June 21, 2023 - 3:30pm
Transgender participation in women’s sport is the new doping, according to the former Great Britain swimmer and Olympic medallist Sharron Davies. Speaking to UnHerd’s Florence Read, Davies drew comparison between the use of performance-enhancing drugs by East Germany over several decades — which resulted in her being cheated of a gold medal at the 1980 Games — and the present-day involvement of biological males in female sporting competition.
“They [the GDR] were drugging their young females from the age of 11. They were giving them testosterone so that they could enable them to go through male puberty,” Davies said. “It massively affected women’s sport.” Between 1970-89, East German female athletes achieved huge success, winning 11 out of 13 swimming events at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, though at a cost to the women themselves.
“Those young East German girls that were given these terrible drugs, they’re really ill. Many of them have died. Many of them have had disabled children and most of them have heart conditions now,” the former swimmer added. When they competed, however, these women performed at a similar level to men, and it is a situation with clear parallels to the thorny gender debates of today.
“I didn’t want to see a whole other generation of young girls end up losing medals that they should be winning,” Davies said, “because athletes who are biologically male and have gone through male puberty and have a bigger advantage were allowed to race.”
In the present, female athletes are already at a disadvantage to men, according to former athlete. “There are about 1000 women in the UK that earn their living from professional sport,” she said. “There are nearly 11,000 men. Women have 4% of the airtime; we have 1% of the sponsorship [money].”
Davies is the author of a forthcoming book, Unfair Play: The Battle for Women’s Sport, which is to be published on 22nd June, and in recent years has become an increasingly prominent advocate for fairness in female competitions. She stressed to UnHerd that she bases her stance on fact, saying “I am 100% open to honest scientific debate. I always have been. My point has always been: let’s deal with the science that we have […] Lia Thomas was six foot four with hands like shovels. Well, that’s going to make a massive difference, because they’re your paddles.”
The need to be clear on sex differences may be particularly crucial within competitive sport, but it also extends into everyday life, according to Davies: “Trans women are not women when it comes to whether we give them a prostate check, or whether they give birth. That’s the biology that they have. You’re very entitled to say that transgender women are women. I will say transgender women are transgender women.”
Nonetheless, it is still important to afford trans individuals the dignity that they deserve, the ex-swimmer said, so that we reach a point where we have the “ability to treat people however they wish to identify with honesty and respect and safety, but not necessarily lie about what that really means”.
The victims of this climate are too often the women who miss out, who “all of a sudden, are going to get left out of a team, or bumped off the podium, or are not going to get the university scholarship degree in America”. More than this, Davies claimed, “female athletes have been blackmailed into not speaking.”
There is cause for optimism, however. “The tide is turning,” Davies said, with World Rugby, World Aquatics and World Athletics all moving to protect the female category. “Anyone that wants to cheat in sport, whether it’s Lance Armstrong or anybody else, just saying ‘go ahead’ is not the answer.”
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SubscribeSharron Davies is a national treasure.
Sharron Davies is a national treasure.
I’m waiting. I am waiting for all the law suits to start pouring in from kids that were encrouraged to transition and later regretted it or got gravely ill from it.
I am waiting for the wave of stories of kids and young adults that transitioned and ended up sick or dead at a young age who were put through transitioning at an early age.
It is gonna happen. The question is not IF, but WHEN.
The follow on question will be; Will anyone involved be held accountable?
I will lay a bet today that the suits will start and lots of them settled with NDAs. As that happens, there will be fewer and fewer health practitioners willing to get involve or insurance companies willing to provide liability insurance. The same will happen with social workers, psychiatrists and educators. Suits will come. Money will be paid and it will be covered up with NDAs but those involved will stop being involved.
Over time, the trans craze will pass as these people disappear.
But nobody will ever have to admit they did anything wrong publicly.
The vicitims of this insanity will suffer for the rest of their lives. Their will be the occasional story on them in the alt media, but the msm will stay out covering that because they were complicit and because by then the craze will have passed and some new shiny thing will be the talk of the time. But those kids, those maimed, poisoned kids, will suffer for decades but they will do it quietly or be ignored.
