SUMMER 2022 Title IX on the 50th Anniversary 2022 Symposium Education Sessions 2022 4s & Rights Holder Summit FIFA World Cup Host City News Title IX’s next battle: The rights of transgender athletes
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Letter from the President & CEO and Board Chair, Don Dukemineer 1-2 Member Services News 3 Member Organizations Recognize Title IX on the 50th Anniversary 5-6 4S Summit 11-12 Love Change? Me too! When it’s my idea… 13-14 Save the Date for 2023 Events ................................................ 15-16 FIFA World Cup Host City News ........................................... 17-18 Title IX’s next battle: The rights of transgender athletes 23-25 Looking to share your expertise? Information-sharing is a founding principle of Sports ETA, and the industry knowledge among the Sports ETA membership lends itself to unprecedented expertise. Sports ETA encourages members to share information with your peers. Contact Meagan Grau, Director of Member Services and Engagement, at Meagan@SportsETA.org to learn more about how you can contribute to a future edition of the Sports ETA Playbook. To include your news in the weekly Get in the Game eNews, send press releases and articles to info@sportseta.org Distribution Date: Thursdays. Deadline for content: Wednesday at Noon ET before distribution date. National Headquarters 9624 Cincinnati Columbus Road, Suite 209 Cincinnati, OH 45241 Telephone (513) 281-3888 Website www.SportsETA.org Staff Alan (Al) R. Kidd, President & CEO Janis Ross, CMP, STS, VP Events & Experiences Meagan Grau, Director of Marketing and MichelleCommunicationsWessels,Business Services Director Bonny Bernat, STS, Director, Learning & Development Rebecca Myles, Sponsorship and Advertising Jennifer Stoll, Ph.D., STS, Research and Education William Knox, Facilities Program Development Carol Courtney, Special Projects Coordinator Board of Directors Chair:OfficersDon Dukemineer, STS, CHSP, Director of Sports Development, Decatur Morgan County Tourism Vice Chair/Chair-Elect: Ray Palmer, President/CEO, Pensacola Sports Secretary: John David, COO, USA BMX Treasurer: Frank Lett, Senior Associate Executive Director/Director of Sports Marketing, Visit Kingsport Immediate Past Chair: Michael Price, STS, CTA, Executive Director, Greater Lansing Sports Authority Directors Ashleigh Bachert, Interim SrVP of Regional Tourism, Tulsa Sports Commission Cindy Cowart, STS, President, Coward Sports Events Chad Culver, Senior Director of Sports Commission, Visit Knoxville Sports Commission Josh Dill, Director of Sports & Events, Visit Frisco Jason Gewirtz, Editor and Publisher/SportsTravel , SportsTravel Magazine Pete Harvey, Director of Sports, Visit Sarasota County Jerrine Lee, STS, Vice President of Sales, Richmond Region Tourism Matt Libber, Executive Director, Maryland SoccerPlex Johnathan Paris, Executive Director of Sports Tourism, Myrtle Beach Area CVB Clay Partain, STS, Executive Director, Sports Salt Lake Scott Powers, STS, Executive Director, Experience Columbia SC Sports Melissa Thompson, Chief Community Officer, Indiana Sports Corp Marissa Werner, STS, Director of Sports Milwaukee, Sports Milwaukee, Championed by VISIT Milwaukee J.D. Wood, Director of Business Development, Dallas Sports Commission
In addition, we ended the week at 61 business meetings with destinations, industry partners, and potential new partners while expanding our national relationship footprint! These meetings included continuing several discussions and making significant progress with organizations such as Meeting Planners International (MPI), Groups 360, Northstar (some cool things to announce in coming weeks!), Longwoods International, Tourism Economics, ASM Global, and OVG.
