What to Do About Gender in Sports

Ray Rice was an All-Pro running back with the Baltimore Ravens for six seasons, being named to the Pro Bowl three times and leading his team to a 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Before being selected by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft, Rice was a first-team All-American with the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights.

Standing just 5’8” and weighing 206 pounds, Rice ran for 6,180 yards in his career, placing him second on the Ravens all-time rushing list behind Jamal Lewis. Rice also scored 37 TDs in a Ravens’ uniform.

And yet, despite his on-the-field accomplishments, the first thing people think of when they hear the name “Ray Rice” – and deservedly so – is the video showing him punching his then-fiancée (now wife) Janay Palmer inside a hotel elevator in Atlantic City. In the video released by TMZ, Palmer appears to spit at Rice, who responds with a blow to the face which causes her to fall and hit her head on the elevator handrail, knocking her unconscious. Rice is then seen dragging Palmer’s body from the elevator on a different floor.

For his assault, Rice was indicted by a grand jury on third-degree aggravated assault charges, which were later dropped when he agreed to undergo court-supervised counseling. Rice was initially suspended by the NFL for two games at the start of the 2014 season, but after the TMZ video was released, Rice was suspended indefinitely by the league and released by the Ravens. He appealed the second suspension, suing the Ravens for $3.529 million and settling out of court for an undisclosed amount. When no other teams showed interest in signing him, Rice retired from the NFL in 2018.

Today, Rice is a motivational speaker who speaks out against domestic violence to high school students and college athletes.

Fast-forward just six years to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Imane Khelif of Algeria defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in a women’s boxing match when Carini quit the fight after just 46 seconds. “My face and nose were hurting,” Carini said. “I couldn’t breathe anymore… I’ve never been hit with such a powerful punch.”

So, what’s the big deal, right? One girl hits another girl hard, isn’t that what Olympic boxing is all about? Well, yes and no. You see, Khelif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association at last year’s world championships in New Delhi for “failure to meet eligibility rules.” Specifically, Khelif tested positive for XY chromosomes according to IBA President Umar Kremlev and her body produces testosterone instead of estrogen, helping her to build more muscle mass than her female competitors.

Reportedly, Khelif has female reproductive organs, meaning she may be suffering from Swyer syndrome or something similar, a condition that affects 1 in every 80,000 people. Regardless of the cause, Khelif is apparently intersex (as are 2% of the world’s population). And so, the question remains: should Khelif be allowed to compete against women or be forced to compete against men?

I don’t have an easy answer to that question. In fact, I had to rewrite this article because I initially excoriated Khelif for being transgender when, in fact, she is not. Unlike Lia Thomas, a biological male who couldn’t cut it against other men but now dominates when pitted against female swimmers, Khelif appears to be a victim of circumstances beyond her control.

How the International Olympic Committee and other ruling sports bodies handle this situation will require a delicate balancing act between protecting women while not discriminating against intersex athletes. The only thing that is certain is that the Lia Thomases of the world should be required to compete according to their biological sex, not their mythical gender identity.

Ray Rice was blackballed for hitting his fiancée and justifiably so. As a result of a single punch, his NFL career came to a screeching halt, and he is still treated like a leper in some circles today. But Lia Thomas is considered untouchable because he is helping to promulgate one of the Progressives biggest lies: that a person can change his or her gender identity at will.

Testosterone builds muscle mass, giving men a decided advantage against women in feats of strength. Just ask Caitlyn Jenner, who won the decathlon as Bruce Jenner at the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976. “Trans women are competing against women, taking valuable opportunities for the long-protected class under Title IX and causing physical harm,” Jenner said.

“All I’m trying to do is protect women,” Jenner added. “Let’s stop it now while we can.”

But the Liberal Left – which never tires of demanding that conservatives “follow the science” – refuses to acknowledge that simple and undeniable fact. As a result, female athletes are losing races, records, scholarships, and yes, medals to gender-confused men who couldn’t crack the starting lineup on an all-male team. That is not only unfair and unconscionable, but it is a real slap in the face.

Make that a real punch in the nose.