NCAA President Charlie Baker went to Washington Dec. 17. For his troubles, he got bullied by two Republican lawmakers who turned a gambling hearing into a referendum on how the NCAA should handle transgender athletes, writes iGB.
Referring to the athletes as “biological males” who are playing on women’s sports teams, Senators John Kennedy and Josh Hawley used the hearing designed to debate the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act (SAFE Bet Act) to instead push forward their anti-transgender agenda.
In a moment of irony, Kennedy and Hawley verbally harassed Baker in a hearing that, in part, was addressing athlete harassment.
The issue of how American universities and colleges should handle transgender athletes has been in the news after multiple women’s volleyball teams forfeited games against San Jose State last fall. It was revealed earlier this year there is a transgender player on the team. Boise State withdrew from a conference semifinal against San Jose State over the issue.
‘Go buy a spine on Amazon’
The issue is fraught for college administrators, coaches and athletes. Baker said there is no federal mandate about whether or not a transgender player should be allowed to play. But he pointed to five court decisions that would allow it. At the hearing, he was met with this from Kennedy:
“Why don’t you stand up and take a leadership position?”
“Why don’t you stand up in front of god and country and say, ‘Federal law is wrong’ and ban biological males from playing in women’s games?”
“Maybe you should go to Amazon and buy a spine online.”
And if that diatribe from a sitting U.S. Senator wasn’t embarrassing enough, Hawley followed with even more vitriol. He delivered much of it in a raised voice. He also cut off Baker and talked over him. The lowlights of Hawley’s comments:
“Did you say that federal law requires biological men (to be allowed) to play!? There is no federal law!”
“THIS IS YOUR FEDERAL POLICY THAT YOU WILL NOT DEFEND BECAUSE IT IS INDEFENSIBLE!”
“All of these women had to forfeit games and not play in the championship. Why are you allowing this?”
Congressional bullying
The display was disgusting. And not just for its content. Importantly, Kennedy and Hawley bullied Baker in what should be the most professional of professional settings. Chairman Dick Durbin let the displays go on for several minutes before eventually cutting off both Kennedy and Hawley. But Baker was remarkable. He did not lose his cool and, in some cases, he did not respond.
Regardless of how anyone feels about the transgender college athlete issue or even the NCAA’s position, Baker showed a calm professionalism that made the offending senators look even more ridiculous.
The outbursts served only to overshadow an informational session about whether or not the federal government should get involved with the regulation of legal sports betting and online casino.
The intent of the hearing was to open discussion on the SAFE Bet Act. The proposed law would require states with legal sports betting to get federal approval to continue. It also lays out what would be some of the most stringent advertising guidelines in the world.
Five witnesses – three of whom would support the bill, one neutral and one opposed – testified. The key issues were banning college-player prop bets and curbing harassment of college athletes by bettors.
Joe Maloney, senior vice president of strategic communications for the American Gaming Association (AGA), issued the following statement after the hearing:
“Today’s hearing notably lacked an industry witness. This unfortunate exclusion leaves the committee and the overall proceeding bereft of testimony on how legal gaming protects consumers from the predatory illegal market and its leadership in promoting responsible gaming and safeguarding integrity. We remain committed to robust state regulatory frameworks that protect consumers, promote responsibility, and preserve integrity of athletic competition.”
