When it comes to competitive fairness and preserving women’s athletics, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has declared it will do no such thing. In a recently released statement, the NCAA said it “firmly and unequivocally” supports the inclusion of biological males who “identify” as female in women’s sports. “This commitment is grounded in our value of inclusion and fair competition,” the NCAA stated. “Our clear expectation as the Association’s top governing body is that all student-athletes will be treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to ensuring that NCAA championships are open for all who earn the right to compete in them.”

First, there’s nothing fair about allowing men to compete against women in sports that depend on physical prowess. The science deniers notwithstanding, there are inherent differences between the sexes, among them being that men are generally faster and stronger. Second, treating people with dignity and respect does not necessitate indulging their personal fictions, much less forcing states to comply or lose economic activity. What about supporting the dignity of and having respect for folks who “believe the science”?

In any case, the NCAA will ban collegiate championships and tournaments from being held in states that enact legislation banning males from competing in female sports. Tellingly, the NCAA is only banning the hosting of championship events; regular season competitions will be allowed to continue. In other words, this is an empty virtue signal by the NCAA. The league doesn’t want to eliminate entire schools from college sports because the revenue is too important.

This threat is clearly aimed at several states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee, which are in the process of enacting legislation designed to protect women’s sports. The NCAA did the same thing to North Carolina in 2016. Sadly, it would appear that the association has decided it doesn’t mind if all sports are dominated by men. Whatever happened to upending the patriarchy?