I want to bring an important situation to your attention. San Diego State University’s Women’s Volleyball team is scheduled to play against San Jose State on November 9.
San Jose State’s team includes a male athlete, leading several teams to boycott matches due to concerns about fairness and safety. Despite this, our local university, SDSU, is set to compete with them on November 9.
In collaboration with Riley Gaines and Payton McNabb, I’ve sent a letter to SDSU’s Women’s Volleyball team, urging them to reconsider participating in this match. For those unfamiliar, Riley and Payton are prominent advocates for women’s sports.
Riley gained national attention after speaking out about tying with UPenn’s Lia Thomas, a male swimmer, at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
Payton’s advocacy is deeply personal; she sustained severe injuries, including a traumatic blow to the head that left her with lasting physical and mental effects, impaired vision, and partial paralysis on her right side. This injury occurred after a volleyball spike by a male athlete on an opposing team.
This call to action is rooted in fairness and common sense. As an SDSU alum, I’m committed to standing up for women’s sports. Below is the letter we have shared with the SDSU Women’s Volleyball team.
