Published on October 4, 2024, 12:33 am

Utah State University recently made the decision to pull their women’s volleyball team out of a scheduled match against San Jose State University. This is due to concerns over the participation of a transgender identifying male player on the San Jose squad. Consequently, Utah becomes the fourth college to take such a protective precaution of their female athletes.

According to an official statement issued by Utah’s athletic department, “Utah State University will not participate in its scheduled October 23, 2024, volleyball match at San Jose State University. The University will abide by Mountain West Conference policy regarding how this match is recorded.”

This controversial decision was backed by Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and strong advocate for women’s sports. She commended Utah for being the “fourth school to forfeit their match against SJSU due to a man playing on the women’s volleyball team,” describing it as THE WAY.

Gaines further stated her belief that, “A movement is in motion,” whilst challenging that it was rapidly becoming clear that the NCAA needed to make some pivotal decisions. She points out that as of now, it seems like inclusion has taken precedence over both safety and fairness within NCAA policies. Her question? Whether either situation will change – if authorities will start taking responsibility or continue allowing female athletes’ actions speak louder than words.

Expressing his support through social media, Utah’s Governor Spencer J. Cox stood alongside students, coaching staffs and leadership groups for Southern Utah University (Thunderbirds) and USU Aggies who also decided against competing with San Jose in upcoming matches. Echoing Gaines sentiments he tweeted about preserving safe and fair competitive spaces for female athletes.

Governor Cox also criticized how NCAA has faltered in its duty towards protecting these athletes and upholding women’s sports integrity in general— making another call for serious action from such bodies.

Ironically followed closely after by Wyoming’s women’s volleyball team which too decided not participating in their scheduled match vs. San Jose State, now the third educational institution to take such action in lieu of a trans-identifying male participant part of the latter’s team.

They announced this via social media, stating, “After a lengthy discussion, the University of Wyoming will not play its scheduled conference match against San José State University. As per Mountain West Conference policy, it will be registered as a forfeit and thus a loss for Wyoming,”

The star volleyball player at the center of this controversy is Blair Fleming, a trans-identifying male athlete. He had been making news for his performances prior to this issue becoming largely public.

It is indeed worth noting that previously Boise’s women’s volleyball team had also decided they’d forfeit their match over another weekend against SJSU. These spread-out incidents are no isolated occurrences but indeed reflect a broader dialogue around gender inclusion and fair competition within the Christian worldview in collegiate sports.

Collectively these instances show that there’s more than just some disagreement regarding how gender identities should be integrated within sports traditionally separated along male-female lines. What we see is increasingly turning into an important movement influencing real news and trusted news sources all over. It has been encouraging serious considerations and balances between inclusivity objectives versus traditional norms especially observed in respect to physical sports.