U.S. Sen. Risch Says Mountain West 'Failed' Boise State After SJSU Forfeit
Fallout continues from the shocking decision by the Boise State women's volleyball team to forfeit its Mountain West Tournament semifinal match against San Jose State to protest the inclusion of transgender Blaire Fleming on the SJSU team.
On Thursday, United States Senator Jim Risch (Idaho) posted on social media and blasted the Mountain West for continuing to allow Fleming (a biological male) to compete in women's volleyball.
"The @MountainWest has failed our Boise State women’s volleyball team," Risch posted on X. "These women have worked too hard for too long to be denied their right to fair, safe competition. We must fight to protect women’s sports."
The debate about transgenders in women's sports continues to pick up steam as governing bodies do little to protect women's sports.
President-elect Donald Trump vowed during his campaign to end transgender participation in women's sports.
During a town hall, comprising only women, hosted by Fox News' Harris Faulkner in October, Trump said he would "ban" males competing in women's sports.
"How do you plan on addressing the transgender issue in women's sports?" one of the women at the town hall asked.
"It's such an easy question," Trump said. "We're not going to let it happen."
"So how do you stop it?" Faulkner asked Trump.
"You just ban it," Trump replied to a raucous applause from the crowd.
To be clear, no politician is advocating banning transgender people from participating in sports.
That's a strawman argument paraded out by the left-wing extremists. The stated goal is to keep biological males from competing in women's sports.
Those people would be free to compete in sports against other males.
While Lia Thomas – a male formerly known as William Thomas who swam for the University of Pennsylvania's men's team for three years – winning an NCAA National Championship in women's swimming brought this issue to the forefront, the Blaire Fleming situation has accelerated the conversation.
United States Senator Jim Risch (ID) blasted the Mountain West after Boise State volleyball forfeited their match against San Jose State due to the presence of transgender Blaire Fleming.
(Getty Images & Boise State Athletics)
San Jose State volleyball, which is ranked 130th in the country (according to RPI), reached the championship match of the Mountain West Tournament without ever playing a match.
The team received a first-round bye as the second-seeded team in the conference, largely thanks to six forfeit victories.
Then, the Boise State forfeit automatically advanced the Spartans to the championship.
The winner of the Mountain West championship receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
If San Jose State is the team to raise the trophy Saturday, expect this conversation to take an even bigger role in public discourse.