I agree with you on this, and it is the only thing that is going to put a stop to the madness. I seriously believe that this is going to be a medical malpractice scandal on the scale of Thalidomide, if not worse, because those practitioners that gave pregnant women Thalidomide were acting in good faith to the best of their knowledge at the time.
It’s like one of those castration cults from the medieval era.
It’s like one of those castration cults from the medieval era.
As an MD, I’d be happy to see the practitioners of this mutilation sued out of existence. Failing that, have their malpractice premiums skyrocket, and accomplish the same thing. Unfortunately, the victims will be suffering long after the “clinics” close.
I agree with you on this, and it is the only thing that is going to put a stop to the madness. I seriously believe that this is going to be a medical malpractice scandal on the scale of Thalidomide, if not worse, because those practitioners that gave pregnant women Thalidomide were acting in good faith to the best of their knowledge at the time.
As an MD, I’d be happy to see the practitioners of this mutilation sued out of existence. Failing that, have their malpractice premiums skyrocket, and accomplish the same thing. Unfortunately, the victims will be suffering long after the “clinics” close.
I’m waiting. I am waiting for all the law suits to start pouring in from kids that were encrouraged to transition and later regretted it or got gravely ill from it.
I am waiting for the wave of stories of kids and young adults that transitioned and ended up sick or dead at a young age who were put through transitioning at an early age.
It is gonna happen. The question is not IF, but WHEN.
The follow on question will be; Will anyone involved be held accountable?
I will lay a bet today that the suits will start and lots of them settled with NDAs. As that happens, there will be fewer and fewer health practitioners willing to get involve or insurance companies willing to provide liability insurance. The same will happen with social workers, psychiatrists and educators. Suits will come. Money will be paid and it will be covered up with NDAs but those involved will stop being involved.
Over time, the trans craze will pass as these people disappear.
But nobody will ever have to admit they did anything wrong publicly.
The vicitims of this insanity will suffer for the rest of their lives. Their will be the occasional story on them in the alt media, but the msm will stay out covering that because they were complicit and because by then the craze will have passed and some new shiny thing will be the talk of the time. But those kids, those maimed, poisoned kids, will suffer for decades but they will do it quietly or be ignored.
“Those young East German girls that were given these terrible drugs, they’re really ill. Many of them have died. Many of them have had disabled children and most of them have heart conditions now,” Right, as will all these trans men we see now. Will there be another glowing Netflix documentary praising Elliott Page when the heart disease and cancer kicks in after a few years? Probably not.
“Those young East German girls that were given these terrible drugs, they’re really ill. Many of them have died. Many of them have had disabled children and most of them have heart conditions now,” Right, as will all these trans men we see now. Will there be another glowing Netflix documentary praising Elliott Page when the heart disease and cancer kicks in after a few years? Probably not.
Trans male athletes competing in female sports is the single, defining issue regarding the mental fitness of these times. Allowing this practice is on the level of Putin’s illegal invasion and destruction of Ukraine. Only a matter of degree separates these twin insanities. They are incandescently obvious to those who have not been blinded to the truth. If they are allowed to stand, the entire world – and future generations – will suffer because lies have gained the upper hand. Orwell warned of this.
The trans issue is ridiculous. But calling it the “single, defining issue” is a bit rich in a country that has thousands of FGM victims, multiple mass grooming gangs, where the de facto state broadcaster allowed Saville to run wild and where certain communities get away with “honour” killings and forced marriages.
As for Ukraine, relax. The world has gotten used to illegal, destructive wars. Have seen a few in the last couple of decades.
The only reason the West pretends to find it so appalling….is because, it’s the first one of the lot where they aren’t the ones killing masses of civilians or violating the sovereignty of other countries.
Must be quite upsetting, to see someone else muscling into the West’s monopoly on bombing other countries.
The trans issue is ridiculous. But calling it the “single, defining issue” is a bit rich in a country that has thousands of FGM victims, multiple mass grooming gangs, where the de facto state broadcaster allowed Saville to run wild and where certain communities get away with “honour” killings and forced marriages.
