Male Athlete Booed After Winning Girls' State Title In Washington

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Several states continue to defy President Trump's executive order to "keep men out of women's sports." In some of those states, male athletes won girls' state high school track and field championships over the weekend. 

Washington, for example, saw male athlete "Veronica" Garcia win the girls' 2A 400-meter dash with a time of 55.70 seconds. That was good enough to "earn" the win over second place, Lauren Matthew, who finished the race in 56.75 seconds. 

Because Matthew is a biological female, many people consider her to be the real Washington state champion in the girls' 400-meter dash. That much was made clear during the podium ceremony. 

When Matthew took her spot as the second-place finisher, the crowd erupted in cheers. However, when Garcia took the spot at the top of the podium and was announced as the winner, many in the crowd booed. 

Now, I'd like to make my position clear. It is not Garcia's fault that the adults have failed. Some are labeling Garcia as a "cheater" but I don't believe that is a fair characterization. We are talking about a young person, likely a very confused young person, who has been led to believe certain things by the adults surrounding the athlete. 

A male athlete, who identifies as a girl, won a state track and field championship in Washington and onlookers booed as the announcement was made.

A male athlete, who identifies as a girl, won a state track and field championship in Washington and onlookers booed as the announcement was made.

(Stock Photo - Getty Images)

It is the responsibility of the adults, the policymakers and those in charge to make rules that are fair for the girls involved. It is not the responsibility of teenagers who are just following the rules, even if the rules don't jibe with common sense and biological reality.

Unfortunately, Garcia had to face booing because those adults failed. It might not be the athlete's fault, but people are fighting back against the obvious unfairness of allowing males to continue to compete in girls' sports. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.