Dr. Jennifer Stoll and I recently attended the Destinations International Annual Convention in Toronto. While traveling to and from was a challenge, the event was well worth the trouble. The enthusiasm of 1,350 attendees was palpable, and their energy ran high over the course of the full 5-day event. I was shocked but excited to find out that over 600 of those attendees were first-timers! We at Sports ETA have also been happy to welcome a significant number of newbies/first-timers into our very own association and look forward to helping them grow within the sports events and tourism industry for years to come.
Starting in our new 2023 Fiscal Year (July – June) a recently passed bylaw during our virtual Annual General Meeting, in April 2022 takes effect. The key element of the “redistricting” bylaw is that every six (6) years representation on the Board of Directors will change based on the percentage of paid organizational memberships in each of our three membership categories.
Prior to July 1, 2022, the Board of Directors has been comprised of two (2) Industry Partners, two (2) Rights Holders, and twelve (12) Destination representatives. Based upon paid organizational memberships on July 1, 2022, the new Board of Directors to be seated in July 2023 will be comprised of two (2) Industry Partners, three (3) Rights Holders, and eleven (11) Destinations. Nominations will open in early 2023. Sports Tourism Research Institute Destination Leadership Salary Survey – We have partnered with SearchWide Global to conduct an industry leadership salary and compensation survey. Destination sports tourism leaders, you should have received an invitation to this survey in your inbox recently. It is very important that every organization participates.
Letter from the President and CEO
Throughout the event, there were three (3) different sports-related education sessions – this was the first time we had the spotlight shining on our market channel. Jennifer and I led two (2) sessions with support from Jennifer Hawkins, Executive Director, SportsPITTSBURGH, Melissa Thompson, Chief Community Office, Indiana Sports Corp, Kathy Nelson, President/CEO, Kansas City Sports Commission, and Ron Price, President and CEO, Visit Phoenix. Our partners at Civitas led the third sports session. They commended Sports ETA numerous times for the great work we have accomplished for our membership.
THINK BIG! Al Kidd President and CEO
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New Bylaw Takes Effect
Letter From the Chair 2SPORTS ETA / SUMMER / 2022
Greetings Sports ETA members, What an honor and privilege it is to serve as your new Board Chair. Like many of you, I’ve dedicated my entire career to serving our industry, and I cannot think of any higher recognition then to represent the 650+ members of Sports ETA. I’m excited to be surrounded by a wonderful team of fellow Board members and an awesome staff who understand our responsibility to continue moving the association forward.
The steps taken to build upon the foundation is evident in the growth and development of so many new and exciting opportunities. The goals for Sports ETA are to continually provide valuable resources that help you be successful through education, information, and training, while assisting your efforts to highlight your communities. You should feel proud for your role in these efforts, and also excited for the future we continue to ignite for additional advancement. We celebrate where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going, as we strive to advocate our position as the leader in the sports events and tourism industry. As we begin this new fiscal year, my hope for each of you is that you will grow professionally and personally through participation in our Association. Our Association is as good as YOU make it, so I encourage you to be involved now more than ever! It is my promise to you that Sports ETA will always have you, our members, best interest’s at heart. I am here for you so please don’t hesitant to call or email at any time. We value every member of Sports ETA and we thank you for your continued support and dedication. Again, thank you for trusting me with the privilege of serving as Chair and let’s make this next year the best ever!
Don B. Dukemineer, STS, CHSP Sports ETA Board Chair
Roll Tide!
The University of Alabama Head Football Coach, Nick Saban, has five core principles that serve as the backbone for every team that plays for him: Discipline; Commitment; Toughness; Effort; Pride. Each season, Coach asks his team, “do you want to be the best you can be,” by challenging them to evaluate all five areas in their dedication to helping the Crimson Tide. If you will indulge me, I’ll put my straw hat on, and challenge you to discover your contribution factor. What more can you offer or how can you L.E.A.D. in helping our Association and industry? I encourage you to truly take advantage of your membership by committing to be disciplined in your efforts and enhance your pride in leading your community by being the best you can be!
