“One of the best things to ever come out of this building is Title IX”
WASHINGTON — Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) hosted a roundtable discussion with former SportsCenter Host Sage Steele along with athletes, parents, and coaches about how Title IX is being attacked under the Biden administration. The conversation focused on protecting the rights of female athletes, ensuring Title IX remains intact, and what can be done legislatively to protect women’s sports.
Read excerpts from Coach’s remarks below or watch the full roundtable here.
“Most of you know that I coached for about 40 years – and I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the indifferent. One good thing I’ve seen is Title IX. Over the last 50-something years, what it has done for women and girls has been unbelievable. One of the best things that has ever come out of this building is Title IX and making equal opportunities. You know, for the first time, girls had the opportunity for facilities, [to have the] same amount of coaches as men and boys, [the] same number of sports, which I think is huge. But also scholarships – the ability to receive a scholarship and go to college. […]
“And I don’t want to get into a situation where scholarships are given out in women’s sports in college to men, I don’t want it to get to that point. And that’s one of the things that we have really got to fight against. […] We need to go by the science about determining men and women in sports. […]
“Now we have a bill […] that has been pushed out in the House and the Senate – the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. […] President Biden wants to say […] that he can cut off federal funding if you don’t allow men in women’s sports. Well, mine says just the opposite – that we [would] not allow federal funding, you know, if men play in women sports. Title IX is under attack. We’re going to lose a lot of women’s sports if this continues. […]
“This isn’t a Democrat or Republican problem – it’s an American problem. […] We’re gonna have to plead to our [colleagues] on the left to make a common-sense decision to save women’s sports. If this doesn’t happen, if it continues to go the way it’s going, we will not have women’s sports.”
Senator Tuberville was joined by Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS).
Other panelists included Paula Scanlan, a former NCAA athlete at the University of Pennsylvania who was teammates with Lia Thomas, Cady Mullens, mother of Lily Mullens who is a current NCAA swimmer at Roanoke College, Coach Kim Russell, a former women’s college lacrosse coach who was fired after speaking out about the dangers of men in women’s sports, and Jennifer Braceras, a Harvard Law graduate and Title IX expert.
BACKGROUND:
As a former educator, mentor, and coach for more than 40 years, Senator Tuberville is concerned about the future of girls’ and women’s sports. He began his career coaching high school girls’ basketball shortly after the enactment of Title IX, and witnessed the law’s positive impacts firsthand. Senator Tuberville has been a vocal advocate of preserving Title IX and urged Joe Biden’s Department of Education officials to keep the protections in place.
In February, Coach Tuberville introduced a bill to ban men from competing in women’s U.S. Olympic sports. Coach’s bill came after USA Boxing announced it would allow men to box against women.
In March 2023, Senator Tuberville led 26 Republican colleagues in reintroducing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023 to preserve Title IX protections for female athletes and ensure fair, safe competition in women’s sports across the country. Coach’s bill passed the House in April 2023.
In June 2022, on the 50th anniversary of Title IX’s enactment, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a proposed rule to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports. Senator Tuberville offered a public comment to the proposed rule, citing his concern about the negative implications it would cause for female athletes.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
###
