy change was announced hours after the Trump administration said it was investigating potential civil rights violations at two universities and a high school sports league that allowed transgender athletes to compete on women’s teams. The Education Department said it had opened reviews of San Jose State University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.
"San Jose State’s women’s volleyball team drew headlines last season over unconfirmed allegations that the roster included a transgender player. As for Penn, three former teammates of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas have sued the NCAA, Ivy League, Harvard and the school over Thomas’s participation at conference and national championships, saying it violated Title IX provisions." . . . More...
Related: Make Sports Apolitical Again
. . . "Sports, which once transcended politics to unite all Americans, have been heavily politicized at least since 2016 when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kicked off the trend of kneeling during the pre-game playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” declared the mixed-race Kaepernick in explanation.
"Sports fans, who generally prefer their superstar athletes to display a more patriotic humility and gratitude, were offended, if not outraged. But “taking a knee” became routine for many athletes, especially in the National Football League (which not only permitted the protests but encouraged social justice slogans in end zones and on the backs of helmets). These protests even filtered down into high school sporting events.
"That wasn’t the only divisive politicizing of the sport. Because some mistakenly perceive that “The Star-Spangled Banner” is not inclusive of black Americans, there has been a growing movement to adopt “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a hymn written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900, as a “black national anthem” alternative. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) has promoted this idea from as far back as 1917.
"After the incendiary controversy over the 2020 death of George Floyd in police custody, the notion of granting the hymn equal time with “The Star-Spangled Banner” gained momentum, and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is now played prior to many sporting events including every Super Bowl since 2020 – including the most recent one." . . .
