U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Marsha Blackburn Push NCAA to Safeguard Women’s Sports
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 6, 2024 – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) with 21 of their colleagues wrote National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Charlie Baker to update their student-athlete policy to ensure only biologically female students can participate in women’s sports.
“Amid the Biden-Harris administration’s unprecedented assault on Title IX, we write to urge the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to update your student-athlete participation policy to require that only biologically female students participate in women’s sports. The 2024 Summer Olympics are upon us, and the NCAA has boasted about its athletes’ participation. Yet the NCAA has still taken no steps to protecting a critical portion of these athletes,” wrote the Senators.
The Senators emphasized the clear scientific differences between men and women, which enables men to outperform women by 10 to 30 percent. This remains true even when individuals are undergoing treatment such as hormone therapy, with the letter noting “studies show that muscular strength of men can be well preserved, even after three years on such a regimen. Moreover, data shows that estrogen therapy does not reverse the majority of athletic performance parameters, and biological males continue to have innate advantages.”
“The very bedrock of sport is the exhibition of a commitment to excellence, grace under pressure, and fair play among competitors—all of which is threatened absent an even playing field. Women deserve that even playing field and chance to compete, one that can only be achieved by ensuring that only females compete in women’s sports,” the Senators continued.
The letter was co-signed by Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), John Thune (R-S.D.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
Click here to view the full letter.
BACKGROUND:
Senators Britt and Blackburn previously introduced a resolution to recognize October 10 as “American Girls in Sports Day.” The resolution affirms that “Title IX is under attack by the Biden Administration,” “recognizes the importance of Title IX in protecting biological women in sports,” and “calls on sports-governing bodies in the United States and abroad to protect biological women and girls in sports.
In March, Senator Britt participated in a roundtable event with Senators Tuberville, Lummis, and Hyde-Smith, along with former ESPN broadcaster Sage Steele, on the importance of preserving Title IX in women’s sports.
Senator Britt recently questioned Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona regarding the Biden-Harris Administration’s Title IX rulemakings. She has also cosponsored Senator Hyde-Smith’s resolution to establish a Women’s Bill of Rights.
Additionally, Senator Britt is a cosponsor of Senator Laphonza Butler’s (D-Calif.) bipartisan resolution recognizing February 7 as “National Girls & Women in Sports Day” to highlight the achievements of women athletes and bring attention to the value they add to sports and our communities.
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