Opinion By Sen. Cynthia Lummis , Riley Gaines
Athletes know when they step onto the court, they are stepping into battle. Their jerseys are the armor, and the ball is the ammunition. For female athletes across the nation, winning the battle is much harder when their opponent is a bigger, faster and stronger male.
The Wyoming Cowgirls volleyball team faced the decision to either forfeit their matches against San Jose State University (SJSU) whose women’s volleyball team included a male, or risk injury from a volleyball being spiked at 80 mph. The Cowgirls courageously put their safety first, willing to accept a loss to protect the integrity of women’s sports everywhere.
The University of Wyoming (UW) joined three other Mountain West schools in forfeiting games against SJSU, including Utah State, Boise State and Nevada. The Mountain West Conference and the NCAA are two of countless governing bodies that continue to fail girls and women across the country.