facebook-pixel

Letter: Don’t expect a level playing field; that’s not the point of sports

FILE - In this Friday, May 3, 2019 file photo, South Africa's Caster Semenya, left, competes to win the gold in the women's 800-meter final during the Diamond League in Doha, Qatar. Caster Semenya has signed for a South African soccer club and may be considering giving up track and field, it was announced Friday, Sept. 6. The Olympic 800-meter champion is currently in a legal battle with the IAAF over her right to compete without taking testosterone-suppressing medication.(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, file)

As a kid, I liked to play sports. I played Little League baseball, front yard football, tennis at Sorenson Park and street hockey.

I got to high school age, and while I still liked sports, I was a scrawny little kid who would get creamed on the playing field. The other kids were so much bigger and stronger than me.

I knew I was no longer cut out for sports so I joined the drama club, choir and yearbook staff. I found that these were all more enjoyable and certainly a lot safer than sports.

I didn’t expect a level playing field; that is not the point of sports. The point is to do whatever you can to win. That means putting in the biggest, strongest, and fastest people you can find.

To the girls who want to play sports, but are worried about playing against girls stronger than they are, may I suggest choir or the chess team?

After all, not all girls are built the same. If you have a hard time understanding or dealing with that, admit to yourself that it’s not about playing against a more qualified athlete. Admit to yourself that it’s all about the “ick” factor you harbor towards transgender people — and that’s a whole other ballgame.

Scott Perry, Salt Lake City

Submit a letter to the editor