South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was asked about her stance on the issue during a press conference Saturday, and said she supports transgender women participating in women's sports.
“I think if you're a woman, you should play. If you consider yourself a woman and want to play sports, or vice versa, you should be able to play sports. That's my opinion.” said Staley. His Shamcocks will face Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the national championship on Sunday.
“Barnstormer people are going to come crashing into my timeline and interrupt me on the most important days of our games, but I'm open to it. I really am,” Staley said. added.
Dawn Staley answered a question about whether she supports transgender women playing women's college basketball.
“If you identify as a woman and want to play sports, or vice versa, you should be able to play.”
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South Carolina boasts a perfect record of 37-0 and is vying for its third national title. Under Staley, the Shamcocks previously scored in 2017 and 2022. Her coaching career also includes eight SEC tournament championships, eight regular season conference championships, one 2020 Olympic gold medal and four Naismith Coach of the Year awards. As a player, she was a Hall of Famer, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a two-time National Player of the Year at the University of Virginia.
Staley has supported multiple causes throughout his coaching career, including advocating for fair and equal pay, coaching Team USA, and keeping the spotlight on WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia for several months. and have been vocal in pushing for change. This comes from players who chose to protest by sitting during the national anthem in 2021 to “shine a light” on racism, racial inequality and social injustice.
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Iowa State coach Lisa Bruder also declined to answer Saturday's press conference when asked about her thoughts on transgender women competing in women's sports.
“I understand it's a topic that people are interested in, but my focus today is tomorrow's game, the players. Tomorrow is a big game so I want to talk about that.” she said. “But I know it’s an important issue for another time.”
The question posed to Mr. Staley and Mr. Bruder was that the NCAA's transgender participation policy, which allowed Leah Thomas, a transgender swimmer who was a member of the University of Pennsylvania's women's swimming team, would be subject to “Continuation of Title IX in 2022.” The move comes after 16 athletes filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, alleging that the rules violate the rules. The swim team will compete in the NCAA Swimming Championships.
In a statement, the NCAA pushed back on claims that it violated Title IX, a federal law that increases opportunities for women in sports. “College sports are the highest stage for women's sports in America, and while the NCAA does not comment on pending litigation, the association and its members continue to advance Title IX and make unprecedented investments in women's sports. “and ensure fair competition at all NCAA championships,'' the NCAA said.
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