As for Ukraine, relax. The world has gotten used to illegal, destructive wars. Have seen a few in the last couple of decades.
The only reason the West pretends to find it so appalling….is because, it’s the first one of the lot where they aren’t the ones killing masses of civilians or violating the sovereignty of other countries.
Must be quite upsetting, to see someone else muscling into the West’s monopoly on bombing other countries.
Trans male athletes competing in female sports is the single, defining issue regarding the mental fitness of these times. Allowing this practice is on the level of Putin’s illegal invasion and destruction of Ukraine. Only a matter of degree separates these twin insanities. They are incandescently obvious to those who have not been blinded to the truth. If they are allowed to stand, the entire world – and future generations – will suffer because lies have gained the upper hand. Orwell warned of this.
In cycling, you had doping. When tests were developed to catch EPO, then you got blood doping. In cyclocross there have been instances of hidden electric motors in the bikes… mechanical doping. The next frontier is gender doping.
That would be a pretty easy one to detect however……
True. I was reading an article about a women’s team who were outraged when, a few years ago, they were forced to reveal their naked undercarriages to a doctor to prove they were all female. Women’s teams would probably volunteer for that now.
True. I was reading an article about a women’s team who were outraged when, a few years ago, they were forced to reveal their naked undercarriages to a doctor to prove they were all female. Women’s teams would probably volunteer for that now.
That would be a pretty easy one to detect however……
In cycling, you had doping. When tests were developed to catch EPO, then you got blood doping. In cyclocross there have been instances of hidden electric motors in the bikes… mechanical doping. The next frontier is gender doping.
Such a brilliant interview
Such a brilliant interview
Seems to me that if they are going to allow trans women to compete that natal women should be able to dope with testosterone.
Testosterone would not trump the advantages conferred by having gone through male puberty. In case of swimming, the only way to level things up would be to permit the biological females to come to the competitions equipped with a small outboard motor.
That is not a good idea because, as Sharon has pointed out, the German women who were dosed with testosterone are suffering for it now. Trans men should take note.
Testosterone would not trump the advantages conferred by having gone through male puberty. In case of swimming, the only way to level things up would be to permit the biological females to come to the competitions equipped with a small outboard motor.
That is not a good idea because, as Sharon has pointed out, the German women who were dosed with testosterone are suffering for it now. Trans men should take note.
Seems to me that if they are going to allow trans women to compete that natal women should be able to dope with testosterone.
DE transitional girls should sue the Democratic party for stuffing their schools with LGBDQ dogma and required propaganda that led them to make such a mistake. Their Woke school boards should also be sued.
DE transitional girls should sue the Democratic party for stuffing their schools with LGBDQ dogma and required propaganda that led them to make such a mistake. Their Woke school boards should also be sued.
Inadvertently, this article gives away the root cause of this problem.
One one hand, the admission that:
“athletes who are biologically male …. have a bigger advantage .”
Or
“sex differences may be particularly crucial within competitive sport”
On the other hand, the whining complaint about how female athletes are “at a disadvantage to men” because the latter have more sponsorship or airtime.
That’s right. The best woman tennis player gets thrashed by a man ranked 200, the best women’s football teams gets hammered by random school u-15 boys teams, the fastest female sprinter would finish dead last in the first round Olympics heats.
Which is so unfair. Women deserve to be rewarded equally, paid equal prize money, and treated exactly like men.
And not just in sports. STEM, IT, military….forget biology or performance, just treat us women as equals when it comes to jobs, pay, promotions.
After all, what’s the downside in it for women, right?
How misogynistic can you be in a couple of paragraphs… Why shouldn’t women’s sport be given the same TV time as men’s sport? Why should men be worth millions at the top when women and “lesser” men be given crumbs. Should be equity across the board in TV time and in the purses available. Or do you believe women should stay at home and keep their mouths shut?!
Just told you why. Because at the top level of competitive sport, women are utterly sh*t and inferior.
