Purdue Gender Studies Prof Equates Lia Thomas to Jackie Robinson
“Thomas, as the first transgender athlete to win a Division I NCAA championship, deserves to be placed among the other firsts [like Jackie Robinson],” Purdue University’s Cheryl Cooky argued.
On the issue of allowing men who identify as women to participate in women’s sports, there are a lot of dangerously foolish commentators out there trying to justify their inclusion. Unfortunately, the most self-defeating commentary is coming from “woke” women who are either unable or unwilling to acknowledge how the increased acceptance of biologically superior athletes like Penn University transgender swimmer Lia Thomas will eventually lead to the extinction of women’s sports altogether.
Thomas has been crushing records at women’s swimming events since “she” began identifying as a woman last year. Thomas recently won the 500-yard freestyle with another record-setting time, making Thomas an NCAA Division I champion.
While the Usual Suspects in the mainstream media and on the left dutifully clapped and cheered in the aftermath of the spectacle, some took it a step further. Purdue University Professor Cheryl Cooky wrote an op/ed celebrating Thomas’ “firsts” for NBC News’ “Think” section that demonstrated she most definitely wasn’t thinking when she wrote it.
Cooky, who is listed in the piece as an “American studies and women’s, gender and sexuality studies” professor, boiled down the justifiable bias against Thomas’ inclusion in women’s sports as being no different than the bigotry and racism displayed in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s as black athletes broke color barriers in major league sports, starting with the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Jackie Robinson in 1947.
Thomas is a similar barrier breaker, Cooky opined, in part because “her” so-called successes weren’t any different than the “firsts” who came before “her”:
There remains though a cultural investment in celebrating sports’ “firsts,” whether that be Robinson as the first Black MLB player, the first openly gay active player in the NBA, the first nonbinary U.S. athlete to participate in the Winter Olympics or the first woman to score in a Power Five college football game. Many of the athletes who become the “first” encounter resistance, backlash and opposition, especially from those who have historically benefited from the status quo in sports.
“…especially from those who have historically benefited from the status quo in sports”? There were many lines Cooky wrote in her piece (like in essence arguing that her critics were giving Thomas the “separate but equal” treatment) that should disqualify her from the privilege of being taken seriously on this topic afforded to her by the type of professor she is, but that one was probably the biggest.
I mean, think about it. She’s seriously arguing that women have “historically benefited from the status quo in sports” because they’ve … supposedly oppressed men from being allowed to compete alongside them. The original crafters of Title IX would like a word.
As to Cooky’s equating of Thomas to Robinson, the reasons why that’s an inapt comparison should be obvious. Still, Ryan Anderson, who has frequently written about this issue, noted them for the record anyway:
If the analogy to Jackie Robinson was accurate, the logical conclusion would be getting rid of separate male-female sporting events the way we rightly got rid of separate black-white sporting events. Skin color is irrelevant to athletics, sex is not. https://t.co/tuMJxqpU6D
— Ryan T. Anderson (@RyanTAnd) March 21, 2022
The same goes for her comparisons the first openly gay NBA player and the first nonbinary U.S. athlete (whatever that means). The comparison to Sarah Fuller – the first woman to “score in a Power Five college football game” – is not apt, either.
Not to minimize her accomplishments, but Fuller’s contribution to scoring in that game consisted of kicking two extra points after the male players scored touchdowns. She wasn’t running against and having to dodge male players who were twice (or three times) her size to get to the endzone or anything like that. Other “firsts” for women who have scored in college football games tell similar stories.
Others who strongly objected to the Jackie Robinson analogy included black conservatives who have had enough:
What we’re not going to do is compare Lia Thomas to Jackie Robinson and frankly I’m tired of other movements trying to latch themselves onto the struggle of Black Americans for their own political gainhttps://t.co/oYeXpUbWR0
— Javon A. Price 🇺🇸 (@JavonAPrice) March 24, 2022
NBC is comparing Lia Thomas to Jackie Robinson for breaking barriers in sports.
I guess even white men can make the cut now as an oppressed class as long as they simply say they’re a woman?