Special shout out to all the organizations who have joined Sports ETA in 2022: Member Services News Destinations • Brandon Parks and Recreation • Cit y of Birmingham (Office of Sports & Entertainment) • Corpus Christi Sports Commission • David L Lawrence Convention Center • Experience Rochester • Garden City Investments (Stone Creek Station) • I rving Convention Center at Las Colinas • Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority • Legends Event Center • SPIRE I nstitute and Academy • The Greater Columbus Convention Center/ASM Global Rights Holders • Crappie Expo • DS Spor ts • M ade Hoops • WJF Sports & Entertainment Industry Partners • ASM Global • EPIC I nsurance Brokers & Consultants (Sports & Entertainment Division) • Stack Spor ts • Texas A&M Athletics-Special Events • The Collective Best Membership Chart 638 TOTAL (as of 8/15/2022) IndustryRightsDestinations449125Holders64Partners 3
4SPORTS ETA / SUMMER / 2022 Contact Rebecca Myles, Rebecca@SportsETA.org, today about advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
Throughout the year, Sports ETA will highlight Title IX initiatives by member organizations. Here is our first spotlight from Louisville, KY.
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Member Organizations Recognize Title IX on the 50th Anniversary
Louisville Sports Commission Hosted “Breaking Through: 50 Years of Title IX”
On June 23, the 50th anniversary of the day when President Richard Nixon signed Title IX legislation into law, the Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) hosted “Breaking Through: 50 Years of Title IX,” a virtual panel discussion with nationally renowned speakers reflecting on the historic legislation’s impact on girls’ and women’s sports in the United States Watch Panel Discussion
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SPORTS ETA / SUMMER / 2022 6
Over 100 participants tuned in to
If you missed it, you can check it out here. Sports ETA members continue the Title IX celebrations throughout the year – check out our dedicated Title IX celebrations page here to see how other members are celebrating in their communities. “ 37 words changed the course of education and sports in America
“The genesis of hosting this event came from the announcement that Kentucky native Sue Feamster will be inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022,” said LSC President & CEO Karl Schmitt Jr. “We wanted to honor Sue’s legacy, acknowledge the hard work of so many individuals who are champions for female athletes, and help educate people about the history of the federal legislation and the current status of initiatives in this area that have made our country a better place.” this all-star panel.
The panel was moderated by Olympic gold medalist and TV commentator, reporter and host Summer Sanders and included panelists: Christine Brennan, USA Today award-winning columnist, author and TV commentator; Sue Feamster, trailblazer for opportunities for girls and women in sports in Kentucky and nationally prior to and following Title IX; Maya McClendon, highly decorated NCAA Division I volleyball player and founder of Timeout, a digital health and wellness platform for athletes and sports organizations (thetimeoutapp.com); and Jeff Walz, current head coach and architect of the powerhouse University of Louisville women’s basketball program.
Don’t worry, you can now access these top-notch education sessions from the comfort of your home or office: International Sports Events Seminar: How to Leverage Tourism, Branding, and Community Impact, Irrespective of Market Size More than Sports: Creating Engaging Experiences at Scale State of the Industry Bringing it Home: Leveraging the Findings for your Organization The Sports Event and Tourism Industry’s Role at the Local Level: Pushing Beyond Room Nights to Explore Resident Sentiment Broader Impact of Sports Tourism Successfully Navigating the Digital Media Landscape 2021 State of the Industry Report Pricing for education session recordings bundle: **The price below includes all 7 sessions Member rate: $199 Non-member rate: $299 Recordings will be available complimentary for all in-person attendees of the Symposium -- please email info@sportseta.org if you attended the Symposium and would like access to the recordings. Please note: Not all breakout rooms were recorded. Couldn’t be at the 2022 Symposium? 1 4 5 6 7 2 3 7 Get Started Today
8SPORTS ETA / SUMMER / 2022 8 “ August 25 – 11:00AM-12:30PM ET September 22 – 11:00AM-12:30PM ET October 20 – 11:00AM-12:30PM ET November 17 – 11:00AM-12:30PM ET December 8 – 11:00AM-12:30PM ET January 12, 2023 – 11:00AM-12:30 ET LEADERSHIP SERIES 2022 SCHEDULE Destinations International’s EDI Leadership Series Our partners at Destinations International, the world’s largest resource for official destination organizations and CVBs, are offering Sports ETA members a huge discount on their Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Series starting later this month! Register Here at checkout to receive DI’s membership pricing ($695 USD). This is a $300 savings, as DI charges nonmembers $995 to participate in the series. Registration is open until the course sells out (there is a course maximum of 50 participants). Sports ETA members can use the discount code EDI22-SPORTSETA Sports ETA members receive a discount on Destination International’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Series. Save $300!