Should Wrexham FC players be paid the same and given the same TV time as Man City? Their over 40 oldies just beat a team comprising ex-US national women’s team players 12-0. In 40 minutes.
Yes or No?
And if you answer no, does that mean you are a racist English bigot who hates the Welsh?
Should top level male models and singers be paid the same as their female counterparts? Should teaching, HR, arts courses and media be forced to be 50% male?
And see you a “man hater” if you disagree?
They are not trash and they are not inferior, they are excellent within their own realm.
Yes, with few exceptions, if you match up the best men against the best women in a sport where speed and physical strength and lung capacity are key, the men will win. That is WHY we have women’s sports, so that they have a fair game to play.
Alternatively, in sports where grace and style, flexibility and where scoring is subjective, such as in gymnastics or figure skating, women far far outperform men and it is the women that get the attention, TV time, and endorsements.
There is a lesson there. Play to your strengths.
“There is a lesson there.”
Indeed.
If women are utterly inferior in a field like sports, and you are given your own women only category, feel grateful and appreciative. Men don’t get the same privilege in modelling, music etc.
Don’t try to manipulate and use “women’s equality” to pretend you are being oppressed and try to con your way to prize money and TV viewership you don’t deserve.
And if you do, don’t whine if you end up with exactly what you were demanding.
“speed and physical strength and lung capacity”
Like chess? Computer gaming?
In practically every sport, women are far inferior to men. They also attract far fewer crowds, just like Oldham athletic or Wimbledon attract lower crowds than Liverpool or Man City.
If you can’t face up to it, that’s your problem.
Here is a simple rule.
If you win or play better, you get paid more.
That’s why Man City gets paid more, gets more sponsorship, more TV viewership than boys under 15 football teams or Wrexham FC.
And that’s why international women football teams – who are outclassed by boys under -15s or Wrexham FC – don’t deserve to be treated as equals.
“There is a lesson there.”
Indeed.
If women are utterly inferior in a field like sports, and you are given your own women only category, feel grateful and appreciative. Men don’t get the same privilege in modelling, music etc.
Don’t try to manipulate and use “women’s equality” to pretend you are being oppressed and try to con your way to prize money and TV viewership you don’t deserve.
And if you do, don’t whine if you end up with exactly what you were demanding.
“speed and physical strength and lung capacity”
Like chess? Computer gaming?
In practically every sport, women are far inferior to men. They also attract far fewer crowds, just like Oldham athletic or Wimbledon attract lower crowds than Liverpool or Man City.
If you can’t face up to it, that’s your problem.
Here is a simple rule.
If you win or play better, you get paid more.
That’s why Man City gets paid more, gets more sponsorship, more TV viewership than boys under 15 football teams or Wrexham FC.
And that’s why international women football teams – who are outclassed by boys under -15s or Wrexham FC – don’t deserve to be treated as equals.
Why does anyone care who wins anything?
Money. Scholarships.
Because experiencing or witnessing sporting excellence is uplifting.
Money. Scholarships.
Because experiencing or witnessing sporting excellence is uplifting.
They are not trash and they are not inferior, they are excellent within their own realm.
Yes, with few exceptions, if you match up the best men against the best women in a sport where speed and physical strength and lung capacity are key, the men will win. That is WHY we have women’s sports, so that they have a fair game to play.
Alternatively, in sports where grace and style, flexibility and where scoring is subjective, such as in gymnastics or figure skating, women far far outperform men and it is the women that get the attention, TV time, and endorsements.
There is a lesson there. Play to your strengths.
Why does anyone care who wins anything?
I think you’re missing the point and therefore living in an altered reality. The reason that, in general, men’s sports get more TV time and male athletes get paid more is that, for most sports (but not all) more people want to watch men’s sports than women’s sports. This is not misogynistic in any way. It’s the same reason that some sports receive more sponsorship and the participants are paid more than other sports. e.g. not too many people want to watch curling, for example. More people want to watch soccer, football (of the american type in the US), ice hockey and basketball than cyclists in the Tour de France. And when it comes to ice hockey, women’s ice hockey at the Olympic level is about comparable to a regular male high school varsity team, whereas men’s professional ice hockey is a completely different and far more exciting game. On the other hand, when it comes to gymnastics, for example, who wants to watch the men when the women’s programs are so much better. And surprise surprise women gymnasts secure far more sponsorship than men gymnasts.
