A recent op-ed by a professional women’s soccer player is stirring the pot as to whether or not women’s soccer should adopt gender standards. Elizabeth Eddy, a defender for the Angel City FC, recently wrote an op-ed for in The New York Post, calling on the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to adopt gender standards for its players. In her op-ed, Eddy noted how women’s soccer has grown from its days of live streaming on YouTube to $240 million television contracts. Yet she stated that the league’s lack of clear gender guidelines could ultimately stifle its growth. “Recent controversies across women’s sports — from swimming to track and field — have highlighted professional soccer lacks clear eligibility policies, unlike a growing number of other competitions,” wrote Eddy. “This uncertainty serves no one, as questions and controversy abound over intersex and transgender athletes.” Eddy suggested the league require all players to be born with ovaries or that players be required to complete an SRY gene test, standards that other women’s sports have adopted.

Eddy’s op-ed was met with accusations of racism and transphobia from other players, including her own teammates. Defender Sarah Gorden and goalkeeper Angelina Anderson, captain and vice-captain for Angel City, addressed Eddy’s op-ed at a team media meeting. “Angel City is a place for everyone. It always will be. That’s how it was from the beginning. That’s how it always will be, period,” said Anderson. “”In this locker room, I’ve had a lot of convos with my teammates in the past few days, and they are hurt and they are harmed by the article. And also they are disgusted by some of the things that were said in the article,” said Gorden.

Gorden took particular issue with images of player Barbra Banda, who plays for the Zambian national team and Orlando Pride, being used in Eddy’s op-ed. Eddy accepted an award for FIFPRO Women’s World 11 shortly after the op-ed was released. While the NWSL has no openly transgender players, Banda has faced particular questions over gender. Newsweek reports that the Zambian Football Federation withdrew Banda from the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations due to a gender verification test. NBC News refers to Banda as a cisgender woman who was barred from the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations due to testing for high testosterone levels. FIFA and the Confederation of African Football state Banda has never been disqualified from international competition and the Orland Pride states Banda has never taken any such eligibility tests.

While Eddy did not name Banda directly in the op-ed, she did note “Players have been excluded and then unexcluded, administrators have blamed and criticized each other, and fans have used the uncertainty to harass players.” An image of Banda was included in the article as an example of someone who has faced harassment.  Eddy responded to the backlash, stating she has received support from other players. “Since my column was published, I have heard from many current players who agree with my points, but are too fearful to speak up,” she said. She laso asserted that her teammates were entitled to their own opinions. “As I said in the op-ed, reasonable people can disagree about where to draw the lines, but shutting down the conversation with name-calling and personal attacks does not serve the league or the next generation of female athletes well.”