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA PLAY IN THE QUEEN CITY DISCOVER WORK-MEETS-PLAY-BALLCHARLOTTE’SATTITUDE
An athletic city in its own right, Charlotte’s compact, walkable convention district is the ideal spot for a sports conference—from basketball to martial arts. The 550,000-square-foot Charlotte Convention Center offers 280,000 square feet of exhibit space which can be divisible into four halls. A $115 million Convention Center expansion is in the works as well, offering convenient pedestrian access to Center City and additional meeting rooms.
Charlotte is not just a spectator city, we have a passion for sports. Home to Olympian-approved complexes such as the U.S. National Whitewater Center and the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center, the city invites visitors and guests to dive—sometimes literally—into our work hard, play hard lifestyle. Both affordable and accessible, the city champions exceptional sports venues, accommodating hotels, and athletic and nonathletic attractions that make for an all-star experience.
Start planning your Charlotte sports meeting today. charlottesports.com
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS MEETINGS
And with Charlotte’s easy accessibility—centrally located to Interstates 40, 77 and 85, and within a two-hour flight of 60 percent of the country—it’s no wonder conferences like the American Football Coaches Association have been held right here in the Queen City. Whether we’re rolling out welcome (floor) mats for budding gymnasts and aspiring cheerleaders, hosting college basketball championships or converting Bank of America Stadium into an international soccer haven, we’re proud of the 200-plus days of sporting events we put on each year.
MAKE YOUR MEETING AN ALL-STAR EXPERIENCE
Sports EIC
Why choose Charlotte? We’ve got the venues to suit your sport—at whatever level. And we’ve got the experts to find them for you. We’ve got the hotels and convenient public transportation to accommodate your team and the crowds you’ll draw. Plus, our sports-loving city is sure to show up. And we’ve got all of the fun off the field to keep you entertained long before kickoff and well after the game clock expires.
Ringling Museum of Art Soon after, Charles and John Ringling, the brothers behind the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus,
Ringling Museum of Art and the Ringling’s mansion, Ca’d’Zan, on the Ringling estate in Sarasota, is open to the public. Plan your Museum visit at ringling.org, and you can add a visit to Ca’d’Zan on your ticket.
started purchasing land in Sarasota and made Sarasota their winter home. The circus sent the Ringling brothers to Europe each year in search of new talent, and while they were there, they amassed an amazing collection of Renaissance and Baroque art. John Ringling’s permanent art collection continues to be a top attraction.
Perhaps most importantly for visitors, Gillespie introduced the game of golf to Florida and built the first golf course in the state. When the town was incorporated in 1902, Gillespie was its first mayor.
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Sarasota, FL We know you can’t wait to take part in the Sports ETA 4S Summit, October 11-13 in Sarasota, but when you’re between sessions, there will be plenty to do and to see in the Sarasota area while you’re visiting.
Let’s talk about Sarasota itself: Some of the earliest inhabitants were Native tribes, including Calusa Tocobaga and Timucuan, before European explorers found its shores. In fact, Sarasota County’s Historic Spanish Point has one of the largest preserved archaeological sites on the Gulf Coast. But it was Sarasota’s first real estate developer, John Hamilton Gillespie, who helped a colony of about 60 Scottish families flourish in the late 1800s, developing roads, a railroad service, and a wharf on Sarasota Bay.