Good point on the gymnastics. I had thought of that too. Same with figure skating. I would MUCH rather watch the women than the men, particularly on the floor exorcises. There is just more style in the women’s. Plus, how can you not be amazed at the flexibility and power and the risks they take on the bars that you just do not see in the men’s. I doubt I could name a single male gymnast but how many female gymnasts are household names?
But these are not sports with big followings outside of the Olympics.
Good point on the gymnastics. I had thought of that too. Same with figure skating. I would MUCH rather watch the women than the men, particularly on the floor exorcises. There is just more style in the women’s. Plus, how can you not be amazed at the flexibility and power and the risks they take on the bars that you just do not see in the men’s. I doubt I could name a single male gymnast but how many female gymnasts are household names?
But these are not sports with big followings outside of the Olympics.
To answer your question:
If women’s sports attracted the audiences that men’s sports do, and so therefore the advertising revenue, then they would have the leverage to ask for more money. Its simple. You bring in a lot of revenue, you get paid more. You draw a big audience, you get more time on TV. In short, do not blame the leagues, blame the audiences.
I happen to like well played women’s soccer. The game is a little different than the men’s game.
But, the fact is that not even enough women want to watch the women’s games, with perhaps the exception of tennis, to keep the revenues up. Hell, my daughter can name every player on the Patriots, all 53, but I would doubt that she knows more than 3 players on the US women’s national soccer team.
Heck, the WNBA would not even exist without subsidies from the NBA. It would collapse overnight.
Generally, men are more willing to spend more money more often on sports than women are. Men are more willing to spend 2-3 hours or more watching sports. Generally, the men’s games are faster and more physical, more violent, and so, generally more exciting. Are there exceptions? Sure. I love watching the US Women’s soccer team. They are a sassy, spunky, scrappy group who play smart and well. The Williams Sisters were phenoms. But on average would you rather watch Michael Phelps swim or Leia Thomas? Given a choice between watching Manchester City v. Manchester United and watching two MLS women’s teams, what would you pick?
Oh…and he is right, the US Women’s Soccer team, perhaps the best women’s team in the world, got thrashed, THRASHED by a cobbled together team of older male players.
Every trans woman out there is kicking butt in women’s sports, winning by huge margins. These are the losers from the men’s competitions.
I think we need to be careful with this. I see danger to women’s sport altogether in the near future.
One way that the leagues and TV advertisers could eliminate any calls for unequal TV time or pay is to simply eliminate men’s and women’s teams altogether and have one team that is mixed sex. Then, let the men and the women compete to make the same team. One team means one pay scale means one TV viewership.
We both know what would happen. The men would dominate, just dominate and no women would get selected at all.
Now, you might say that is nuts, and it IS nuts but it is also a solution to women complaining about unfair treatment. You say that you are going to treat them exactly equally.
Now, you might say that women would lose their minds and it would never fly. HOWEVER….
I ended up in an argument with my girlfriend’s 18 yr old daughter who goes to the the University of Michigan. I was arguing that trans women in women’s sports was unfair and immoral to allow. I pointed out all the biological advantages that men have over women in sport, bone mass, muscle mass, lung capacity etc. SHE says to me that no two women are the same either, that some women have physical advantages over other women. I gave up the argument. If she could not see the point and thought that way then there was nothing I can do. BUT…my point is, she would probably agree that eliminating men’s and women’s teams was a good idea. She got so upset at with me she burst into tears and yelled and called me a transphobe.
“Why should men be worth millions at the top when women and “lesser” men be given crumbs.”
Because women’s sport rightly or wrongly doesn’t have enough spectator support. Can you name three members of the England cricket team currently taking on the Aussies in the Women’s Ashes?
