After years of what seems like walking through hell and back, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Idaho and West Virginia in two critical cases that defend laws protecting women’s sports and spaces.Today, I feel something that I haven’t felt in a long time when it comes to the protection of women’s sports and spaces: relief.Personally, I have witnessed male athletes dressed in makeup and sports bras allowed to hold trophies after humiliating the hardworking female athletes for whom they were intended.I watched my athletic career disappear before my eyes due to a life-altering injury that was 100% preventable.
I watched as roster spots and championships got ripped out from underneath more-than-deserving women.I watched girls who trained their entire lives lose opportunities to boys.LAWYERS FIGHTING SJSU OVER VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL RESPOND TO FEDERAL TITLE IX PROBE FINDINGSAs a former athlete, I know what it means to pour your heart into the sport you love.
Every athlete does.We are well acquainted with the early mornings, exhausting practices, injuries, sacrifices, and countless hours that nobody sees.
We know what it feels like to chase a goal for years with little to no guarantee of success.That’s why this issue hits so close to home for nearly 70% of Americans.When I was in high school, I suffered a traumatic brain injury in a volleyball match due to a male playing on the girls’ team.
His spike was harder, faster, stronger than any girl I have ever been across the net from.Years later, I have not recovered from this injury, and it will genuinely affect me for the rest of my life.For most athletes, we already have the pressure of making the team.
We stress about form, speed, agility, and technique before tryouts.We live with the potential that there may be another girl who’s better than us, so we won’t make the cut.
This alone makes athletics enough of a strain, physically and mentally — yet for thousands of us, it’s a strain we are glad to bear...