Sarasota Sparkles on Florida’s Gulf Coast October 11 - 13, 2022
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As for restaurants, just about any type of fare can be found in the Sarasota area. Seafood, yes, but farm to table is a big trend, along with ethnic favorites. Some of the highlights can be found at
Novisitsarasota.commatterifyouhave an entire day, part of an afternoon, or an evening free, you’ll find so much to do in the Sarasota area. Take advantage of fine dining, craft beer, unique shopping and incredible sights, and you’ll be back so you can enjoy even more of Florida’s Gulf Coast!
Interested in golf?
Hosted by Click to watch
Take a shopping break
Tiger Woods has opened his latest PopStroke location in Sarasota. Featuring two 18-hole golf courses, an ice cream counter, children’s playground area and three bars, including a rooftop bar, it’s an all-day golf destination. Find out more at popstroke.com.
Siesta Key Beach No trip to the Gulf Coast would be complete without a stop at Siesta Key, rated the #1 beach in the United States by TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards. A large parking area, free trolley and Siesta Key Village make it a destination you can’t miss. Check out the live beach cam at visitsarasota.com
Check out Big Top Brewing Company and its circus-themed beers that celebrate the ‘big top’ circus culture that is central to Sarasota history. The brewery’s flagship Circus City IPA and New England-style Hazy Highwire are solid examples of the versatile, hoppy IPA brewing style. Learn more at bigtopbrewing.com
Once you’ve completed your cultural tour, take a shopping break at St. Armand’s Circle, an area of more than 140 upscale shops and restaurants. Check out the list of its shops and restaurants, and see its Circus Walk of Fame and St. Armand’s Statue Walk, at Registrationstarmandscircleassoc.comis$55/person.
Restaurants
Want to take in the craft brewery scene?
What I don’t love so much? When someone comes up with a new idea that I don’t think is going to work, that we tried five years ago, or that I just can’t get behind. I also don’t love feeling like I finally got a handle on everything, all the changes coming down the pipe, and suddenly there’s something new. When I feel like change is happening TO me, when I feel like I can’t participate effectively, or that it has devolved way past the point of being constant into just being chaos. How about you? Does change invigorate you as you start the day? Would you rather go for a long run by yourself than open your email to discover a new change you need to implement? Do you ever feel completely overwhelmed and wonder how you can get back to actually leading rather than simply managing all this change?
Love change? Me too!
Julie Henry, President, Finish Line Leadership
I love change. I’m the person who charges boldly into the room when it’s time to brainstorm new ideas for the next fiscal year and is totally comfortable going off-script in the moment. At home, I change out our cloth napkins to match the seasons every year and my two teenagers have become accustomed to searching for whatever they can’t find around the kitchen as mom moves things around. I’m excited about new ideas, tempted by shiny objects, and have (begrudgingly) learned not to follow every new thought down the rabbit hole…which my teams have had to drill into my head over the years.
It’s true – change is constant, but it doesn’t have to be chaos. I’ve devoted my entire 25+ year career to helping people drive and survive change by gleaning insights and lessons from a place that is designed to thrive with change – nature. Look outside your window – what do you notice? Does it look the same as yesterday? Ever see something curious outside and wonder what’s going on? Me too – everyday. No sunset is the same, each bird acts differently (even in the same species), and the plants pop up where I didn’t expect them to in my yard –wildlife and wild places are designed to not just deal with change, but to thrive. As leaders, we can not only draw inspiration from this fact, we can incorporate concrete lessons too, such as:
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When it’s my idea… Julie Henry will be leading the STS course this fall at the 4S Summit in Sarasota, FL.
When you think about an animal that really goes the distance (literally), what comes to mind? Here where I live in Florida, we have thousands of sea turtles that nest on our beaches then return to the ocean, never to see their hatchlings again. When it’s time to lay their nest, the female literally swims thousands of miles back to the same beach from which she was hatched. I can’t imagine what that’s like – swimming through dark water for days on end with no GPS for guidance – but it does remind me of what it’s like to lead change. When it gets hard (as it always does), going deep and relying on your internal sense of purpose will get you to the finish line, every time.