— Errol Webber (@ErrolWebber) March 24, 2022
With all due respect @ProfCooky, this is ridiculously atrocious. First, the disrespect of Jackie Robinson, next, the celebration of a mediocre, pathetic, & weak man who couldn’t even compete with his own, so he decided to bully women. NBC is disgraceful. https://t.co/akIhpJDFub
— Barrington Martin II (@_BarringtonII) March 22, 2022
Those are fair points, especially when you consider that Jackie Robinson was righting undeniable societal wrongs when he signed with the Dodgers and stepped out onto the field. Jackie Robinson also did not change who he was to be able to compete in the sport of his choosing.
What “wrong” is Thomas “righting” with identifying as a woman after three years of a mostly mediocre career as a male swimmer? What “oppression” is Thomas overcoming? Perhaps the next gushing “reporter” to interview Thomas can ask “her,” since, according to teammates, Thomas has made the same comparison.
As for Professor Cooky herself, she had such confidence in the strength of her argument that when she posted the link to her article on Twitter, she limited replies to the people she follows:
— Cheryl Cooky (@ProfCooky) March 21, 2022
As of this writing, there are no replies. At all.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
“Purdue Gender Studies Prof Equates Lia Thomas to Jackie Robinson”
“Every Sane American Equates Lia Thomas to Eric Cartman and Heather Swanson.”
Gender Studies Professor? That’s not right. According to Ketanji Brown Jackson a biologist is needed to make these kinds of determinations.
Well, then, they’re pretty much screwed.
Not exactly. I think she only considered that a biologist would be an example of an expert witness. I am sure that after voir dire she would accept the status of a Purdue Gender Studies Professor as also being an expert witness.
The only “thing” Will Robinson and Jackie Robinson have in common is they both have the ‘thing”…
……a dick.
You mean Jackie Robinson was actually a white guy in blackface?!
He was a black guy in white sox.
(OK, OK, he was a Dodger, but that’s not as funny.)
Changing teams was worth it for the smile effect.
To accurately equate this clown to Jackie Robinson, Robinson would have to have had a 2-base head start every time he was a bat.
This clown is a very, very dishonest and pathalogical clown looking for attention.
More like if Jackie Robinson was the first (adult) black man to play in the little leagues.
Like Bobby Riggs.
Or Andy Kaufman, who loudly offered to beat any woman wrestler who dared take him on, and ended up in a neck brace.
(Though, to be fair, Kaufman was quite possibly our first practitioner of “troll comedy,” so this was all performance art… we think.)
Nailed it.
Sheryl Cooky. Don’t tell me. It’s pronounced “kooky”.
But still one-upped by Canadian gun-grabber Wendy Cukier.
Along with her colleagues Martin Looney and Mary Mullarkey.
And, of course, URI’s own Carl Bogus.
I am pretty sure Jackie Robinson was black,, but I am not a biologist. Lia is a nutter. Anyone that thinks he is a she can join that club.
Biologist? I think you’d need to consult an interior decorator.
Or possibly an accredited painter, like Hunter Biden or Adolph Hitler.
I’m pretty certain that Jackie Robinson was a man, playing against other men. That is your material difference, Thomas is a male (not much of a man, mind you) competing against women, all of who are smaller and weaker than he is.
Nope.
He deserves tar and feathers.
What are the odds that “she” changes “her” mind and goes back to being a dude?
When opportunities for his skill dry up.
..in a neck brace?
Peak woke? I don’t know how you top equating a (not very) trans male to female who salvaged his declining career as a male competitive swimmer by deciding to (unfairly) compete against girls with Jackie Robinson.
Seriously wtf? These woke wannabe fascists can’t even take the culture war win with any grace; the dude was (unfairly) crowned as winning 1st place in a women’s swimming event. Take the win, smile and go home. Don’t gloat instead be humble or risk backlash.
Frankly the only way to stop this may be to abandon gendered sports. I imagine that a great number of people would suddenly end their silence on this matter. All those on the sidelines would instantly be able to identify women, as opposed to the current SCOTUS nominee, when the team or potential scholarship of their daughter, niece, neighbor’s daughter, cousin was in jeopardy.
Abandoning gendered sports could work. I wonder if trans women playing in a more prominent sport like women’s basketball might as well. In this country, a crushing physical contact resulting in permanent injury, obviously to be expected from a huge size advantage, and a resulting zillion dollar lawsuit could be interesting.
. . . who salvaged his declining career as a male competitive swimmer . . .
Declining career? From what I’m given to understand this guy didn’t have a career as a male competitive swimmer. He was ranked 456th or something out of all active male competitive swimmers.
