Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: NCAA Has Opportunity to Vote to Protect Women Athletes TODAY!
Austin, TX – April 25, 2024: Today, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will meet to discuss policies for college athletes, giving them an opportunity to create and adopt a policy that would protect college women athletes from being forced to compete against men in college sports. Over 4,000 female athletes have sent letters to the NCAA before today’s meeting asking them to protect women’s sports in their meeting today. College women athletes have held protests at NCAA meetings since 2023 and many NCAA events received protests from female athletes since 2021. The NCAA faces pressure to act, after another major sports governing association of 241 schools, the NAIA, unanimously decided to adopt a policy to protect women’s sports. The NCAA is currently being sued by NCAA champion swimmer Riley Gaines and 16 other female athletes and counting for allowing male athletes, like Will “Lia” Thomas, to compete and undress with college women without their consent.
Mary Elizabeth Castle, Director of Government Relations said:
“Justice delayed is justice denied. College women athletes are tired of waiting for their rights to fair sports competition and bodily privacy being respected by the NCAA. The NCAA should learn from the past and recognize why Title IX was adopted in 1972 to protect women. It’s common sense. The NCAA is out of reasons for why they cannot stop men from stealing women’s sports opportunities. Today is the day that it needs to get done.”
The issue of protecting fairness in women’s sports has been a uniting issue from people of different political backgrounds, for example, key athletes like Riley Gaines and Martina Navritolova. You also have members of the sports media supporting the issue like sportscasters Sage Steele and Michelle Tafoya. In the time the NCAA has waited to create a fair policy for female athletes, the following events have happened:
- Bill Bock, a NCAA board member resigned from his position on the Committee on Infractions due to the NCAA continuing to allow men in women’s sports
- Riley Gaines and 16 other female athletes sued the NCAA for allowing men like “Lia” Thomas to compete in women’s sports and violate their privacy
- Twenty-five states have laws protecting female athletes at either the K-12 or college level or both
- The NAIA unanimously voted in favor of a policy to protect women from being forced to compete against men
- Over 4,000 athletes have written the NCAA Board of Governors asking them to protect women’s sports in their decision today
- President Joe Biden retracted from releasing a new Title IX policy allowing men in women’s sports
Texas Values has been the leading organization in the state of Texas to advance laws to protect female athletes in K-12 University Interscholastic League (UIL) sports and in Texas colleges and universities. To learn more, visit savewomensportstexas.com.
Members of Texas Values policy team are available for comment. Contact Ashley at [email protected] or text/call 737-314-2450 to schedule an interview.
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About Texas Values
Texas Values is the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvalues.org.