Lankford Urges NCAA to Protect Women’s Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), along with their colleagues, sent a letter urging National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Charlie Baker to update the Association’s student-athlete policy to ensure only biologically female students can participate in women’s sports.

“Amid the Biden-Harris Administration’s unprecedented assault on Title IX, we write to urge the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to update your student-athlete participation policy to require that only biologically female students participate in women’s sports. The 2024 Summer Olympics are upon us, and the NCAA has boasted about its athletes’ participation. Yet the NCAA has still taken no steps to protecting a critical portion of these athletes. Several organizations—including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport—in addition to more than 20 states, have acted recently to protect women’s sports. We urge the NCAA to follow suit and take similar action to promote fair play,” the Senators wrote in the letter.

“In April of this year, the NAIA Council of Presidents unanimously approved a new policy prohibiting the participation of males in women’s sports. Similarly, in June of this year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Lia Thomas lacked standing to challenge World Aquatic’s policy barring Thomas from competing in the women’s category for the Olympics. These decisions are rooted in the fundamental knowledge that—while each individual should have access to sports—men and women have biological differences that must be respected… The very bedrock of sport is the exhibition of a commitment to excellence, grace under pressure, and fair play among competitors—all of which is threatened absent an even playing field. Women deserve that even playing field and chance to compete, one that can only be achieved by ensuring that only females compete in women’s sports. We urge you to follow the lead of the NAIA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport and adopt policies that protect women’s sports,” the Senators wrote in the letter.

Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Katie Britt (R-AL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), John Thune (R-SD), Jim Risch (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mike Braun (R-IN), Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Rick Scott (R-FL) also signed the letter.

Riley Gaines, Concerned Women for America, Heritage Action, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, Independent Women’s Forum, the Independent Women’s Law Center, Champion Women, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and the Our Bodies, Our Sports Coalition have endorsed this letter.

“Men and women are different. Period. Title IX was implemented because of that reality, in order to give women the same opportunities in sports as their male counterparts. But now those opportunities are being ripped away from them because of men who are identifying as female and organizations like the NCAA who are allowing them to compete against women. The NCAA says it supports its female athletes – it’s time that those words were followed by actions,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, the nation’s largest public policy organization for women.

“Men do not belong in women’s sports. This obvious truth is based in science and backed by the vast majority of Americans. By giving men access to women’s spaces and teams, the NCAA is violating its responsibility to protect student athletes from unsafe, unfair competition. The integrity of college sports hinges on the NCAA’s resolve to do the right thing and put the rights of female athletes above political pandering,” said Ryan Walker, Executive Vice President, Heritage Action. 

“The NCAA touts its Emerging Sports For Women Program and other programs meant to encourage female athletes’ achievements, all while embracing policies that continue to erase them. The NCAA has rejected pleas from more than 7,000 NCAA athletes, and demands from women’s rights organizations, feminist organizations, sports organizations, female Olympians and lawyers urging the NCAA to take immediate action to repeal its discriminatory policy that allows male athletes to compete in women’s sports — taking trophies, roster sports, playing time, resources, and opportunities to compete from women and girls. Independent Women’s Forum and Independent Women’s Law Center are grateful for members of Congress who know this is unjust and are asking the NCAA to do the right thing,” said Carrie Lukas, President/Independent Women’s Forum and May Mailman, Director/Independent Women’s Law Center.

“I was at the NCAA meeting when Pat Griffin and Helen Carroll presented their transgender inclusion policy for adoption. We were told that one year of cross-sex hormones would remove male-advantage from men who wanted to compete with women. We were assured that the science was conclusive. Years later, we now know that the science that the NCAA relied on was wrong, and that newer research shows that no amount of hormones or surgery can roll back male athletic advantage. The NCAA should recognize the now well-established science and change their policy to protect women’s sports,” said Nancy Hogshead, J.D., OLY, Founder and CEO, Champion Women.

Click here or below to view the full letter.

Dear President Baker:

Amid the Biden-Harris Administration’s unprecedented assault on Title IX, we write to urge the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to update your student-athlete participation policy to require that only biologically female students participate in women’s sports. The 2024 Summer Olympics are upon us, and the NCAA has boasted about its athletes’ participation. Yet the NCAA has still taken no steps to protecting a critical portion of these athletes. Several organizations—including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport—in addition to more than 20 states, have acted recently to protect women’s sports. We urge the NCAA to follow suit and take similar action to promote fair play. 

The science is clear. Males have inherent athletic advantages over females due to their anatomy and biology—including through having larger hearts, higher red blood count, greater lung capacity, longer endurance, larger muscle mass, differences in bone density and geometry, and lower body fat. Consistently, when adult males’ athletic performance is contrasted with adult females’ athletic performance in sports relying on endurance, muscle strength, speed, and power, males dominate, outperforming females by 10 to 30 percent.

Notably, similar trends are seen among trans-identifying athletes undergoing treatment, such as hormone therapy. When examining the effects of hormone therapy, studies show that muscular strength of men can be well preserved, even after three years on such a regimen. Moreover, data shows that estrogen therapy does not reverse the majority of athletic performance parameters, and biological males continue to have innate advantages. Regardless of whether a trans-identifying athlete is receiving treatment, dominance over women is still clearly visible. This reality is reflected in the international anti-doping community’s stance on testosterone supplementation. According to the United States Anti-Doping Agency, ‘testosterone is prohibited in sport at all times.’ This is because there is an understanding that male hormones give athletes a material and competitive advantage in sports. To allow biological men to compete in women’s sports, while considering testosterone a performance enhancer, is intellectually dishonest. These facts cannot continue to be ignored by the NCAA.

Other athletics associations are beginning to recognize this scientific fact. In April of this year, the NAIA Council of Presidents unanimously approved a new policy prohibiting the participation of males in women’s sports. Similarly, in June of this year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Lia Thomas lacked standing to challenge World Aquatic’s policy barring Thomas from competing in the women’s category for the Olympics. These decisions are rooted in the fundamental knowledge that—while each individual should have access to sports—men and women have biological differences that must be respected.

While men may have inherent athletic advantages, they have no advantage over women in their level of passion, drive, or desire to compete. The very bedrock of sport is the exhibition of a commitment to excellence, grace under pressure, and fair play among competitors—all of which is threatened absent an even playing field. Women deserve that even playing field and chance to compete, one that can only be achieved by ensuring that only females compete in women’s sports. 

We urge you to follow the lead of the NAIA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport and adopt policies that protect women’s sports. We look forward to working with you to support girls and women in sports. 

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