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Analysis/Commentary

Ban Men’s Sports

Cut Costs by Consolidating

Title IX has undeniably helped to level the playing field by ensuring men and women have equal opportunities to participate in sports. Recently, the Biden Administration updated Title IX to ensure that this equality will be based on gender identity rather than biological gender. However, as schools struggle to cut costs while balancing gender equity, a revolutionary idea comes to mind – why have men’s and women’s categories at all?

Passing over the outdated, Neanderthalic nature of binary gender categories, there’s a bottom-line benefit. Though we generally think of college sports as being a cash cow due to the popularity of college football and basketball, the fact is that sports are expensive. In many cases, like soccer, the costs could be cut in half by combining the men’s and women’s teams into one, united soccer team – one that doesn’t presume gender and allows all to compete on an even playing field.

A Modest Alteration

Though this may seem like a radical proposal, men and women already compete at lower levels, such as pee-wee and in rec leagues. It’s not at all uncommon for women in high school to wrestle with the boys. Bringing these same standards to college and professional leagues can help colleges cut costs while eliminating unequal situations like the NCAA weight room.

Furthermore, as Sue Bird points out, women’s sports often lack the same support as men’s sports. Eliminating this categorization will eliminate the stigma imposed on women’s sports by a sexist nation, finally allowing women the same accolades and glory as men. Imagine how much more attention Megan Rapinoe will raise for her causes when she’s finally on the pitch with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The future Ballon D’or winner.

The Myth of Disparity

The reasoning behind separating men and women in athletics is that men have a competitive advantage over women. Competitive fairness is the basis of all classifications in sports, be it by skill level, weight, or age. Traditionally, gender has been included due to the same presumption of an innate advantage for men.

However, Biden’s Title IX changes blow this myth out of the water. The arguments supporting an athletic advantage for men are all based on biology – increased muscle mass, higher testosterone levels, etc. However, if you noticed, none of these arguments for competitive fairness are based on identity. Now that the Biden Administration has officially declared these differences either nonexistent or unimportant to competitive fairness, there is no logical reason to separate the genders in athletics – unless you think somebody gains an advantage by changing their name from Betty to Bob.

With the Biden Administration dispelling this myth, women can finally have true equality. Sports can exist in its truest form – all competitors, male and female, will be put on the same field with only the best athletes from the combined group making the final team. I, for one, cannot wait to see Megan Rapinoe tearing it up on the USMWNT or Sue Bird dominate the WNBA.