FAIR PLAY

A sports journalist’s careful study of both women’s sports and exclusionary practices facing transgender athletes.

Sports, Barnes explains in their significant debut book, have become a “primary battleground” for a number of culture debates and policy proposals impacting the transgender community, especially transgender youth. Expanding on years of reporting for ESPN from the nexus of sports and gender identity, the author seizes a lightning rod of an issue and effectively imparts clarity and nuance. Barnes astutely positions today’s deliberations and controversies within the history of Title IX and women’s sports programs, enriching this context with research on the science of hormones, fallouts among seemingly obvious allies in the space of women’s sports advocacy, personal stories of transgender athletes’ competing at various levels, and the author’s own experience as a nonbinary former athlete with a deep love for women’s sports. The book is a solid resource for those seeking to understand or discuss sensational news headlines and reactive legislation, providing a foundation built from informative and detailed explanations of relevant topics, including the difference between using testosterone to medically transition and using it for competitive advantage, endogenous puberty, and the distinctions drawn and restrictions imposed by governing bodies like the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee. The heart of the narrative involves questions Barnes raises about the very idea of sex-segregated sports, what qualities are prized in athletic competition, and their personal, thoughtful ideas for a possible path forward. The author is clear in their desire to investigate all the complexities of the issue and dismiss ill-informed arguments. Their attempt to distill truth and instill comfort beyond traditional gender definitions results in a powerful treatise on what current outrage, particularly about transgender girl and women athletes, says about how we think about sports as a whole.

Enlightened and empathetic—required reading for anyone weighing in on gender and sports.