Ironically, as the MeToo Movement and female empowerment crusade hits its zenith, female sports as we know it is facing a disruptive force that is disadvantaging women. Last week tennis legend Martina Navratilova learned the price one pays when speaking out on the issue.
As gender lines gets blurred, with modern day gender being defined less in terms of biology and science and more as a matter of feelings, such as ‘I feel I’m a woman, therefore I am,’ women participating in sports have become subservient to political correctness.
Martina Navratilova ran into a firestorm when she stuck up for the concept that only biological females should compete in female sports by tweeting out in part “You can’t just proclaim yourself a female and be able to compete against women,” and, “There must be some standards, and having a penis and competing as a woman would not fit that standard.”
For her outspokenness, Navratilova was savaged by all the usual politically correct antagonists and bullies, and Twitter lit up with calls for an apology along with meanspirited outcries that Navratilova is transphobic.
In response, the former tennis pro did what any smart person would when confronted by an angry mob. Although she has said “I regret nothing,” she did pull down all her controversial tweets and issued an apology saying, “Once again - clearly I am ignorant of what is being transphobic. So I am sorry for my ignorance, it won’t happen again.”
But the real victim isn’t those who were allegedly insulted by Navratilova’s words, but women whose accomplishments now and in the future will be diminished by our rush to discredit the concept of gender.
More examples are popping up each day. The concept that biological males have a distinct advantage competing against biological women isn’t hard to understand, as skeletal muscle constitutes about 42 percent of a man's body mass and only 36 percent of a woman's body mass. Try stating this logic and science and you’ll be sure to be called a bigot.
As for feminists who consider themselves the vanguard for standing up for women, there is great confusion on how to handle the whole transgender movement. Should they be supportive and inclusive, or is the inclusion of biological men who identify as women in places like women’s locker rooms and women’s athletic competitions cruel to women?
What makes this complex issue nearly impossible to resolve is political correctness. If you dare speak out on the subject you get the Navratilova treatment.
English writer and entertainer Jo Brand spoke for many women on their reluctance of broaching the subject over fear, “A lot of people feel very wary about talking about the topic. A lot of women feel if they say anything at all there is a kind of knee-jerk reaction of anger which has nothing to do with the content of what they said … and because they feel frightened of being threatened. I mean, who wouldn’t be?”
If female athletes want to preserve female sports, they will need to find their courage and voice and stick up for themselves, because it is apparent society as a whole will look the other way if not.
Matthew Kastel is a 25-year veteran of working as an executive in the world of sports, including professional teams, organizations, and some of the largest vendors in the industry. Matt has also written two novels and teaches and lectures at universities on the business of sports. For more information you can visit his website at thirdstrikeproductions.com. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.
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