There are many reasons people can be afraid of change, but just like people’s fear of spiders, it is real and must be acknowledged and respected.
Leading change is more than a responsibility, more than a privilege – to me, it is the very definition of leadership. To see possibility and act on it, to envision a better future and make it happen, that’s what leadership is all about. After all, if you’re not leading change, what are you doing?
You can’t always see how deep their roots go, but you know that they are there. How? Because the tree can withstand the weather, animals, and other stresses around it.
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“I can’t wait to be with you in Sarasota this October to work through the change you want to lead – and make sure it’s a change that will stick. See you then!”
Chances are you didn’t even have time to think before your reacted – this is your natural, instinctual reaction.
Yes – sometimes it’s because they’re overwhelmed, they don’t want to do it, and more, but sometimes it’s not an intellectual reaction. It’s a visceral reaction that comes up so quickly they don’t even think before they react.
For you as a leader? To effectively lead change, you must root your efforts in a cohesive process with discrete phases. These steps may not always be visible to your team, but trust me, they (and you) will know if they’re gone. Because the change you’re trying to lead – without roots – will simply fall down. Ever encounter an animal that startles you so suddenly that you jump?
And if you’re anything like the majority of people I know, that animal was probably a spider (somewhere in your house). Why do people react so differently to change?
See the trees outside your window?
Save the Date for 2023 events MARCH 1-2, 2023 SALT LAKE CITY, UT OCTOBER 11-13, 2022 SARASOTA, FL OCTOBER 23-25, 2023 EL PASO, TX 15
Registration is now open for all Sports2022-2023ETAEvents SPORTS ETA / SUMMER / 2022 16 Register Here MARCH 29-31, 2023 DALLAS, TX MAY 7-8, 2023 KANSAS CITY, MO MAY 8-11, 2023 KANSAS CITY, MO
FIFA
CANADAUNITED STATES MEXICO Vancouver San Francisco Bay Area GuadalajaraMexico City Monterrey NewBostonYork/New Jersey Atlanta Toronto Seattle Los Angeles MiamiPhiladelphiaKansasCityHoustonDallas 17
FIFA announced 16 host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 16 at a live event in New York City, selecting 11 cities in the United States, three cities in Mexico and two cities in Canada. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will mark the first time that three countries have hosted the competition.
World Cup Host City News
Each of the three host countries had a player representative at the announcement, which was broadcast on FOX Sports 1 and Telemundo, the English and Spanish rights holders, respectively, for the tournament when it is broadcast in the United States. U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Christian Pulisic represented the United States, while Mexico was represented by midfielder Hirving Lozano and Canada by midfielder Jonathan Osorio. The historic tournament will be the first to feature 48 nations, up from 32 that competed in the last seven tournaments dating back to 1998 when the number of participants was increased from 24.
“It’s a historic day for U.S. Soccer and the entire American soccer community, from every corner of our grassroots all the way to the pros and our National Teams,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. “Together with our good friends in Canada and Mexico, we couldn’t be more excited to work with FIFA to host what we think will be the greatest World Cup in history.
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The 16 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico will host a total of 48 teams and 80 matches under the new expanded format, marking the largest FIFA World Cup in history.
I want to congratulate all the bid cities that will host games. I know you will all do a fantastic job of sharing your world class stadiums, unique communities and culture, and amazing fans when the world comes to the North America in four years.”
15 PLAY IN FULL COLOR. PLAY IN PUERTO RICO. SCAN ME SCAN ME Let the colors of Puerto Rico inspire you. Our Island’s vivid color palette will provide the perfect backdrop for your next event. You won’t even need a passport. Learn more at DiscoverPuertoRico.com/Sports
16SPORTS ETA / WINTER / 2021-2022 Let the colors of Puerto Rico inspire you. Our Island’s vivid color palette will provide the perfect backdrop for your next event. You won’t even need a passport. Learn more at DiscoverPuertoRico.com/Sports SCAN ME SCAN ME PLAY IN FULL COLOR. PLAY IN PUERTO RICO.
