Latest news with #studentAthletes
Fox News
4 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Minnesota high school defends trans softball pitcher's playoff dominance amid lawsuit
A high school softball team in Minnesota is deep in the state playoffs and the political news cycle, both thanks to its dominant transgender pitcher. Champlin Park High School in Minnesota defeated the defending state champions, Rogers High School, in the sectional final on Thursday by a score of 1-0. The trans pitcher threw 14 shutout innings, bringing the athlete's season ERA down to 0.88. Three anonymous players who claim to have faced the pitcher filed a lawsuit against the state on May 20 for allowing the athlete to compete against female players. The situation has prompted national scrutiny amid the ongoing political divide over biological males in girls' and women's sports. Champlin Park's school district provided a statement to Fox News Digital defending the decision to allow the athlete to compete on the softball team. "Throughout the entire season, and as the Rebels advance to the state tournament, it is important to note that all of the student athletes participating for the Champlin Park Softball team are eligible to compete in compliance with Minnesota State High School League rules and applicable state law. Due to data privacy laws, the District is not able to provide public comment regarding a specific student athlete," a statement from the Anoka-Hennepin School District stated. "In addition, the District is named in an active lawsuit which limits what information can be shared." The pitcher will now lead Champlin Park into the state tournament next week for the first time in program history. The lawsuit against Minnesota was filed by the religious law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The defendants are Attorney General Keith Ellison, the Minnesota State High School League Executive Director Erich Martens, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero and Minnesota Commissioner of Education Willie Jett. "Minnesota is failing its female athletes. The state is putting the rights of males ahead of females, telling girls their hard work may never be enough to win and that they don't deserve fairness and safety," Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Suzanne Beecher told Fox News Digital. "By sacrificing protection for female athletes, Minnesota fails to offer girls equal treatment and opportunity, violating Title IX's provisions. Our client, Female Athletes United, is right to stand up for its members by challenging the state's discriminatory policy and advocate for true equality in sports." Ellison's office has responded to the lawsuit in a statement to Fox News Digital. "In addition to getting exercise and the fun of competition, playing sports comes with so many benefits for young people. You build friendships that can last a lifetime, you learn how to work as part of a team, and you get to feel like you belong," the statement read. "I believe it is wrong to single out one group of students, who already face higher levels of bullying and harassment, and tell these kids they cannot be on the team because of who they are. I will continue to defend the rights of all students to play sports with their friends and peers." Ellison is also suing President Donald Trump and the Department of Justice to ensure transgender athletes can continue participating in girls' sports in the state. After Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order, the Minnesota State High School League announced it would defy federal law by allowing transgender athletes to continue playing in women's sports. Ellison then claimed at a press conference on April 22 that he received notice from the Department of Justice threatening legal action if the state did not follow the executive order, so the AG decided to sue first. The White House later responded to the lawsuit, condemning Ellison for taking legal action to enable trans inclusion. "Why would a grown man sue the Trump administration to allow other biological males to participate in women's sports? This is creepy and anti-woman," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. Minnesota's state legislature failed to pass the "Preserving Girls' Sports Act" in early March, which would have stated that "only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Wall Street Journal
5 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
The SEC Launches Its Latest College Sports Power Grab
This was already shaping up to be a seismic summer for college sports. For weeks, officials have been bracing for a multibillion-dollar antitrust settlement that will launch the sport into a new era in which colleges will share revenue with the athletes who help generate it.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
California changes high school sports rule after Trump post over trans athlete
The governing board for California high school sports is changing its competition rules at this weekend's state track and field championships to allow more girls to take part amid controversy over the participation of a trans student-athlete. The California Interscholastic Federation said it was extending access for more 'biological female' athletes to participate in the championship meet. The group announced the change Tuesday after Donald Trump posted on his social media site about the participation of a trans athlete in the competition. 'Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section's automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,' the federation said in a statement. 'The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.' The move comes amid a nationwide battle over the rights of transgender youth in which states have limited transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams, barred gender-affirming surgeries for minors and required parents to be notified if a child changes their pronouns at school. At least 24 states have laws on the books barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain womens or girls sports competitions. Some of the policies have been blocked in court. A recent AP-NORC poll found that about seven in 10 US adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and womens sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about nine in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats. The federation didn't specify whether the change applies to all events or only events where a trans athlete has qualified for the final. The change only applies to this weekend's competition. The organization didn't immediately answer a question about how many students it expects will be affected by the change. The rule change may be the first attempt nationally by a high school sports governing body to expand competition when trans athletes are participating, though the action is so far limited to a single meet. In a social media post Tuesday morning, Trump threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar trans students from participating in girls sports. The post referenced AB Hernandez, a trans athlete who competes in girls track and field. Hernandez is scheduled to compete in the girls varsity triple jump, high jump and long jump in the state finals this weekend. She won the Division 3 girls long jump and girls triple jump and placed seventh in the high jump at the Southern Section Division Finals on 19 May, according to CIF results. 'THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump also criticized Maine's Democratic governor after she said the state would take the president to court over his effort to keep trans girls from competing in girls sports. The Trump administration launched an investigation earlier this year over a law that says districts can't force teachers and staff to notify parents if a student changes their gender identity at school. Trump's comments came months after Gavin Newsom, the California governor, said on his podcast that transgender girls' participation in girls' sports was 'deeply unfair'. Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator who was a guest on the podcast, specifically referenced Hernandez when asking Newsom about the issue. James Gallagher, the Republican leader in the California assembly, was pleased that the federation took action. 'CIF stepped up, but only after President Trump and Republicans brought the heat,' he said in a statement. 'Newsom ran his mouth on a podcast and disappeared. Talking isn't leading. Acting is.' Trump said he planned to talk to Newsom about the issue Tuesday. The governor's office did not confirm the call but weighed in on the California Interscholastic Federation rule change. 'CIF's proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness – a model worth pursuing,' Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said. 'The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach.' Democratic state lawmakers in California blocked bills last month that would have barred transgender girls from participating in girls sports. Newsom, who does not typically announce his position on pending legislation, did not publicly weigh in on the proposals. Parents and conservative advocates opposed to transgender girls competing in girls sports have criticized Hernandez's participation and heckled the athlete during postseason meets. 'There's nothing I can do about people's actions, just focus on my own,' Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main earlier this month. 'I'm still a child, you're an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person.' In an email, Hernandez's mother declined to comment on Tuesday's rule change. The Jurupa unified school district, which includes Hernandez's high school in Southern California, said it would continue to follow state law allowing trans student-athletes to compete on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
College Athletes' Controversial NIL Deals
In 2021, College Sports changed forever when the NCAA allowed student athletes to make money using their name, image and likeness - known as NIL. According to one study - the total NIL market is projected to reach nearly $1.7B this year. Bloomberg Open Interest takes a deep dive into the controversial sponsorships with Learfield CEO Cole Gahagan. Learfield is a sports marketing company which represents over 200 division 1 colleges and and has helped over 2,000 athletes secure NIL sponsorships Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
NCAA and Genius Sports extension seeks to protect college athletes from negative prop bets
The NCAA and Genius Sports announced a multi-year expansion of their partnership earlier this year, making Genius the exclusive distributor of official NCAA data to licensed sportsbooks through 2032. There is a caveat to the agreement, NCAA President Charlie Baker said Tuesday. 'For them to continue to access our data moving forward, there can't be any sportsbook betting on negative props,' Baker said. 'So all the stuff that literally translates into a lot of the worst behavior that's directed at young people and student-athletes generally under this agreement is going to be off the table.'
