San Jose State women’s volleyball team with controversial male player Blaire Fleming loses championship
The Spartans’ head coach said: ‘This has been one of the most difficult seasons I've ever experienced.’
Blaire Fleming’s presence on the Spartans’ team has caused widespread controversy because of his innate advantages as a male player against his female opponents.
San Jose State University’s women’s volleyball team, which has attracted widespread controversy for allowing a six foot tall male to join its ranks, has lost the Mountain West Conference championship.
San Jose State’s team, the Spartans, lost its match on Saturday against Colorado State University, ESPN reported.
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The Spartans have consistently provoked controversy because of the presence of Blaire Fleming, a man, on its roster. Critics said that Fleming’s strength made it unfair for him to play against female opponents and put them in danger of injury.
Due to what they saw as Fleming’s unfair advantage, five female volleyball teams from different universities refused to play against him.
Brooke Slusser, one of Fleming’s teammates, said that the school tried to silence any discussions about Fleming’s true identity as a man.
Fleming’s biological sex was “a topic we weren’t really allowed to talk about. It was just kind of whispers behind closed doors that this is what’s happening, but no one’s really talked about it or addressed it,” Slusser previously said.
Spartans Head Coach Todd Kress issued a statement after his team’s defeat that was published by OutKick reporter Dan Zaksheske on X.
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“This has been one of the most difficult seasons I’ve ever experienced and I know this is true as well for many of our players and the staff who have been supporting us all along. Maintaining our focus on the court and ensuring the overall safety and well-being of my players amid the external noise have been my priorities,” Kress wrote.
Kress did not positively acknowledge the concerns that other female volleyball teams had about playing against a male player, instead writing: “Sadly, others who for years have played this same team without incident chose not to play us this season.” He alleged that “[e]ach forfeiture announcement unleashed appalling, hateful messages individuals chose to send directly to our student-athletes, our coaching staff, and many associated with our program.”
A San Jose State University spokesperson told Campus Reform they could not provide a comment because they “do not address the gender identity of any student.”