Kids are gearing up to head back to school, so why don’t you?! Sports ETA’s continuously evolving course offerings make it easy to earn your Sports Tourism Strategist (STS) designation. If you’ve already achieved your STS, there’s no better time to renew your commitment to being a lifelong learner and maintaining your Sports Tourism Strategist designation! It’s that time of year –time to go Back To School! Ready. Set. GO! 21
Not sure where to start? If you’ve never taken an STS course, are new to the sports events and tourism industry, or just want a refresher course these 3 offerings are a great place to start: 1. Introduction to Sports Tourism 2. Know Your Numbers: Intro to Finance 3. Sports Tourism Business Strategy If you are looking to maintain your STS designation or get back into compliance, these courses may be of interest to you: 1. Crisis Communications for Sporting Events 2. Event Management 3. Facilities Essentials Check out our FREE Power Play offerings and keep your eye on our Certificate courses as we are working hard to bring you more education all year round! Get Started 22SPORTS ETA / SUMMER / 2022
BY: EDDIE PELLS with collaboration from: AP Sports Writer Erica Hunzinger
Other measures do the opposite, allowing gender identity to determine an athlete’s eligibility. There are myriad rules and guidelines in place across the country, state to state and sometimes sport to sport or even school to school.
The debate essentially boils down to advocates who want to protect the space Title IX carved out for cisgender women — women whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth — and those who want transgender athletes who compete as females to enjoy the same protections as anyone else. Consensus is nowhere in sight, and the fights are piling up.
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As the transformational law heads into its second half-century on the books, the Biden administration wants transgender athletes to enjoy the same protections Title IX originally gave to women when it was passed 50 years ago. That stance is at odds with efforts in states across the country.
Without federal legislation to set parameters for this highly technical issue — on the front line of a culture divide that also includes abortion rights, gun control and “ replacement theory,” among other topics — high school athletic associations and legislatures in no fewer than 40 states have filled the void on their own.
Title IX’s next battle: The rights of transgender athletes
There are some 15.3 million public high school students in the United States and a 2019 study by the CDC estimated 1.8% of them — about 275,000 — are transgender. The number of athletes within that group is much smaller; a 2017 survey by Human Rights Campaign suggested fewer than 15% of all transgender boys and transgender girls play sports. Yet as of May, 19 states had passed laws banning or restricting transgender participation in sports despite the general lack of a problem to address.
When the gender equity legislation known as Title IX became law in 1972, the politics of transgender sports was not even a blip in the national conversation. Today, it is one of the sharpest dividing points in American culture.
“We’re at a time where Title IX is going to be exploited and celebrated,” said Donna de Varona, the Olympic champion swimmer who heads the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, which seeks a “middle way” to be inclusive of transgender athletes while also not “forcing” what it sees as unfair competition. “But people aren’t going to look at the underbelly because it’s complicated and nuanced. And it has always been complicated and nuanced.”
By comparison, states in the U.S. are enacting laws almost by the month. The first ban, enacted by Idaho in 2020, is one of many being challenged in court.
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Last fall, the American Civil Liberties Union and others filed a lawsuit against Tennessee’s ban on transgender athletes playing school sports. It was brought on behalf of Luc Esquivel, a freshman golfer who was assigned the sex of female at birth but in 2019 told his parents he identifies as male. “I was really looking forward to trying out for the boys’ golf team and, if I made it, training and competing with and learning from other boys and improving my game,” Esquivel said. “Then, to have the legislature pass a law that singled out me and kids like me to keep us from being part of a team, that crushed me, it hurt very much. I just want to play, like any other kid.”
