NCAA Caves To Trump, Bans ‘Transgender’ Athletes

The NCAA has officially banned transgender athletes assigned male at birth from competing in women’s sports, following an executive order from President Donald Trump. The policy shift, announced Wednesday, marks a dramatic reversal from previous NCAA regulations that allowed biological males to compete in women’s sports after meeting specific hormone therapy requirements.

The NCAA Board of Governors clarified that the decision aligns with the Trump administration’s stance on protecting women’s athletics from unfair competition. NCAA President Charlie Baker stated that the move was necessary to bring “clarity” to a chaotic landscape where differing state laws and court rulings created inconsistencies in collegiate sports.

“The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes. We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions.”

“To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard,” Baker said in a statement.

Under the new guidelines, only biological females can compete in NCAA women’s sports. However, biological males are permitted to practice with women’s teams and receive medical and other athlete benefits.

The policy is effective immediately and will apply across all NCAA divisions. “A student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete for an NCAA women’s team,” the rules read.

However, the student-athletes may continue to practice with the women’s team and are entitled to all other benefits afforded to student-athletes. Decisions about athletics participation are ultimately determined by individual schools, and NCAA institutions must comply with applicable local, state, and federal laws, which take precedence over NCAA regulations.

On Wednesday, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which prohibits transgender “women” (biological males) from participating in women’s and girls’ sports teams. The order mandates that federal agencies and state attorneys general enforce this prohibition, with potential consequences for educational institutions that do not comply, including the revocation of federal funding.

“The updated policy combined with these resources follows through on the NCAA’s constitutional commitment to deliver intercollegiate athletics competition and to protect, support and enhance the mental and physical health of student-athletes,” Baker continued. “This national standard brings much needed clarity as we modernize college sports for today’s student-athletes.”

The move comes amid a growing backlash against the inclusion of biological males in women’s athletics, with many arguing that it puts female athletes at a competitive disadvantage. A series of high-profile cases, including that of Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who dominated NCAA women’s events in 2022, fueled the debate over fairness in competition.

This follows another sweeping executive order signed last month, which mandated federal agencies to define sex strictly as male or female across government documentation, including passports and federal prison assignments.