Not playing
Transgender athlete

TheBigLead.com is learning that San Jose State University (SJSU) has now had several teams forfeit volleyball matches with them because SJSU’s roster includes transgender athlete Blaire Fleming.

Earlier this year, sixteen female athletes filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA, challenging the inclusion of transgender women in college sports and their access to women’s locker rooms. This legal action was prompted by the success of swimmer Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship.

In this photo gallery, we investigate the situation in women’s volleyball as well as the financial impact of forfeited games.

SJSU players
Fleming has been a major source of controversy for the team. SJSU players have reportedly been strongly cautioned against any form of criticism against Fleming. The “repeated instructions by SJSU administrators not to speak about Blaire Fleming caused student-athletes on the team to fear that they could lose their scholarships or be removed from the team if they spoke outside of a team meeting about Fleming’s sex,” SJSU associate coach Melissa Batie-Smoose said.
Jeremiah Dicket
To recover lost revenue, SJSU has requested $1,250 from Boise State University and Utah State University. SJSU Athletic Director Jeff Konya noted the financial and reputational impact of the forfeitures to Boise State’s Athletic Director Jeremiah Dicket.
Institution
“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,” SJSU Athletic Director Jeff Konya wrote.
Not playing
“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,” Konya added.
The issue
The issue came to a head with SJSU’s scheduled match against the University of Nevada.
Nevada
Although Nevada initially agreed to play, a player vote later led the volleyball team to forgo the match altogether.