So should the government force broadcasters to schedule equal air times for men’s and women’s sports, even if the latter has 1/10 the viewing audience? And the advertising revenues from people watching men’s sports should be split with women, even if advertising on the latter’s sports don’t bring in nearly as much money?
What’s next – all sports should have equal broadcast time, and pay equal money? Why should the athletes of one sport ever earn more than athletes of a different sport? How fair is that? Not to mention all levels of all sports – why should national teams make more than regional teams who also work hard?
What justification do you have for one form of government forced equality of outcome, that doesn’t apply to the other?
In the US, some citizens races with prizes require a qualifying time to be met to join that race. Should men and women have the same starting time requirements, for equity? As it happens, the men have to be much faster to even get in the race.
But now, they have been pushed to add a non-binary third category, which they did, with qualifying times halfway between men’s and women’s. Not good enough, the NB’s needed to all use the women’s qualifying time (after all, biological advantages disappear if you identify as NB on a given day). And then the relative handful of NB’s in that category demanded that their category receive equal prize money to the far larger categories, equity you know.
Let’s make sure there are just as many woman-hours and casualaties at the front lines in Ukraine and similar conflicts, as man-hours and casualties. We must be equal everywhere, period! Or maybe equality only when certain parties benefit, but inequality is OK when that benefits the same parties more.
I have supported equal pay for (honestly) equal work my whole life, and continue to do so. Equal pay for unequal work is a whole different matter, tho.
Just told you why. Because at the top level of competitive sport, women are utterly sh*t and inferior.
Should Wrexham FC players be paid the same and given the same TV time as Man City? Their over 40 oldies just beat a team comprising ex-US national women’s team players 12-0. In 40 minutes.
Yes or No?
And if you answer no, does that mean you are a racist English bigot who hates the Welsh?
Should top level male models and singers be paid the same as their female counterparts? Should teaching, HR, arts courses and media be forced to be 50% male?
And see you a “man hater” if you disagree?
I think you’re missing the point and therefore living in an altered reality. The reason that, in general, men’s sports get more TV time and male athletes get paid more is that, for most sports (but not all) more people want to watch men’s sports than women’s sports. This is not misogynistic in any way. It’s the same reason that some sports receive more sponsorship and the participants are paid more than other sports. e.g. not too many people want to watch curling, for example. More people want to watch soccer, football (of the american type in the US), ice hockey and basketball than cyclists in the Tour de France. And when it comes to ice hockey, women’s ice hockey at the Olympic level is about comparable to a regular male high school varsity team, whereas men’s professional ice hockey is a completely different and far more exciting game. On the other hand, when it comes to gymnastics, for example, who wants to watch the men when the women’s programs are so much better. And surprise surprise women gymnasts secure far more sponsorship than men gymnasts.
To answer your question:
If women’s sports attracted the audiences that men’s sports do, and so therefore the advertising revenue, then they would have the leverage to ask for more money. Its simple. You bring in a lot of revenue, you get paid more. You draw a big audience, you get more time on TV. In short, do not blame the leagues, blame the audiences.
I happen to like well played women’s soccer. The game is a little different than the men’s game.
But, the fact is that not even enough women want to watch the women’s games, with perhaps the exception of tennis, to keep the revenues up. Hell, my daughter can name every player on the Patriots, all 53, but I would doubt that she knows more than 3 players on the US women’s national soccer team.
Heck, the WNBA would not even exist without subsidies from the NBA. It would collapse overnight.
Generally, men are more willing to spend more money more often on sports than women are. Men are more willing to spend 2-3 hours or more watching sports. Generally, the men’s games are faster and more physical, more violent, and so, generally more exciting. Are there exceptions? Sure. I love watching the US Women’s soccer team. They are a sassy, spunky, scrappy group who play smart and well. The Williams Sisters were phenoms. But on average would you rather watch Michael Phelps swim or Leia Thomas? Given a choice between watching Manchester City v. Manchester United and watching two MLS women’s teams, what would you pick?
Oh…and he is right, the US Women’s Soccer team, perhaps the best women’s team in the world, got thrashed, THRASHED by a cobbled together team of older male players.
