The collegiate organization that has been embroiled in controversy over transgender athletes says it will abide by President Trump’s executive order banning biological men in women’s sports. Wednesday’s statement from the president of the NCAA came shortly after Trump signed an executive order withholding federal funds from educational institutions that permit biological males to compete against females.
Last fall, several collegiate volleyball teams forfeited their matches rather than face San Jose State, which included a biological male who identifies as female and who competed on the women’s team. In 2022, Penn’s Lia Thomas, a biological male who identifies as female, won the women’s 500-yard freestyle in the NCAA swimming championships. Thomas previously competed on the men’s team.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said his organization will follow Trump’s order.
“The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes. We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard,” Baker said.
“The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration,” Baker added. “The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. We stand ready to assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athletes affected by changes in the policy.”
Trump’s executive order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,“ states it is the policy of the United States to “oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.“
“Under the Trump administration, we will defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and our girls,“ he said at a signing ceremony. “From now on, women’s sports will be only for women.”
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Andrew Harnik/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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Originally published February 06, 2025.
