7 ms·

I thought this article does a good job explaining why some people care a lot about this topic https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/how-youth-sports-supercharged-the

I thought this article does a good job explaining why some people care a lot about this topic https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/how-youth-sports-supercharged-the https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/how-youth-sports-supercharg...

lelanthran 6mo ago
That article does seem very one-sided: > of youth sports have created clear incentives for them to prioritize competitive fairness over principles like inclusion, well-being, and fun. In an event that is primarily focused on competitive fairness, what does inclusion have to do with it? If playing sport is about fun, well-being, etc, then don't play in competitive events. You can't very well want to play in competitive events while complaining about competitive fairness.
- icegreentea2 6mo ago
  It feels one sided because the author is an outsider - as the author readily admits - "It has been brought to my attention, however, that my blasé attitude toward sports makes me an outlier". Turning to some actual numbers - this 2024 survey tells us that only ~15% of respondents said that their children participate in club sports or independent training (note that the categories are not exclusive). The same survey also says that ~10% of respondants think that their child can compete in professional sports, or be a national level team member. Finally, a similar 10% say that the "only the best players should receive time in games" is a fair policy at your child's age and level. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/National-Youth-Sports-Parent-Survey-FINAL.pdf https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Na... I think the point of the article is to maybe highlight how large the gulf might be between an typical outsider (and looking at the numbers above... and reminding ourselves that only ~50% of American youth are involved in organized sports at all), someone who is somewhat "in the game", and those who are really playing it (that 10% from above).
happytoexplain 6mo ago
On this topic, I feel like "why do some people care a lot about this" is probably the question least in search of an answer.
- puppykito 6mo ago
  Any chance this anti-trans lobby (the right, lobbies, whatever they are) gets to erase trans people out of public life, whether at high Olympics level or at dumb for-fun high school level, they will take it. They will always try to make it so that the would-be suffering of a non existent cis woman who got beaten by a trans woman is so so much more important than the clear discrimination that trans women (and trans men, and unconventional cis women) deal with these rulings. If it were happening at an unprecedented level, I would totally understand the attention and such, but this is just painful to see. The same can be applied to gender affirming care for trans youth, bathrooms, etc. It is always about the "may be hurt woman" than the actively being hurt real trans people. Gosh I hate feeling like a second class citizen.
reillyse 6mo ago
The problem for this argument is that there is no actual data that trans kids and specifically trans girls are any better at sport than other girls. Literally no trans athletes winning anything. I think hacker news skews scientific so we can do the math, if say 1% of the athletes are trans we would expect them to win 1% of the medals in a fair contest. As it is, they don't even come anywhere close. There has not been a single olympic medal won by a trans athlete, so clearly they do not have some kind of magical advantage, in fact (and common sense would make this pretty obvious) they seem to have quite a statistical disadvantage.
- dragonwriter 6mo ago
  > The problem for this argument is that there is no actual data that trans kids and specifically trans girls are any better at sport than other girls. There is considerable evidence that they aren't. But that's not really relevant, because you have to remember segregation in sport has never been about competitive fairness, it has always been about allowing those who are socially superior to avoid the embarrassment of having to compete in an environment where they might be defeated by their social inferiors. It is why women were long banned from competitions, and then shortly after exclusion seemed to harsh for evolving attitudes, they were segregated from men. And it is why trans people are being excluded from competition now. It's why racial segregation in sport was a thing. When competitive fairness is raised as an argument for segregation, it is pretextual, not the real reason, so counterevidence is irrelevant.
  - mech998877 6mo ago
    There is considerable evidence that trans girls and women have a competitive advantage over women in many sports.
    - pavel_lishin 6mo ago
      Please present some.
      - 6mo ago

lelanthran 6mo ago

That article does seem very one-sided: > of youth sports have created clear incentives for them to prioritize competitive fairness over principles like inclusion, well-being, and fun. In an event that is primarily focused on competitive fairness, what does inclusion have to do with it? If playing sport is about fun, well-being, etc, then don't play in competitive events. You can't very well want to play in competitive events while complaining about competitive fairness.

icegreentea2 6mo ago
It feels one sided because the author is an outsider - as the author readily admits - "It has been brought to my attention, however, that my blasé attitude toward sports makes me an outlier". Turning to some actual numbers - this 2024 survey tells us that only ~15% of respondents said that their children participate in club sports or independent training (note that the categories are not exclusive). The same survey also says that ~10% of respondants think that their child can compete in professional sports, or be a national level team member. Finally, a similar 10% say that the "only the best players should receive time in games" is a fair policy at your child's age and level. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/National-Youth-Sports-Parent-Survey-FINAL.pdf https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Na... I think the point of the article is to maybe highlight how large the gulf might be between an typical outsider (and looking at the numbers above... and reminding ourselves that only ~50% of American youth are involved in organized sports at all), someone who is somewhat "in the game", and those who are really playing it (that 10% from above).

happytoexplain 6mo ago

On this topic, I feel like "why do some people care a lot about this" is probably the question least in search of an answer.

puppykito 6mo ago
Any chance this anti-trans lobby (the right, lobbies, whatever they are) gets to erase trans people out of public life, whether at high Olympics level or at dumb for-fun high school level, they will take it. They will always try to make it so that the would-be suffering of a non existent cis woman who got beaten by a trans woman is so so much more important than the clear discrimination that trans women (and trans men, and unconventional cis women) deal with these rulings. If it were happening at an unprecedented level, I would totally understand the attention and such, but this is just painful to see. The same can be applied to gender affirming care for trans youth, bathrooms, etc. It is always about the "may be hurt woman" than the actively being hurt real trans people. Gosh I hate feeling like a second class citizen.

reillyse 6mo ago

The problem for this argument is that there is no actual data that trans kids and specifically trans girls are any better at sport than other girls. Literally no trans athletes winning anything. I think hacker news skews scientific so we can do the math, if say 1% of the athletes are trans we would expect them to win 1% of the medals in a fair contest. As it is, they don't even come anywhere close. There has not been a single olympic medal won by a trans athlete, so clearly they do not have some kind of magical advantage, in fact (and common sense would make this pretty obvious) they seem to have quite a statistical disadvantage.

dragonwriter 6mo ago
> The problem for this argument is that there is no actual data that trans kids and specifically trans girls are any better at sport than other girls. There is considerable evidence that they aren't. But that's not really relevant, because you have to remember segregation in sport has never been about competitive fairness, it has always been about allowing those who are socially superior to avoid the embarrassment of having to compete in an environment where they might be defeated by their social inferiors. It is why women were long banned from competitions, and then shortly after exclusion seemed to harsh for evolving attitudes, they were segregated from men. And it is why trans people are being excluded from competition now. It's why racial segregation in sport was a thing. When competitive fairness is raised as an argument for segregation, it is pretextual, not the real reason, so counterevidence is irrelevant.
- mech998877 6mo ago
  There is considerable evidence that trans girls and women have a competitive advantage over women in many sports.
  - pavel_lishin 6mo ago
    Please present some.
    - 6mo ago