The specious comparison would be laughable if the stakes weren’t so high. First, Jackie Robinson was the best player on the field who was kept from competing based on nothing but his skin color. He was world-class athlete and baseball arguably wasn’t even Jackie Robinson’s best sport.
This loser was a NOBODY who won nothing before he decided to beat up on some girls.
What a clown. And a cheater.
Equate this guy more to Benny Hill:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulzr6F5FAKM
Loved Benny Hill! Comedic genius.
This oaf Thomas apparently has taken Benny’s cue.
F them all
Well, a woman’s team-any sport-could line up on the sidelines, strip naked and invite a phony man/would be woman to step up and match them feature for feature. clears it right up. They act, he most likely will ‘react’.
“Purdue Gender Studies Prof Equates Lia Thomas to Jackie Robinson”
Absolutely true.
They both had/have dicks.
Robinson didn’t cheat.
If only … women’s sports tend to be total wastes, They are generally poor competitions among sub-par athletes. Most people have little interest in women’;s sports, save those that have hot women in them – which automatically precludes the pretend women from participating. Sports without hot women are generally audience-less pursuits that only exist so long as someone is footing the bill for the vanity efforts.
As to open competitions … that is what men’s sports have long been. In general, a girl is allowed to compete against men in most sports (save really stupid ideas like wrestling or boxing or contact sports of that sort) if she is able, but the fact is that almost no women are able to compete with even the mediocre professional men (save drag racing, where a decent number of women have proven to be able to compete with the men). But the men’s leagues have always stood as the “open” competitions that women (and pretend women, of course) could take part in if they could hack it.
This whole perverted idea that people can decide, at any given moment, what their gender is, is one of the most twisted, insane concepts that any civilized society has ever entertained. I don’t really think there is much competition in Man’s past with anything even remotely as obviously crazy that was promoted in society. Even human sacrifice was rooted in more sturdy logical foundations than this laughable notion that the idea of “man” or “woman” only exists in people’s minds. People who had ideas like that used to be put away – for good reason.
At the top, there is open competition. Below that there are a variety of age-limited leagues, and below that there are the women’s competitions.
Letting men compete against women in no way enhances women’s sports. If women think they are good enough they are welcome to try for the open competitions.
Too bad Jackie isn’t around to comment on this one.
I suspect his response would shock the hell out of some people.
And now Jim Clyburn is comparing Brandon to Truman.
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2022/03/24/clyburn-i-think-biden-will-do-some-things-on-voting-that-may-surprise-some-and-boost-his-poll-numbers/
He believes Americans will rally to his support when we catch on to his brilliance. Sez big news coming on voting laws.
They can’t pass cheat-enabling laws in the current climate. So, they’ll have to ramp up the summer riot machine….again…and hope the outcry of racism will be enough to peel 10 Republicans away or enough to get Manchin and Sinema to agree to end the filibuster. It’s going to be another long, hot summer only this time, we’re going to do it with double-digit inflation and $7/gallon gas.
Here is a voting law guess. Mail-in voting without limitations because, at these gas prices, it is racism against poor black people for any to have to drive to vote – just leave completed ballot in your mail box.
Professor Cooky has to really stretch to reach some moral equivalency with his ridiculous conclusion. Jackie Robinson was a Black man playing in what had previously been an exclusive White man’s sport.
Lia is a biological male playing in a female’s sport.
Another clueless Left wing, loony Professor.
So Jackie Robinson made a mockery of men’s baseball because he was black?
Based.
Didn’t know Robinson was mentally ill.
When swimming season is over, Ms. Thomas will identify as a T-Ball player.
Lia is just like Jackie. He is the first of a previously unutilized talent pool in his sport. Jackie was the first black in MLB Lia is the first man in women’s swimming. Just like in Moneyball build you talent stack with under utilized under paid types.
You could have the best women’s swim team in the US by getting mediocre men to say they are women.
I love all the editorial cartoonists doing riffs on, “little girl, if you work real hard, someday you, too, could come in second.”
As if it’s going to stop at second.
Lesson learned from working 21 years in higher ed: There is no concept so stupid, expensive, or downright evil that lefty profs won’t buy into it.
Womens Swimming is a predominantly white sport, so it’s ok to destroy it.
But, once white dudes start trying to break into the WNBA, the conversation will change.
Wait till a few USSL players decide they’re women and try out for the US women’s national team and dominate.
Well sorta except Jackie Robinson really was black.