The idea of athletic competition is inherently inclusive; let’s get everyone together on the field and see who wins. But the reality seems very different and quite complex.
Welcoming environments for people of all abilities, identities and backgrounds must be constructed. The playing field must be leveled again and again, because all athletes do not have the same opportunities and resources. True fairness requires sensitivity, communication and respect.
It’s a lot of work … thoughtful work. What if we could reduce it back down, start fresh with getting everyone together on the field—everyone—and just see who wins?
Politicizing sports has never really worked out for the athlete, but it certainly exacerbates the complexities that already exist. Unfortunately, it’s happening now in our state. Last week, Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony announced the creation of his “Task Force to Protect Women’s Sports,” which aims to “collaborate with athletes, coaches, educators and policymakers to promote policies that prioritize fairness, protect women’s safe spaces, uphold opportunities for women, and preserve the integrity of competition.”
But there’s nothing in that statement about preventing trans athletes from participating in organized sports, the actual goal of the task force. In fact, last week’s announcement doesn’t even acknowledge the existence of trans women participating in sports; Anthony instead states: “Nevadans have made it clear that they do not want men taking female athletes’ spots on sports teams …”
This is where the sensitivity, communication, and most importantly, respect, should come into play.
In a statement to the Weekly one day after the task force announcement, Silver State Equality director André C. Wade said: “Barely into the new year, anti-LGBTQ+ politicians and policymakers are wasting no time in attacking Nevada’s transgender community rather than addressing the pressing issues that matter most to Nevadans. Instead of tackling the real problems in our state, [Anthony] has chosen to follow the lead of extremists in Washington, D.C., using transgender youth as political pawns in a shameful display of divisive politics.”
This all comes just a few months after NCAA athletes at the University of Nevada, Reno, made national headlines for boycotting a women’s volleyball match against another college team whose roster allegedly included a transgender student athlete. Nevada was forced to forfeit the match.
One of the athletes who led the boycott is a member of the new task force. Henderson resident and former NCAA champion swimmer Marshi Smith is the chair of the group, and a co-founder of the local Independent Council on Women’s Sport, an organization that has supported lawsuits against the NCAA and Mountain West Conference by the UNR athletes.
This is a complicated game. Athletes’ concerns about competition should not be dismissed without careful consideration, but the integrity of the competition itself is corrupted when athletes are not allowed to participate.
For the athlete, there is nothing else. Whether you are competing against another person, another team, or only with yourself, the sport is not just the most important thing, it is the only thing. The skills developed through countless hours of work and displayed during competition are the very definition of the athlete.
And sports are important to all of us. Even if we’re not participating, we know—certainly here in Las Vegas—how these activities bring us together, unite communities and build crucial connection. No one should be denied access.
“Participation in sports provides kids with invaluable life skills such as teamwork, leadership, discipline and cooperation—fundamental lessons that every young person deserves the chance to experience,” Wade continued in his statement. “Beyond the field, sports also contribute significantly to students’ overall well-being, fostering better mental health, boosting academic performance, and enhancing self-esteem and confidence.
“Our schools should be focused on providing the best possible education and helping to improve the well-being of all students, not actively harming students’ mental health and creating a hostile environment by singling out certain individuals. Every child deserves equal access to these opportunities.”
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