Men and women competing in the same sports is nothing new, dating back to the 1900 Olympics. Back then it arose as a controversy, and today it remains a controversy. People have continued to debate this for a while, but now we ponder the question of if they should exist. No, they should not, and it’s seen throughout sports, including the fairness of the sports, the health of the participants, and the overall effect on the sports.
According to the National Institutes of Health, biological males have more testosterone, muscle, and mass while females are generally smaller, less muscular, and hold a higher percentage of fat. When analyzing these factors it is unsafe for a woman to compete with a man in a physically demanding sport, for example, boxing. When women acquire and consume/take testosterone to compete with males, many adverse side effects heavily affect the female body including an agitated mood, bloating, pelvic cramping, increased estrogen levels, and much more. When presented with factors such as these, the health risk is no longer worth the reward of a win in the sport which is never guaranteed. When men switch to women’s sports, they tend to do well.
Collegiate swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological man who transitioned to a woman, went on to win an NCAA championship in swimming. In the 2018-2019 season, Lia Thomas ranked No. 554 in the men’s 200-yard freestyle. When she transferred over to the women’s division, she ranked fifth in that event. Furthermore, in the 500-yard freestyle, she ranked No. 65 and after the transfer, first place. The differences were astronomical when Lia, a biological man, went into the women’s division. When she transferred to the women’s division, she hurt the integrity and fairness of the sport. These facts show that co-ed sports are a complete ill-treatment of any sport.
To prevent co-ed sports from existing, we should terminate them altogether. When women and men compete together, the integrity of the sport is compromised.
Opponents of erasing co-ed sports may say it’s not fair to get rid of them. They could also state transphobia comes into play because individuals are not allowed to participate in the sport that they want to just because they want to be a different gender. They may say it is fair after men take anti-androgen drugs in the time frame that these sports require, and they also could say it’s fair if women take testosterone for the mandatory period. These individuals need to look at all the facts and see that the integrity of the sport, the health of the participants, and the overall effect are all compromised. It’s just not fair to the competitors, and it’s not fun to the viewers.
To keep all sports fair, and to allow all competitors to maintain the best health they can, we need to stand together and make a decision. We need to stop co-ed sports and allow everyone to perform the best they can according to their assigned gender. We need to allow everyone to be rewarded for their hard work, not have it taken someone with an unfair advantage.
