Do Transgender Women Have a Competitive Edge? A Study by the American Academy of Sports Medicine

00;00;00;00 - 00;00;45;03
Mark Conrad
Hello and welcome to the Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, the podcast that explores the world of professional, collegiate, amateur, and Olympic sports. I’m Mark Conrad or Prof. C from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business, where I serve as a professor of law and ethics and the director of the Sports Business Initiative. Here is a trivia question. In 1954, Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile.

00;00;45;05 - 00;01;13;07
Mark Conrad
Since then, thousands of male runners have broken that barrier. The world record is about 20 seconds faster today than it was then. But how many women have broken the four minute mile? Answer: Zero. None. The difference in success in one of the leading track races made me think about the issue of the inclusion of transgender athletes competing in their preferred sex.

00;01;13;09 - 00;01;41;26
Mark Conrad
This has become more than a sport's topic. It has become a legal and political landmine, with strong opinions offered by those in favor and those opposed. Some feel that trans athletes have the right to compete with no restrictions. Others feel the opposite, including some women's rights advocates. In certain states, legislators who have been able to enact bans on trans athletes from competing in their preferred gender.

00;01;41;28 - 00;02;19;26
Mark Conrad
While the Biden administration has released proposed rules that would try to mark a middle ground, the rules would allow such athletes to compete except in situations where they were past puberty, and the result would be an unfair advantage over cisgender women. Suffice it to say that the debate has been at times nasty and personal. I want to focus on a sub issue that centers on the Roger Bannister trivia question, and that is formerly male trans athletes competing as women on the elite or professional levels.

00;02;19;29 - 00;02;52;14
Mark Conrad
The stakes are not insignificant as medals, fame and money come from being a top of the world in a given sport. At this time, most international sports federations have allowed transgender athletes, but only after they take hormonal suppressants to limit their testosterone levels. This involves a central question: Do formerly male trans athletes who transitioned after puberty have an advantage over cisgender women?

00;02;52;16 - 00;03;28;23
Mark Conrad
And here is where we must address the biology of whether testosterone levels create an unfair advantage. Is there a biological basis for this variance? A recent study released by the American Academy of Sports Medicine concludes that testosterone levels point to significant performance differences based on sex. The study, available on its website, acsm.org, does not make recommendations, but its conclusion fans are definitive. Quoting from the abstract:

00;03;28;25 - 00;04;12;14
Mark Conrad
“Biological sex is a primary determinant of athletic performance. Because of fundamental sex differences in anatomy and physiology dictated by sex chromosomes and sex hormones.” Note the words “primary determinant”. The study concludes that, quote, “adult men are typically stronger, more powerful, and faster than women of similar age and training status. Thus, for athletic events and sports, relying on endurance, muscle, strength, speed and power, males typically outperform females by 10 to 30%, depending on the requirements of the event.

00;04;12;16 - 00;04;45;24
Mark Conrad
These sex differences in performance emerged with the onset of puberty and coincide with the increase in endogenous sex steroid hormones, in particular testosterone in males, which increases 30 fold by adulthood but remains low in females,” unquote. The report compares the biological male and female performances in track and field, swimming, speed skating, track cycling, weightlifting, and archery. And the differences are striking.

00;04;45;26 - 00;05;30;13
Mark Conrad
Just a few examples: in running, from 100 meters to the marathon, the difference hovers around 10%; in jumping and pole vault, about 15%; in swimming between five and 15%; and speed skating 8 to 10%. Weightlifting has the widest range, 22 to 30%, and archery the least with 2%. As noted earlier, the American Academy of Sports Medicine report does not make any recommendations on the issue of inclusion of transgender athletes in cross sex competition or how athletes should be categorized for recreational or competitive sports.

00;05;30;16 - 00;06;06;16
Mark Conrad
Rather, it is an overview of the state of the science. But the science says a lot, and it should be food for thought in the debate over transgender athlete participation in elite level sports competitions. Any thoughts? Send them to me at [email protected]. That's gsbsportsbusiness - One word - @fordham.edu. Thanks to my producer, Victoria Ilano for all her hard work to make this podcast happen.

00;06;06;19 - 00;06;26;23
Mark Conrad
And thanks to all of you for listening. Until next time, this is Prof C for the Sports Business Podcast.