University of South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley is ok with transgender athletes competing in college sports. She delivered that opinion Saturday during a press conference. 

“I’m on the opinion of, if you’re a woman, you should play. If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports or vice versa, you should be able to play. That’s my opinion,” said Staley, whose Gamecocks will face Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the national championship on Sunday.

“The barnstormer people are going to flood my timeline and be a distraction to me on one of the biggest days of our game, and I’m OK with that. I really am,” Staley added.

South Carolina faces Iowa today for the NCAA championship. This is a poorly timed controversy for women athletes. 

A writer for Outkick asked what her opinion is about transgender athletes playing on women's teams. Staley looked uncomfortable and hesitated a bit before she answered.

Dawn Staley responded to a question asking if she supports transgender women playing women's college basketball.

"If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports or vice versa, you should be able to play."

🎥 @RealDanZakpic.twitter.com/5fr2b8vLnt

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 6, 2024

Her hesitation indicates she knew she would create a firestorm on the eve of the championship game. She threw her players under the bus, as she did with all college women athletes. It was a cowardly thing to do. Conforming to the fringe hivemind to avoid being criticized by them is easy. Taking a principled stand to protect women's sports takes courage. 

Women's sports were created to give women a place to compete. It's that simple. Men are not lacking opportunities to compete. It is wrong to allow a man who couldn't win playing against other men to turn to women's sports to win trophies, titles, and scholarships. It's wrong.

Staley is legendary in women's sports. South Carolina has a perfect 37-0 record as it goes for its third national title. The Gamecocks won in 2017 and 2022 with Staley as the team coach. Her coaching resume includes eight SEC tournament championships, eight regular-season conference titles, and a 2020 Olympic gold medal, and she has been named Naismith Coach of the Year four times. Her career as a player includes induction into the Hall of Fame, three Olympic gold medals, and a two-time national player of the year at Virginia.

This is an impressive woman who could make a difference in how women's sports go forth in college competitions. She caved to the wrong side. Men cannot be allowed to compete as women. It will destroy women's sports. Let trans athletes compete but they have to compete in their own category - a separate category. 

Riley Gaines, with experience in this area that inspired her to be an activist, weighed in.

"Considering yourself a woman" is now the threshold.

Women have a much bigger hill to climb than I thought... https://t.co/Q89WYWZUKo

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 6, 2024

It was an Outkick writer who asked Staley the question, as Clay Travis noted. 

Great question. Horrific answer. And this coach makes her dereliction of the fairness & safety of women all about HER. Oh boo hoo, she’ll get criticized. Yeah, we get upset when girls/women are endangered by social justice warriors who are SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM. https://t.co/00VS9F0tnS

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) April 6, 2024

On the eve of such a big game for the players and the coach, she should have set the question aside and said she has a national championship as her focus right now. She brought this on herself. If she wasn't prepared to support women and answer the question in such a manner, she should have skipped it and said, "Next question." 

Staley has a history of activism.

Staley has been vocal in supporting multiple causes and pushing for change throughout her coaching career, including advocating for fair and equal pay, keeping the spotlight on WNBA star Brittney Griner, whom she coached on Team USA and was imprisoned in Russia for months, and standing by her players who chose to protest by sitting during the national anthem to “shine a light on” racism, racial inequality and social injustice in 2021.

The Iowa coach had a much better answer. It's a question for another time. Lisa Bluder didn't throw her players under the bus.

“I understand it’s a topic that people are interested in. But today my focus is on the game tomorrow, my players. It’s an important game we have tomorrow, and that’s what I want to be here to talk about,” she said. “But I know it’s an important issue for another time.”

Women's sports have to be protected. Calmer, more rational heads have to prevail. Women are suffering physical injuries because men are stronger and bigger than women. 

In the meantime, this has to stop. Women have to stop competing when a man shows up to play. Coaches have to speak up against the inclusion of men on women's teams. Where are the parents? Moms and dads should voice outrage over their daughters being put at risk and their loss of scholarships and opportunities.