Men dont belong in womens sports. That isnt complicated, but some conservative influencers and interest groups are allowing it to become complicated through careless claims about legislation designed to protect college athletics.
I spent nearly five decades coaching college basketball. I know the difference between winning a possession and winning the game. Conservatives now face a similar choice: We can chase applause by attacking allies and mischaracterizing the bill, or we can unite around the facts and win the larger fight for women, fairness and the future of college sports.
Some organizations and womens-sports advocates claim the Protect College Sports Act would “gut” Title IX or invalidate state laws that reserve womens teams for women. They are wrong. The text says the opposite.
Section 127 explicitly states that nothing in the bill will “override, modify, or amend” Title IX. Female athletes would retain their current legal protections and ability to bring sex-discrimination claims. Section 120 also protects athletes, employees and others from retaliation for reporting discrimination or participating in Title IX proceedings.
Critics also claim the bill would erase state laws keeping men out of womens sports. It would not. The legislation establishes national standards for Division I and Division II competition on limited eligibility questions, including academics, professional status, legal violations, age and years of eligibility. It neither creates a federal right for men to enter womens competitions nor pre-empts state laws establishing sex-based athletic categories.
The bill does not expressly create a federal right for biological males to compete in womens sports, and Section 127 states that nothing in the bill overrides, modifies or amends Title IX. Critics seem to be grasping at anything and eager to disregard the Title IX provisions here. Especially since the Supreme Court ruled in June that schools may keep men out of womens sports.
It also requires governing bodies to enforce rules related to state and federal law and allows individuals to sue when the law is violated.
CONGRESS MUST FIX THE PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT BEFORE GIRLS PAY THE PRICE
The bill also gives schools a powerful incentive to invest in womens and Olympic sports. It creates a $22.5 million athlete
