Coco Gauff, the No. 4-ranked women’s singles player in the world, is also universally regarded as one of the most authentic, outspoken athletes in the world. She just showed why yet again.
Fewer than three minutes into her post-match press conference at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Gauff was asked about the WTA’s newly introduced “one-off mandatory gene-testing for all players.”
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“I know it’s been something that’s been talked about a while,” Gauff, 22, said. “But I’ve talked to a couple other players, and a lot of them didn’t find out until the press release. So, I do think that’s something that could have been more transparent amongst like players across the tour.”
“I mean, I understand the reasoning behind it,” Gauff continued. “I do think that this kind of conversation has created a lot of animosity towards the trans community, which I’m not really a big fan of, but I also understand the need to — I guess, the biological difference and the need to protect that and preserve that. So, I think it’s a conversation that is very nuanced, and I need to have a nuanced answer.”
“So, yes, I guess, I kind of agree with trying to protect the fairness in women’s sports,” Gauff continued. “But I also do not like the attack that it is creating. People who don’t really care, but just want to use this as a reason to attack the trans community. So, I’m not really a big fan of that, either. I don’t really know how to answer this question in a way that people aren’t going to spin it. But as far as where I stand, I definitely support the trans community, but I also support the need of creating fairness in sport, too.”
Gauff said she didn’t know how to give an answer without the media spinning her words. But by acknowledging that it’s a nuanced conversation — one inappropriate for a press conference, really — and that she isn’t an expert in fair play in sport, all while giving voice to one of the most marginalized, misrepresented communities and standing firm in her empathy, she gave an answer that is impossible to misconstrue.
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And as an unintended byproduct, Gauff created a blueprint for the athletes who are increasingly more likely to face similar questioning.
The subject of transgender athletes in women’s sports reentered the mainstream when Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham expressed her opinion for this ESPN profile published July 21. Last week, organizations against transgender women in women’s sports rallied around Cunningham and made their presence known at Fever games.
Pretty soon, the subject swallowed the WNBA. Press conferences were suddenly turned into political forums. The likes of Fever All-Star guard Caitlin Clark, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, and Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase were asked to comment — often by rogue reporters who hadn’t covered the WNBA all season.
After previously doubling and tripling down, Cunningham called for such coverage to end at Fever practice on Wednesday, Aug 5. “I want to get back to basketball,” Cunningham told a media scrum.
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Cunningham’s pivot came after Fever All-Star guard Caitlin Clark deferred to “leagues and governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions” and said the team’s “focus is on basketball” at her post-game press conference last Sunday, Aug. 2.
“I understand that she’s the most popular player in the league and that people are looking for somebody who is 23 or 24 years old to be a spokesperson on everything,” Jemele Hill said on CNN in reference to Clark’s statement. “But I actually have a sincere appreciation for athletes who understand when they’re out of their depth, and there’s things they don’t want to speak about. She’s not required to do that.”
“It’s funny they’re putting this pressure on her to say something because wasn’t this the same crowd — correct me if I’m wrong — who also stood firmly behind ‘shut up and dribble’?” Hill added.
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While that crowd may stop applying pressure to Clark and Cunningham, it seems determined to breathe oxygen into the transgender athlete debate by any means necessary. And the stunt could be coming to a press conference near you.
Earlier this week, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was also asked to weigh in on the WTA’s new women’s eligibility policy, which she vehemently supported. Along with Coco Gauff and Sabalenka, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman was asked about the league’s stance on transgender participation.
The topic of transgender athletes has always been bigger than Sophie Cunningham’s opinion on it. And now, women’s sports — and specifically, athlete soundbites — has been identified as the arena to drum up outrage on one of the hot-button issues in the country. Facts be damned.
The post Coco Gauff addresses transgender athlete debate with powerful statement appeared first on Awful Announcing.
