As anticipation around the WNBA builds for the upcoming playoffs, the league continues to navigate controversy surrounding the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
With the league’s stance on the issue entering the forefront, a notable pundit revealed why he believes the league is in bad shape.
Pundit Believes WNBA Is In Crisis Due To Current Guidelines On Potential Transgender InclusionWhile discussing the issue on Fox News, Outkick pundit Clay Travis called out the WNBA for having what he considers vague guidelines regarding transgender athletes entering the league. Travis said “All they have to do is adapt the same standards as the Women’s Tennis Association, the NCAA, the Olympics, and test one time that it’s all women.”
Travis added “The G League, which is the minor league of the NBA, the average player makes $45,000 a year. The average WNBA player makes $500,000 a year. There’s a lot of people watching us right now that would say I identify as a man or woman if identifying as a different gender got you 10 times the salary? This is why the WNBA is in crisis.”
Travis believes there are financial incentives for others to follow in the footsteps of former NBA players Enes Kanter and Royce White, who announced they are declaring for next year’s WNBA Draft. Travis would like the WNBA to follow the testing guidelines of other sports to ensure that only biological women are playing in the league.
A WNBA task force met this week and discussed transgender participation, but not failed to create new eligibility rules. A press statement revealed the task force will continue discussing the issue throughout the year.
Critics of Travis point out that no women who public identify as transgender have ever played in the league and it’s never been considered a real issue. There’s only been two nonbinary athletes in the history of the league, and both athletes’ birth sex is female.
Travis believes the current guidelines that only women are eligible to play in WNBA contains a loophole that others like Kanter and White can exploit without biological testing. Critics of Travis also point out the chances of Kanter and White getting selected in next year’s draft are minimal, and their actions shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Travis continues to speak out against the league while arguing the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports in an issue that cannot be ignored.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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