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On the end of October, Angel City FC player Elizabeth Eddy posted her first online post in almost two years. Within her message, she addressed news that the National Women's Soccer League had quietly abandoned its policy of inclusion for trans and intersex players, making the organization's future stance unclear.

The next day, her opinion piece was republished completely by a different media outlet, giving it wider exposure.

“I worry that lacking clear guidelines about who the league is for, it will lose its identity and its momentum,” Eddy wrote.

The article generally argued for a prohibition on trans athletes from the league to preserve “the fairness of female athletics.”

Questioning the Actual Threat

It remains uncertain how Eddy thinks the NWSL's integrity has been damaged—either under its previous guidelines that permitted transgender players or its present absence of policy. The organization, now in its thirteenth year, has established a clear identity. It's highly competitive, commercially and culturally powerful, and an essential part of the worldwide female football scene.

The league's momentum seems mostly fine—audience numbers have grown each year, and expansion to 16 teams is scheduled for the coming years.

Analyzing the Evidence

Eddy cites the English FA's recent ban on transgender athletes as a positive example. However, that restriction is thought to impact only 20 or so grassroots players out of millions soccer players. The effect in the United States would likely be equally negligible.

In 2021, when the NWSL's policy of inclusion was implemented, there were two trans players: one player and Kumi Yokoyama. They have both departed, and no openly transgender athletes currently compete in the league. On the current season's first matchdays, the league welcomed its thousandth participant. That's only two out trans players out of more than a thousand in league history.

Baseless Fears and Actual Harm

The article is written as if there is a pipeline of trans players ready to dominate the league imminently. There is no such thing. There are currently no out trans players playing at a elite level in the US. National laws explicitly bans transgender athletes from competing in university sports. Additionally, numerous peer-reviewed studies have shown that transgender players have no biological advantages over cisgender competitors.

In the absence of out trans people, discriminatory behavior have persisted along racial lines. When a club's Barbra Banda was named a top honor, she faced a wave of digital harassment. The league was slow to respond in defending their star player. Similarly, another team's Temwa Chawinga and her sister faced similar mistreatment.

“The piece does not represent for this team in our dressing room,” team leader Sarah Gorden told the media. “We don't agree with the content for a plethora of causes, but primarily the implications come across as transphobic and racist as well.”

Other Urgent Issues Confronting the League

Even if one were to ignore all that and believe that trans inclusion constitutes a genuine issue for the NWSL, it's difficult to see how it would surpass multiple of different challenges that have truly hindered the league's momentum and affected its reputation.

• Employment standards for staff remain a problem. Six former San Diego Wave employees are taking legal action against the club and the NWSL, alleging bias based on race and ability, unwanted advances, and failure to stop prejudice.
• Athlete welfare is a further area of concern. In May, a player Savy King fell on the pitch, requiring urgent care. The match resumed, despite players were clearly upset. The players' association called on the NWSL to revisit their health procedures.
• Extreme weather guidelines have also been challenged. During a nationally televised match, the NWSL commissioner allegedly warned to fine a team over a disagreement in extreme heat procedures.
• Financial competition from leagues abroad like the Women's Super League is increasing, attracting top talent away from the NWSL and country where they built their professional lives.

Transgender players did not factor into any one of these challenges. And it's improbable they will, irrespective of whether Eddy's suggestions come to pass.