By Cristina Picozzi Executive Editor
In November 2010, George Washington University junior, Kye Allums, told the world she was transgender and that she wanted to be socially identified as a male. It is clear that this is a topic that could change the NCAA and the way it regulates collegiate sports.
Allums has played on GW’s women’s basketball team as a guard for the past two years, and last year he came out to his teammates about wanting to change genders.
Allums told Out Sports that he felt that he was being secretive by keeping this information from people he was really close with such as his coach, Mike Bozeman.
“I was gonna have to hide a piece of me that was really important,” Allums said. “All my teammates knew. I don’t like keeping things from coach; I’m a very open person. It got to the point where I decided I wasn’t going to go through a whole season with my coach not really knowing me, even though I knew it would probably make him feel uncomfortable.”
According to USA Today, it took a few days for his mother to accept the news, but his teammates, coach, and school supported his decision right away. However, is this something that the NCAA is prepared to handle?
After Allums told GW about his decision and the media began to cover the story, the NCAA released this statement from their spokesperson Erik Christianson:
“A female who wants to be socially identified as a male but has not had hormone treatments or surgery may compete on a women’s team, and the team remains a women’s team. A male who wants to be socially identified as a female but has not had hormone treatments or surgery may compete on a women’s team, but the team becomes a mixed team for competitive equity. Hormones, including testosterone, are included on the NCAA’s list of banned substances. But there is a waiver process available for medical exceptions.”
Christianson’s statement has raised some questions with some coaches at Utica College, a private college of about 2500 in central New York, especially those that coach sports that are considered contact when played by a men’s team.
The NCAA clarified that currently NCAA rules state that a male student competing on a female team would consequently make the team a mixed team. This would make the team ineligible for a women’s NCAA championship, however, they would be eligible for a men’s NCAA championship. A female student competing on a men’s team would not impact the sport because the team would still be eligible for a men’s NCAA championship.
“Once a team is considered mixed,” NCAA said. “It retains that status until the end of the academic year.”
Although Allums is not the first athlete to come out as transgender in collegiate sports, he is the first for Division I, which has more regulations and guidelines than other divisions. The strict regulations and rules on Division I sports make transgender athletes a target for controversy. Hormone treatment during the transition process from one gender to the next is a clear concern of the NCAA because testosterone is on their banned substance list as a performance enhancement drug. However, with a medical waiver individuals would be allowed to undergo hormone treatment while playing collegiate athletics. Regardless of whether the athlete has had gender reassignment surgery or is pre-operational something like mixed or coed team can drastically affect the way most sports are played.
While a lot of people believe that transgender student-athletes should have the opportunity to play, they also see the harm in competing as a mixed team.
Men’s lacrosse is considered a full contact sport and therefore players wear protective gear such as helmets with face guards, mouth guard, shoulder and arm pads, gloves and an athletic supporter. Mike Parnell is entering his fifth year of coaching men’s lacrosse at UC, and although he said he has no issues if a transgender athlete wants to be a part of his team, he did say that it would affect the way the sport is played.
“Men’s lacrosse has a lot of contact,” Parnell said. “Women’s lacrosse has no contact at all. The overall rules and rules about contact would be an issue because there would be concern for the safety of players.”
Parnell said that there would be potential for an unfair advantage for a female team that has a male athlete playing because of natural testosterone produce in a male’s body. However, the concept of mixed teams could be devastating because males tend to be bigger, faster and stronger, and it would only take one male on the female team to make it a mixed team; and therefore force them to play against other mixed or male teams.
UC men’s soccer coach, Joe Calabrese agreed that something such as mixed teams could be devastating to female teams in the NCAA.
“There are four parts to soccer,” Calabrese said. “They are technical, tactical, physical and psychological. Genetically, men are bigger, faster and stronger than females, and this affects these four parts of the game, especially the physical aspect. Overall the pace of the game is much faster. For females, mixed teams are an extreme competitive disadvantage.”
Calabrese said that the point of the NCAA is to help with the student-athlete experience. By forcing mixed teams, the NCAA is “hindering that experience morally and ethically.” Calabrese also said that most games do not have a mercy-rule and scores could be damaging to a team.
“It’s not really fair [for the NCAA to make mixed teams],” Calabrese said. “In college there are intramural sports if a student wants to play on a coed team; however, playing at the collegiate level means playing varsity sports.”
Calabrese did say that if a player is good enough to play on the team, they will get playing time regardless of gender. He also said that if a player feels like they are not being played because of who they are; an in house performance assessment would be made.
“You can’t compare players to each other,” Calabrese said. “Each player is different.”