Every trans woman out there is kicking butt in women’s sports, winning by huge margins. These are the losers from the men’s competitions.
I think we need to be careful with this. I see danger to women’s sport altogether in the near future.
One way that the leagues and TV advertisers could eliminate any calls for unequal TV time or pay is to simply eliminate men’s and women’s teams altogether and have one team that is mixed sex. Then, let the men and the women compete to make the same team. One team means one pay scale means one TV viewership.
We both know what would happen. The men would dominate, just dominate and no women would get selected at all.
Now, you might say that is nuts, and it IS nuts but it is also a solution to women complaining about unfair treatment. You say that you are going to treat them exactly equally.
Now, you might say that women would lose their minds and it would never fly. HOWEVER….
I ended up in an argument with my girlfriend’s 18 yr old daughter who goes to the the University of Michigan. I was arguing that trans women in women’s sports was unfair and immoral to allow. I pointed out all the biological advantages that men have over women in sport, bone mass, muscle mass, lung capacity etc. SHE says to me that no two women are the same either, that some women have physical advantages over other women. I gave up the argument. If she could not see the point and thought that way then there was nothing I can do. BUT…my point is, she would probably agree that eliminating men’s and women’s teams was a good idea. She got so upset at with me she burst into tears and yelled and called me a transphobe.
“Why should men be worth millions at the top when women and “lesser” men be given crumbs.”
Because women’s sport rightly or wrongly doesn’t have enough spectator support. Can you name three members of the England cricket team currently taking on the Aussies in the Women’s Ashes?
So should the government force broadcasters to schedule equal air times for men’s and women’s sports, even if the latter has 1/10 the viewing audience? And the advertising revenues from people watching men’s sports should be split with women, even if advertising on the latter’s sports don’t bring in nearly as much money?
What’s next – all sports should have equal broadcast time, and pay equal money? Why should the athletes of one sport ever earn more than athletes of a different sport? How fair is that? Not to mention all levels of all sports – why should national teams make more than regional teams who also work hard?
What justification do you have for one form of government forced equality of outcome, that doesn’t apply to the other?
In the US, some citizens races with prizes require a qualifying time to be met to join that race. Should men and women have the same starting time requirements, for equity? As it happens, the men have to be much faster to even get in the race.
But now, they have been pushed to add a non-binary third category, which they did, with qualifying times halfway between men’s and women’s. Not good enough, the NB’s needed to all use the women’s qualifying time (after all, biological advantages disappear if you identify as NB on a given day). And then the relative handful of NB’s in that category demanded that their category receive equal prize money to the far larger categories, equity you know.
Let’s make sure there are just as many woman-hours and casualaties at the front lines in Ukraine and similar conflicts, as man-hours and casualties. We must be equal everywhere, period! Or maybe equality only when certain parties benefit, but inequality is OK when that benefits the same parties more.
I have supported equal pay for (honestly) equal work my whole life, and continue to do so. Equal pay for unequal work is a whole different matter, tho.
How misogynistic can you be in a couple of paragraphs… Why shouldn’t women’s sport be given the same TV time as men’s sport? Why should men be worth millions at the top when women and “lesser” men be given crumbs. Should be equity across the board in TV time and in the purses available. Or do you believe women should stay at home and keep their mouths shut?!
Inadvertently, this article gives away the root cause of this problem.
One one hand, the admission that:
“athletes who are biologically male …. have a bigger advantage .”
Or
“sex differences may be particularly crucial within competitive sport”
On the other hand, the whining complaint about how female athletes are “at a disadvantage to men” because the latter have more sponsorship or airtime.
That’s right. The best woman tennis player gets thrashed by a man ranked 200, the best women’s football teams gets hammered by random school u-15 boys teams, the fastest female sprinter would finish dead last in the first round Olympics heats.
Which is so unfair. Women deserve to be rewarded equally, paid equal prize money, and treated exactly like men.
And not just in sports. STEM, IT, military….forget biology or performance, just treat us women as equals when it comes to jobs, pay, promotions.
After all, what’s the downside in it for women, right?