Sports
May 4, 2023 — Scott Johnson
We have followed the case of JayCee Cooper v. USA Powerlifting in a series of posts I call “A lift too far.” Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond has held USA Powerlifting to be in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act by separating “trans women” from women in its weightlifting competitions. He has ordered USA Powerlifting to let “trans woman” JayCee Cooper compete as a woman. He (Judge Diamond)
»
April 30, 2023 — Scott Johnson
I root for the hometown teams — the Gophers, the Vikings, the Twins, the Timberwolves, and the Wild. When the Wild and the Timberwolves crash and burn, as they just have, I consider them and their season a failure. The Wild lost to the Dallas Stars in the first round of the NHL playoffs — they lost to the better team. The Timberwolves lost to the Denver Nuggets in the
»
April 23, 2023 — Scott Johnson
I first read about the absurd case of JayCee Cooper v. USA Powerlifting in the March 1 Star Tribune op-ed column by Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve celebrating the court’s decision in the case. Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond has found USA Powerlifting to be in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act by separating the men from the women in its weightlifting competitions. In her Star Tribune column
»
April 19, 2023 — Scott Johnson
As the Babylon Bee frequently proves, reality is catching up with satire. In November 2019 South Park anticipated the case of JayCee Cooper v. USA Powerlifting. Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond has required USA Powerlifting to recognize Cooper’s self-identification as a woman so that Cooper can compete with the ladies who are weaker than he is. Judge Diamond has found USA Powerlifting liable under the Minnesota Human Rights Act
»
April 18, 2023 — Scott Johnson
JayCee Cooper’s case against USA Powerlifting seems to me to represent the reductio ad absurdum of the woke trans madness, at least in its legal manifestation. Cooper is a biological male who claims that USA Powerlifting has discriminated against him by not allowing him to compete as a woman. Are you kidding me? Physical strength lies at the core of weightlifting. Men are stronger than women. Treating men as women
»
April 16, 2023 — Scott Johnson
I wrote about the Minnesota state court decision ruling that USA Powerlifting must permit the male trans athlete JayCee Cooper to compete as a woman in “A lift too far” and “A lift too far, Tucker Carlson edition.” Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond is responsible for the ruling. There’s no crime in being wrong, but in this case it should damage your reputation. At the time I wrote those
»
April 9, 2023 — Steven Hayward
Late last week the Biden Administration issued new draft Title IX regulations that would prohibit schools and colleges from banning “trans” athletes from competing on any teams that do not match their biological sex. On the surface this represents a massive override of federalism and state control of education and youth sports. But the fine print of the rule contains some equivocations that are a nod in the direction of
»
March 17, 2023 — Scott Johnson
I read during the day yesterday that President Biden picked Arizona to win the NCAA basketball tournament that kicked off at noon. The Biden curse promptly took effect, lifting Princeton over Arizona in the first round game a few hours later. The New York Post serves up the salient details and collects poignant comments here. The AP omits any such comments in its pallid story. Video of the game’s final
»
March 11, 2023 — John Hinderaker
The news is doing nothing for me today, so here is something I have done once or twice before. The following are 14 propositions that I believe to be true. Or at least, I think I do. Each is intended to be fodder for disagreement. Feel free to say “Amen, brother” or “You can’t be serious” in the comments. If this gets a good reception, maybe next time I will
»
March 11, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Former Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant died today at age 95. Grant was a great athlete, a nine-letterman at the University of Minnesota in football, basketball and baseball. He played both professional football and professional basketball, and coached in the Canadian Football League for ten seasons before taking over the Vikings in 1967. Grant led the Vikings to four Super Bowls, all of which they lost. Probably they should have
»
March 9, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Minnesota’s Star Tribune has yet to cover the ridiculous Ramsey County District Court decision requiring USA Powerlifting to allow male trans athlete JayCee Cooper to compete as a woman. The Star Tribune has nevertheless published Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve’s op-ed column celebrating the decision. Reeve omitted any discussion of the possible participation of male trans athletes in the WNBA. She could have made a contribution if she had taken
»
March 7, 2023 — Scott Johnson
You may have heard about the Minnesota state court decision ruling that USA Powerlifting must permit the male trans athlete JayCee Cooper to compete as a woman. The decision has been widely reported in the national press. NRO’s Ari Braff, for example, has a story on it here. It is a story that has been reported in outlets including the New York Post, Fox News, NBC News, and UnHerd. Cooper
»
January 30, 2023 — Scott Johnson
I can’t stop laughing at Taylor Sirianni’s imitation of her dad as Eagles coach Nick Sirianni held court after the NFC championship game yesterday. To entertain herself as the coach droned on, she performed a formidable Nick Sirianni impression. Something tells me a star is born. Taylor could step right into the old Bob & Ray routine featuring the nonidentical twin band leaders Claude and Clyde — the McBeeBee Twins.
»
January 10, 2023 — Steven Hayward
My Sunday post on the ridiculous Scientific American headline about black men being exploited in NFL football—as if no white men ever get life-altering injuries on the playing field—brought up the question: just what is the “diversity” breakdown of major professional sports? Here it is: Observations: I believe there may be no Jews in the NBA, and less than five Asians. I have heard, but don’t know how to verify
»
January 6, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Well, not the Arctic, exactly. Minnesota. Alex Rodriguez is now a part owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, regarded by many as the most godforsaken franchise in professional sports. Maybe A-Rod can change that. In any event, he now spends time in Minnesota and apparently owns a home here. So when we got a foot of snow earlier this week, he had to deal with it. Allegedly. He posted this on
»
January 4, 2023 — Steven Hayward
No, this headline is not a reference to the chaos in the House of Representatives. Rather it refers to the latest disgrace of the NFL team formerly known as the Redskins. The “Washington Football Team,” as it has been known the last three seasons, decided to become “The Commanders,” which, Richard Samuelson points out, is quite fitting for the age of the administrative state in Washington, which prefers to govern by
»
January 3, 2023 — Scott Johnson
I take in the joy of sports by following my hometown teams — the Gophers, the Twins, and the Vikings — but I was watching the Bills-Bengals Monday Night Football game on ESPN last night when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and the game was suspended. Hamlin had bounced up after making a stop on the play before he collapsed. It looked like an absolutely routine football
»
