Elizabeth Eddy Responds With Grace After Teammates Attack Her Over Women's Sports Essay
The Angel City FC veteran says protecting women's sports is an "80/20 issue," but most athletes are afraid to speak up.
Despite being labeled "transphobic" and "racist" by some of her own teammates, Angel City FC midfielder Elizabeth Eddy isn't lashing out.
In fact, she's still inviting them to her wedding.
Eddy, an 11-year NWSL veteran, made headlines last week for her powerful essay urging the league to implement sex-based eligibility policies. She appeared on Fox & Friends Wednesday to discuss the fallout and her hopes for finding unity, even with those who disagree.
"These teammates are my friends, and I’ve known them for a very long time," Eddy said. "They’ve been invited to my wedding, and the invite still stands. They have said yes, I hope they come."
Elizabeth Eddy doesn't harbor any ill will toward her teammates, despite the fact that they called her essay "transphobic" and "racist."
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Reasonable people can disagree, she explained, without resorting to character attacks.
"There’s no need to go to bullying and name-calling, because it doesn’t set a good example for anyone," Eddy said.
Elizabeth Eddy: Protecting Women's Sports Is An '80/20 Issue'
Eddy's essay, originally published to her X account, called on the NWSL to implement a clear eligibility standard — either genetic sex testing or simply requiring athletes to be born female — in order to preserve fairness in the women's game.
In the days following her piece, a few vocal teammates publicly slammed Eddy, claiming her "undertones" were discriminatory. But Eddy says most of the feedback she's received has been overwhelmingly supportive.
"What I’ve come to realize is that it’s an 80/20 issue," she said. "Most of the country wants women’s sports to be for women."
According to Eddy, many players inside the NWSL agree with her but are too afraid to say so publicly.
"There’s a lot of fear involved because there’s a high, high cost for it," she explained. "I think at the end of the day, a lot of my teammates, a lot of my peers, do agree with what I’m trying to share. But they want to play more than they want to speak up, and I understand that."
Still, she believes the league has a "really cool opportunity" to lead by example.
Eddy said she hopes to have daughters one day, and that's the real reason she's willing to speak out, even if it costs her professionally.
"What we do in this league will set precedent," she said. "The National Women's Soccer League does need to put forward eligibility testing specifically on biological gender to ensure fairness, so we can continue the momentum that we’ve had and continue growing."
Despite the backlash, Eddy says her teammates' comments won't change her character or her willingness to work alongside them.
"At the end of the day, we’re all humans," she said. "And getting on the same page and choosing to work together is very important."