By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-25 14:21:40 | Updated at 2024-11-25 16:54:06
2 hours ago
San Jose State's women's volleyball team has secured a playoff berth, leaving fans furious amid the controversy surrounding trans player Blaire Fleming.
Multiple opponents have refused to play against San Jose State this season due to safety concerns over Fleming, who is a biological male.
As a result, the team has had seven victories awarded via forfeit in the 2024 campaign, handing them a 12-6 conference recording and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Fleming and the Spartans are now guaranteed a semifinal tie, where they will meet either Utah State or Boise State - two of the teams who forfeited against them earlier this season.
And fans are far from happy on social media.
'They may get the trophy, but not the honor, it will only be a participation trophy because they cheated,' one user commented on X.
Trans volleyball player Blaire Fleming (pictured) and San Jose State have reached the playoffs
Multiple opponents have forfeited games vs San Jose State amid controversy over Fleming
Another posted: 'Men don’t belong in women’s sports. The SJSU coach and [athletics director] need to be fired.'
A third said: 'Get that dude off the woman's team! Come on already!'
'Winning by cheating is not winning so sad,' wrote a fourth.
While one simply put: 'Shame on woke universities.'
Fleming, who is in their third season on SJSU's roster, is currently at the center of a class-action lawsuit filed against the NCAA, which is being accused by more than a dozen female athletes of knowingly violating a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination by allowing them to compete in women's sports.
Utah State, Southern Utah and Nevada have all forfeited games against the Spartans amid that lawsuit, while Boise State and Wyoming has refused to play them on two separate occasions.
According to Outkick , Fleming's college has asked for money from Boise State and Utah State after saying they lost out as a result of the cancellations.
Both fixtures were slated to be hosted by the Spartans, meaning they were unable to cash in on game day revenue when they forfeited.
It is believed San Jose State has called for their two rivals to each pay a fee of $1,250.
Fans took to X to fume about SJSU reaching the playoffs with a biological male on its team
Fleming has been cleared to play women's volleyball for San Jose State for three seasons
The college is calling to be compensated after teams forfeited amid concerns over Fleming
San Jose State athletics director Jeff Konya is quoted as saying in an email to Boise State: 'Your institution's arbitrary decision not to play an otherwise eligible NCAA team has resulted in harm to SJSU financially and our institution's brand.
'We estimate we missed out on approximately $1,250 in game day revenue by not playing the [match] on Saturday when you add all of the various revenue sources (i.e., concessions, parking among others). I would ask to be made whole at the very least.'
Boise State confirmed that they did not pay San Jose State despite their demands, while it is unclear whether Utah State did so or not.
Meanwhile, thirteen Republican congressmembers have written to the Mountain West Conference to urge commissioner Gloria Nevarez to ban transgender athletes from playing sports against cisgender women.
'We write with serious concerns about the safety and fair competition standards for female athletes participating in the Mountain West Conference,' read the open letter signed by members of the House and Senate. 'We urge you to update your student athlete guidelines to prohibit biological males from competing against biological female students in women's sports.'
The signees include Wyoming senator Cynthia Lummis, Idaho senator Mike Crapo, and Burgess Owens, the Utah congressman who previously won a Super Bowl as a defensive back for the Oakland Raiders at the end of the 1980 season.
