Several U.S. Senators grilled NCAA President Charlie Baker on Tuesday about his organization allowing biological men to compete with women in athletic competitions.
During an inquiry on Capitol Hill about sports gambling on Tuesday, several U.S. Senators, mainly Republican, took Baker to task on the NCAA’s current stance on transgender athletes in women’s sports, eliminating fair competition. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) asked Baker why his organization ignored a letter from earlier this year signed by several Republican lawmakers inquiring about men in women’s sports.
“I am still disappointed that there is not an NCAA policy to protect women in competition. You all have had time to do this. Our female athletes deserve it,” said Blackburn. “If you’re going to partner up on gambling and other things, and we applaud that, you have got to make certain that you are protecting women’s sports for women.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) even told Baker to grow a spine and take a stand.
“Why do you support allowing transgender women, who are biological males, to compete against nontransgender biological females?” the senator asked. “You are allowing biological males to compete against biological females, and you folks at the NCAA don’t do anything except sit there, watch, cash your checks and suck on your teeth.”
While Baker agreed with Kennedy that biological males have an advantage “every time competing with a biological female,” he said that federal courts have given “no clarity on this issue legally” in federal law.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) added to the conversation when he questioned Baker’s dismissal of the issue as “not my problem.”
“Let’s dispense with that canard: No federal court has ordered the NCAA to include biological men in women’s sports,” Hawley said. “There is not a single case that has ordered the NCAA to do so.”
“The only person who doesn’t seem to bear any responsibility in this is you and the NCAA, who are the governing body,” Hawley added before saying that Baker’s unwillingness to defend the NCAA policies made him “infuriated.”
Kennedy continued to press on the issue.
“Why don’t you stand up and say in front of God and country that federal law is wrong and the NCAA believes in fair competition and we also believe in equality?” Mr. Kennedy said. “In America, you can be whatever you want to be, and you can be whoever you want to be, but our job is to promote fairness in sports. Why don’t you go onto Amazon and buy a spine online and take a stand?”
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