Imperfect as they may be, the rules that govern transgender sports in track and field were products of no less than 13 years of research involving scientists from across the globe, along with countless lawsuits and hearings in front of tribunals that are still deciding the case of Semenya, now 31.
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Photo courtesy of Jeffrey F Lin
“When I was in high school, people called me a ‘monster’ because I was bigger than the other girls,” she recalled on the Trans Porter Room podcast earlier this year, not long before Iowa passed its transgender athlete ban. “That’s what they see us as now, especially in the Republican Party in Iowa. They see us as not human and as predators.”
The complexity of the debate has also placed sports icons “It puts a target on the backs of trans youth and makes them feel unsafe,” Heng-Lehtinen said. “These state bans are sweeping. They categorically exclude a group of people from playing any kind of sport at any level.”
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, called the bans overly harsh.
The group wants lawmakers to take cues from international sports, which have come up with regulations for transgender athletes. That conundrum, captured most poignantly by the journey of South African sprinter Caster Semenya, has been fraught with contradictions and frustration. Semenya, forced to choose between either using drugs or surgery to lower her testosterone level, decided instead not to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
“It’s like stabbing yourself with a knife every day. But I had no choice,” Semenya said in a recent interview with HBO about the hormone-altering drugs she took for a time in order to stay eligible for certain middle-distance events.
All the anti-transgender legislation hits home for Kyla Paterson, who was able to play soccer after the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union adopted regulations for the inclusion of transgender girls in 2014.
De Varona says politicization of the topic blunts some of the legitimate arguments by those, including in her policy group, who would like to ensure that women aren’t denied the level playing field Title IX aspired for 50 years ago.
The ACLU almost immediately filed a lawsuit challenging the law. On the other end of the spectrum, four cisgender female high school athletes in Connecticut are challenging rules that allow transgender athletes to participate in sports based on their sexual identity.
“But again,” she added, “nobody wants nuances.”
But the big fight in transgender sports centers on the idea of fair competition, where extensive research is still generally lacking on elite athletics and virtually nonexistent when it comes to determining whether, say, a sophomore transgender girl has a clear advantage over her cisgender “Peopleteammates.say‘Well,
trans women have advantages, therefore, it can’t be fair,’ or ‘Trans women are women and so trans rights aren’t up for debate,’” said Joanna Harper, a transgender woman and researcher at Loughborough University in Britain who has helped World Athletics, the International Olympic Committee and other major sports organizations shape transgender policy. “And these very simplistic statements appeal to two different political bases. And it’s unfortunate that people resort to these simplistic ways to frame the argument, and in many cases seem to be unwilling to to form any meaningful compromise.”
“It puts a target on the backs of trans youth and makes them feel unsafe,” Heng-Lehtinen said. “These state bans are sweeping. They categorically exclude a group of people from playing any kind of sport at any level.”
As the 50th anniversary of Title IX arrives, a firmer solution — a new law or amended version of Title IX — seems unlikely. President Joe Biden, the day after his inauguration, rolled back several of the Trump administration’s rules regarding transgender rights, but legislation has gone nowhere.
At the federal level, the Education Department under the Trump administration contended in a key case that the word “sex” be interpreted strictly to mean a person’s assigned sex at birth. Under the Biden administration, the department views Title IX’s iconic phrasing about discrimination on “the basis of sex” to also include “include discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.”
Photo courtesy of Christian Tenguan
In May, Indiana lawmakers overrode a gubernatorial veto to enact a law banning transgender females from competing in girls high school sports, blowing past the governor’s argument that there was no problem in K-12 sports requiring “state government intervention.”
With midterm elections underway, Republicans have consistently used transgender sports as a campaign issue.
Still, de Varona said, “let’s not demonize transgender students, and let’s find a way to nuance it.”
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Debates over the legislation are often accompanied by arguments over hot-button topics, including transgender students’ use of school bathrooms, whether schools should teach about sexual orientation and gender identity, and parental consent when it comes to gender confirmation for minors.
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