Diverse sources of advantage
More from Jon:
You can see where they’re going with this. We’re familiar with the “argument” – it’s the one that goes “Why don’t you ban very tall [or strong or muscular etc etc etc] women from women’s sports?!”
Just a bit.
So … The sole criterion for entry into the women’s division is the inability to do well in the men’s division? That sounds an awful lot like turning women’s sport into junior varsity.
Does this same account of fairness apply to the Paralympics, too? So if I, being able bodied, demonstrate that I don’t run the 400 too much faster than the fastest Paralympian ever, then I ought to be allowed to compete? Fucking really?
That “not too big” is also a moveable feast. Define “not too big”. The TAs will not, because if they do, it will become obvious that no advantage is too big an advantage when it comes to TiMs. Is the ability to kill your opponent without working up a sweat “too big” an advantage? Is the ability to set a record no woman athlete can break “too big” an advantage?
None of these are considered “too big” an advantage, since they are happening and everyone screams “isolated case!” There is no such thing as “too big” an advantage when it comes to men in women’s sport.
Sports have long managed to cope with the concept that some natural advantages are big enough to merit special categories, and others aren’t.
Male and female categories, of course. Age-restricted categories: those under 18 can usually compete in adult events, but not the other way around. Same thing for people over 35/45/65/etc. Weight classes in combat sports.
It’s really not that tricky an idea, which is why I strongly suspect that nobody is actually baffled by it but some are pretending to be.
If they are so hell bent on inclusion, why should men-who-claim-to-be-women be allowed to compete in the women’s division while other men are excluded? I do know some people actually do want to eliminate nominally sex-based divisions in sports, but why don’t other trans advocates realize this is where they are heading?
One of the greatest female power athletes ever is Valerie Adams, a Polynesian New Zealander who dedicated herself to Shot Put and was at the top of her sport for two decades. She is exceptionally tall and powerful woman with an incredibly successful career (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Adams). Her best throw ever was the 2011 World Champs at 21.24m. Let’s consider some context.
– In 2011 that first place career best throw would have placed her 9th in the men’s contest. Pretty good.
– To show what a phenomenon she was at that time, the second placed woman threw 20.18m, which would have placed her 35th in the men’s contest.
– The winning man threw 22.21m
– In 2022 the best women threw 20.51m and the best man threw 23.23m.
– The best woman in 2022 would have placed 47th in the men’s contest.
– Adams would have placed 19th in the men’s contest.
Rob,
Also, women use 4kg shots and men 7.26kg shots, so not really equitable.
Yes! Good point!