Females have already crossed into sports that are considered contact such as football. Katie Hnida played Division I football for University of Colorado and University of New Mexico as a back up kicker. According to ESPN, Hnida was also the first woman to play and score in a Division I game.
It is clear that gender does not matter to coaches, but that their athletes are safe, and have the opportunity to fair competition.
Women’s ice hockey coach Dave Clausen said that he does have some of the same concerns as the NCAA as far as male to female transition is concerned because of the competitive advantage males already have. However, he recognizes that some of the concerns the NCAA have would be valid if they were governing professional sports, but in collegiate sports “it’s a little crazy.”
Similar to Parnell and Calabrese, Clausen does not think mixed teams are a good solution.
“You have to accommodate these players,” Clausen said. “It’s clear that men have a significant advantage, it wouldn’t be hard for them to beat a team of women.”
Clausen said “women’s ice hockey is a great sport and there’s great competition,” but for some of his best players, playing on a mixed team could be harmful to them athletically.
“For most of my girls their ice hockey careers would be over if they play on a mixed team,” Clausen said. “They wouldn’t stand a chance. It’s not because they aren’t good players or athletes, but because the way men’s ice hockey is played.”
Clausen said that there would be a possibility for more injuries, and it would be dangerous for females to play against males because men’s ice hockey is full contact. Male ice hockey players also go at a faster speed not just because of their skating abilities, but also because of their strength. Their strength allows them to hit the puck harder, to send the puck farther around the rink.
In October, Gary Brown with the NCAA News wrote “Report offers guidance for transgender student-athletes.” The article breaks down recommendations for athletes going through hormone treatment and those not going through treatment. It also stresses the meaning of transgender and how to provide equal opportunities.
Women’s basketball coach Michele Davis has been coaching as UC for 11 years and knows that transitioning is not something that athletes want to do to enhance their career, but it’s an emotional decision and process. Although she understands that the NCAA wants to be equal she does not understand how creating mixed teams are an equal practice when it is clear that the rules are different from men’s to women’s basketball.
Davis said it depends on the sport to say if it will be affected by forced mixed teams, however, women’s basketball is a sport that she says cannot have them.
“Women can’t play men’s teams,” Davis said. “There’s a difference between men’s basketball and women’s basketball and that’s contact.”
Like Parnell, Clausen and Calabrese, Coach Davis said the sport would be hurt as a whole because “men are bigger, faster and stronger.”
“You can take the best player [on my team],” Davis said. “She won’t be able to go against a men’s team.”
Clausen raised the idea that in men’s basketball almost all the players have the ability to dunk, however, in women’s basketball most do not. Davis also touched on this idea about ability and skill.
“It doesn’t matter how good they are,” Davis said. “I have girls that are under 5’ 5” and you need to look at this from the whole team. You want to make [players] feel comfortable, and there’s no doubt that they would be comfortable on my team, but because of one player the team because mixed, that hurts the whole team. You’re going to lose every game.”
As far as how team dynamics are concerned, UC junior guard Katie McGee said nothing would change for the Lady Pioneers basketball.
“You can be pink, blue gray or polka dot,” McGee said. “We don’t care. If you’re personable and can play well, then you can clearly hang with us.”
McGee said “the NCAA should recognize transgender individuals, but calling teams mixed, unisex or coed is not necessary.”
“By making teams coed or mixed, or whatever they want to call it,” Mcgee said. “They’re giving someone an unfair advantage because one person can make the difference of an all female team or mixed team. Collegiate teams are supposed to be gender specific otherwise they’re just club or intramural sports.”
McGee used senior forward Jessica Berry as an example of a good player who would have a difficult time keeping up with mixed teams.
“Jess can beat everyone at intramurals,” McGee said. “But she has different strengths than players on the men’s team and it wouldn’t matter how good she is.”
Another issue McGee talked about was harassment, although she said it would not happen on her team.
“Girls can be mean,” McGee said. “Transitioning is a huge decision made by an individual and it’s hard on them already and being in college is a crucial time in their life. They need a lot of support.”
UC junior Justine Karst is a Duke men’s basketball fan and she said gender will not matter to her as far as her favorite collegiate team is concerned.
“If they’re good at playing I don’t care what gender they want to be,” Karst said. “I like the team because of their program and the intensity of the game. I don’t want because of their color, ethnicity or the gender of the players.”
According to the NCAA, “educational resources are being developed now and are expected to be reviewed by NCAA committees in April. Development of a formal NCAA policy will come through the normal governance structure involving member colleges and universities. Whatever policies are adopted, the NCAA’s priority is to ensure they are in the best interest of student-athlete well-being.”
