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NCAA aligns with Trump and bans biological men from participating in women's sports

Charlie Baker, president of the college sports governing body, expressed that the organization supports the creation of nationally consistent rules.

Donald Trump

Donald TrumpJim Watson / AFP

Sabrina Martin
Published by
Sabrina Martin

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) made a crucial change to its eligibility policies, adopting a new rule banning biological men from competing in women's sports teams.

Previously, the governing body of college sports allowed biological men to compete in women's sports, but only if they met a specific requirement: having been under testosterone suppression treatment for at least one year. This rule, which had been in place since 2010, was replaced by a new policy that provides exclusive participation to biological women on women's teams. However, it still allows biological women to compete on men's teams.

The context of Trump's executive order

The change in NCAA policy comes after President Trump signed the executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," in which he also bans men who identify as transgender from participating in women's sports at colleges and universities.

NCAA statements

Charlie Baker, president of the NCAA, expressed that the organization supports the creation of nationally consistent rules that provide a unified and fair framework for all educational institutions that are part of the NCAA. In his statement, Baker said the organization is reviewing the executive order to adjust its policies accordingly and stressed that this approach clarifies the rules for student-athletes, removing the complexity of state and judicial legislation surrounding the issue.

Trump welcomes NCAA decision

Following the NCAA's announcement of its new policy, the president celebrated the change via his social media, highlighting the impact of his recent executive order. In his post, he congratulated the organization for adopting the new rule banning men from competing in women's sports.

"Exciting news! Due to my Executive Order, which I proudly signed yesterday, the NCAA has officially changed their policy of allowing men in Women’s Sports. This is a great day for women and girls across our country," the president said.

He further showed his hope that the International Olympic Committee will follow suit, stressing that the U.S. citizenry has widely endorsed the policy and has strong global support.

Department of Education investigation

The Trump administration's Department of Education (DOE) launched investigations into possible Title IX violations at several institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), St. Joseph's State University and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). One of the cases involved Blaire Fleming, a transgender volleyball player who participated on the women's team, but it was alleged that her birth sex was concealed from her teammates, resulting in a lawsuit. In addition, DOE's Office for Civil Rights is reviewing athletic participation policies at various schools to ensure that they respect Title IX protections for female athletes. This review also includes implementing protections based on biological sex at all educational institutions.
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