Women's Soccer Confronts Serious Threats, Yet Why the Panic About Transgender Players?
On the end of October, Angel City FC player Elizabeth Eddy made her first social media post in nearly two years. In it, she responded to news that the National Women's Soccer League had quietly abandoned its inclusion policy for trans and intersex athletes, making the organization's position unclear.
The next day, her opinion piece was shared completely by a different publication, giving it wider exposure.
“I worry that without clarity about who the league is for, it will lose its identity and its momentum,” stated Eddy.
Her piece generally argued for a ban on transgender players from the NWSL to protect “the integrity of female athletics.”
Examining the Real Risk
It's unclear how Eddy believes the NWSL's integrity has been damaged—whether under its previous guidelines that permitted transgender players or its present absence of policy. The organization, now in its 13th season, has established a clear identity. It's highly competitive, influential in business and culture, and an essential part of the worldwide female football landscape.
The league's momentum seems mostly fine—viewership have grown every season, and growth to 16 teams is scheduled for the coming years.
Examining the Data
Eddy cites the Football Association's new prohibition on transgender athletes as a positive example. However, that ban is believed to impact only approximately twenty grassroots participants out of 5.5 million soccer players. The impact in the US would likely be similarly minimal.
In 2021, when the league's trans inclusion policy was implemented, there were two trans players: Quinn and Kumi Yokoyama. They have both departed, and no openly transgender athletes presently play in the NWSL. On the current season's opening weekend, the league celebrated its 1,000th player. That's just two out trans players out of over 1,000 in the NWSL's existence.
Baseless Fears and Real Harm
The article is written as if there is a stream of trans players ready to take over the NWSL at a moment's notice. There is no such thing. At present, there are no openly transgender players playing at a elite level in the United States. Federal legislation expressly bans transgender athletes from competing in NCAA college soccer. Moreover, numerous peer-reviewed research have demonstrated that transgender players have no biological advantages over cisgender competitors.
Without of out trans people, discriminatory behavior have persisted along ethnic divisions. When Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda was awarded player of the year, she faced a wave of digital harassment. The league was slow to respond in defending their star player. Likewise, Kansas City Current's Temwa Chawinga and her sister have experienced similar abuse.
“The piece does not speak for our club in this locker room,” team leader Sarah Gorden informed the media. “We don't agree with the things written for a multitude of causes, but mostly the implications come across as transphobic and prejudiced as well.”
Other Urgent Problems Facing the League
Even if one were to overlook all that and think that including transgender athletes constitutes a genuine issue for the league, it's hard to see how it would surpass any number of other issues that have truly blunted the growth and affected its reputation.
- Working conditions for professionals remain a problem. Several ex- San Diego Wave employees are taking legal action against the club and the league, alleging racial and disability discrimination, sexual harassment, and failure to prevent discrimination.
- Player care is another area of concern. In spring, a player Savy King fell on the pitch, requiring emergency medical treatment. The match resumed, even though players were visibly distraught. The players' association called on the league to review their health procedures.
- Extreme weather protocols have additionally been questioned. During a nationally televised match, the NWSL commissioner reportedly warned to fine a team over a disagreement in extreme heat procedures.
- Financial rivalry from European leagues like the WSL is increasing, luring some of the NWSL's best players away from the NWSL and nation where they built their professional lives.
Trans athletes did not factor into any one of these issues. And it's unlikely they will, irrespective of whether the proposed changes come to pass.
