Women’s college basketball coach Dawn Staley had an awkward moment after being asked a question about trans athletes. The question was asked by a reporter from Outkick during a post-game press conference. This was just before the championship game between Staley’s team, South Carolina, and the mighty Iowa, which features superstar Caitlyn Clark. South Carolina won that game to become the 2024 NCAA Women’s College Basketball Champions. There may have been a slight cloud over that victory due to the question about transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.
Staley recognized that her answer to the “trans athletes” question would be a problem regardless, so she sort of “froze” when asked the question. Staley reluctantly said these people should play, although she didn’t emphatically say they should play alongside other women. It is evident that her answer was given to prevent a media firestorm right before the championship game they won. This was not Staley’s position when she boycotted two Brigham Young University games over allegations of a racial slur from BYU fans against a Duke Women’s Volleyball player, though.
SOURCES:
Dan Zaksheske on X: “I asked South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley if she supports transgender women (biological males) playing women’s college basketball. “If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports or vice versa, you should be able to play.” https://t.co/SEQCsNiFvm” / X
Dawn Staley: Worried about possible slurs toward USC players vs. BYU – YouTube
South Carolina, Staley cancel BYU games over racial incident – YouTube
