S2 Finale: Gender Identity and Transgenderism in College Sports

In this special episode of SportsWaves, host Karl Winter breaks down the nationwide debate about fairness and inclusion in sports, which hinges on whether transgender athletes have an unfair advantage.Karl begins and ends with Lia Thomas’ controversial and historic victory at the 2022 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.In the first part of the episode, Karl begins with the NCAA’s updated policy on transgender student-athletes (3:00), then moves into how Pepperdine Athletics would enforce it (4:27) and whether trans student-athletes would feel comfortable competing for the Waves. (6:45)In the second part (10:55), Karl speaks with Lauren Coffey, a lawyer and professor of sports management at Winthrop University. Coffey is an expert on the laws and lawsuit surrounding this issue, including state laws that restrict transgender participation in sports.In the third part (16:39), Karl dives into the crux of the issue — whether the possible advantages of trans athletes are reason to ban transgender athletes from sports. He speaks with two trans men, Pepperdine student Tony Lin and former Mount Holyoke field hockey player Emet Marwell, on the issue.Karl closes with conclusions about the issue (24:20) and a farewell to SportsWaves. (26:13)__________________________________________________Follow The Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic“SportsWaves” is hosted and produced by Karl Winter. “SportsWaves” is a Pepperdine Graphic Media production. Featured music: “Vans in Japan” by Buckeye Bonzai and “Deep Thinking” transitions courtesy of Colin Gray