Press Box: Sports are for everyone

Kyler Gilliam, Staff Writer

Unifier:

A person or thing that brings others together; uniter.

That should be the word to describe sports. A commonality amongst people from all different backgrounds, cultures and upbringings. We should all unite through the spirit of competition and the pride of victory. 

Sports can often be an exclusionary space for both athletes and fans who fall outside the norm of dominant culture, however.

From the current administration’s attacks on transgender athletes, to the overall classism, racism, misogyny and homophobia that persist in sports, finding that unifier is becoming difficult.

Sports should be able to excite everybody, and we as sports fans should make strides to create a welcoming environment for anyone.

Trans athletes are experiencing an unruly amount of scrutiny, especially under President Donald Trump’s administration making it unsafe for many to present their authentic selves. 

In 2024, NCAA President Charlie Baker stated that he had knowledge of fewer than ten trans athletes who competed in NCAA-sanctioned sports, according to The Hill.

With nearly 500,000 athletes competing in the NCAA, trans athletes make up less than 0.002% of NCAA athletes to Baker’s knowledge. 

The Trump administration has made constant attempts to “keep men out of women’s sports.” The rhetoric has been insanely transphobic and dismissive of trans women.

Instead of ostracizing a small number of trans athletes from the sports they love, we should be finding ways that trans athletes can compete in their respective sports safely and freely.

Sports are a big part of our culture in the United States, as most of its spaces are dominated by straight men. Our heteronormative society still plays into gender essentialism, allowing homophobia and misogyny to run rampant in sports while anything besides masculinity is ostracized.

Athletes identifying with diverse backgrounds are often ridiculed, particularly when they discuss their experiences and advocate for change.

Dismantling the heteronormative culture of sports is paramount to the safe inclusion of women and the LGBTQIA+ community. However, discrimination is not only reserved for people who fall under this umbrella.

Discrimination is embedded in the fabric of the United States, and it is no different in sports. 

Racism from fans, organizational leaders and others in the sports community creates a hostile environment for people of color who want to engage with sports.

Addressing the systemic and interpersonal racism that affects our society will ultimately lead to a safe space for people of all colors to engage with each other and unify through sports.

One of the steps to addressing systemic racism in this country is fixing the socioeconomic gap created by years of oppression. The gap is still felt within the sports community.

Sports have progressed to a point of financial exclusivity — youth sports in particular. 

High-brow sports like golf, tennis and lacrosse have always had financial barriers to play, while soccer, track and field, football and basketball were widely accessible.

Recent rising costs in fees and equipment have made even those sports increasingly harder for kids from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to enter however. 

A survey conducted by the Aspen Institute showed that spending on youth sports had increased by 46% over the last five years.

Youth basketball and baseball thrive on parents who have to pay team registration fees, tournament fees and travel expenses for games that could end up across state lines. This system helps generate the $40 billion business of youth sports, according to the New York Times.

A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows pricing children out of sports that were widely accessible decades ago only strains the connection sports can have on a developing mind. Ensuring affordable access to a variety of sports is integral to making sports accessible for everyone, especially young athletes and fans.

It is the duty of all sports fans, athletes, league representatives and elected officials to ensure sports are a safe space for everyone. The great unifier of sports will help create a welcoming community regardless of background.