This is one of the best nonfiction books I've read in a long time. You have to be interested in the subject matter, but if you are, no matter what side of the issue you're on, this book provides SO many examples and so much context to the topic of gender in sports and the history of inclusion/exclusion of transgender and nonbinary athletes. It could have easily come off as textbook-y with how much history is included, but the author's passion helped keep it personal and relevant to the actual individuals involved in the situations discussed and I really enjoyed it. I'm hopeful this book will help to inform and shape inclusion within sports and the ongoing gender debate in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

In "Fair Play" Katie Barnes showcases vulnerability in their own struggle with how women's sports includes transgender players. As a leading LGBTQ+ sports writer, one might think that Barnes has written a book that merely states over and over, "Full inclusion." But they don't. Barnes instead takes their time to build a strong case for "it depends" by peeling back the layers on the panic in our K-12 schools regarding transgender girls participating in sports, why transgender boys participate without much fanfare, and how the support of women's sports has been hijacked by the right wing. Most importantly, Barnes teases out the realities of what it means to be a transgender athlete and what science has to say about it. Spoiler alert: Science is still catching up. I read this book thinking that it would affirm all that I believed, which is that a transwoman is a woman, full stop, full inclusion. Rather, Barnes time and again made me stop, put the book down, and reconsider my beliefs. Then I would pick the book up and continue to have my beliefs challenged.

The history of how the biggest women's sports advocates split on the inclusion of transathletes is fascinating and heartbreaking. My heroes are tarnished. But I believe I learned something about calm and patient learning.

"Fair Play' is for everyone regardless of their stance on inclusion of transgender athletes, but I truly hope that those who believe that men transition to win at women's sports, or that a sixth grade girl needs to play on a boys team because her birth certificate has a M on it picks this up. The debate needs a timeout and a rational voice to listen to. And Katie Barnes is that voice.

This was probably the best material that I have consumed about trans athletes and trans sports policies. The author brought a lot to the table beyond the regular talking points we have been exposed to and dove deep into numerous case studies to explore the different ways this conversation is happening and the numerous effects these policies can have. I found myself learning a lot after spending much time in this space trying, and failing, to find information I felt like I needed.
Barnes brings a substantial amount of necessary nuance to this conversation, finding ways to explain several arguments being made in clear ways-- but never surrenders to misinformation, which I appreciate and respect immensely. So often, political "debates" become solely about emotion and placating stubborn people who are arguing with falsehoods and claiming that it'd just their opinion. I appreciate that Barnes was not cautious about fact checking some of the fake information too often brought into this space by anti-trans groups. That being said, this never felt explicitly political, which made it read even better and feel much more grounded.

“Whether we realize it or not, our sports are coded, laden with allusions to gender and sexuality in ways that are fundamental to our collective understanding of both athletics and gender.”

This book is incredibly relevant and important. Katie Barnes completely breaks down gender in sports, by chronicling sex separation in sports and how different the funding is, and how different guidelines irrevocably harm transgender people in the athletic space. Sports is tied to how the public views transgender people, and no matter what they do, transgender people are treated differently in sports.

The target keeps moving, especially for transgender women, including the length of time they need to be on hormone therapy and what testosterone levels are acceptable. And the only time it’s an issue is when they’re winning. In the case of Lia Thomas, everyone is upset that she won one of her events, but forget she placed fifth and eighth in her others. The idea that the outcome of an event against a transgender woman is predetermines is not correct, but has become the accepted argument of disgruntled cisgender women.

What is so important about this book is the way that Barnes managers to outline all of the disparities between men’s and women’s sports (the 2021 NCAA basketball championships), differences of sex development that have hindered athletes though no fault of their own, and the issue of transgender people competing in the category they feel aligned with. To speak about the issue of transgender people in sports, it’s necessary to have the background Barnes provides. We continually celebrate people like Michael Phelps, who had physical advantages out of his control, but we jeer at those with differences of sex development that win in women’s categories even though they are cisgender. It’s all a slippery slope, but Barnes’ breakdown is exceptional,

I could say so much about this book; I truly couldn’t put it down. It should be required reading. The way Barnes presents information, and provides insight into their own journey with gender identity makes this a compelling, necessary read. The issues run so deep, but they manage to really break everything down in an easily understandable way.

🩵💜 Fair Play ARC Review 💜🩵

Thank you so much to Katie Barnes and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Fair Play is a nonfiction book that discusses the debate of gender equality within the sports world. Katie played sports when they were younger, and now has a career in writing about sports - and they identify as nonbinary. This book delves into the gender bias that exists within the world of sports and how those of transgender and nonbinary communities are often treated within the sporting environments

This book was an amazing read! It discussed the history of gender identity in sports, from allowing women to participate to how this impacts the LGTBQIA+ community. It’s amazing to me how many sports are seen as gender specific (for example: football is for men & figure skating is for women) and I loved how this book called out all those stereotypes

This book at times was difficult to read, because I’m a huge advocate for LGBTQIA+ equality. It breaks my heart that children and college athletes are struggling with competing in the sport they love VS not being allowed to compete because of who they are

Overall this was a five star read for me! Thoroughly researched, well written and extremely respectful and relevant to the equality issues faced in our world today. I feel that Barnes addressed all aspects of this debate and presented the facts in a comprehensive and compassionate manner. As this is a nonfiction read, no rating will be given for spice

If you’re looking for an insightful, informative read that discusses what gender equality in sports really means, then absolutely pick up this book!!

Please note: review will be posted on Amazon upon publication

I really enjoyed reading Fair Play by Katie Barnes. Fair Play discusses and explains the multi-faceted imbalance athletes face. Every coach, school staff, & parent should read Fair Play immediately. I absolutely love this book!

If you care about sports, at all, you should read this book. Katie Barnes, an LGBTQ+ sports journalist, discusses the current and historical debate of gender identity and its place in sports. They discuss the history of women’s sports, queer and trans folks in sports, and the policies that have been built along the way. Most importantly, to me, they share interviews and real stories of queer and trans athletes who have competed on all levels. I felt that Barnes did a wonderful job providing all sides of this debate so that the reader can come to their own conclusions, or continue to ask more questions. What is most evident to me is how complicated these questions are, and how much we do not know.

As for my own feelings, after reading, I feel they can best be summed up by a quote from Brooke Forde (a competitor of Lia Thomas’):
“…I believe that treating people with respect and dignity is more important than any trophy or record will ever be…”.

In Fair Play, Katie Barnes provides a nuanced exploration of gender and trans identities within the realm of sports, spanning from the Olympics to youth leagues and everything in between. Drawing on their extensive experience and reporting on debates surrounding trans athletes, Barnes presents a well-researched and thorough examination of this complex issue. The book not only delves into the specific challenges faced by trans athletes, particularly trans women but also offers a broader understanding of the topic's historical context and its potential future trajectories. As someone who shares an interest in equality, I found this book to be a helpful resource for gaining a more detailed perspective on the subject. Barnes engages with a diverse range of voices, interviewing individuals from various sports and different levels of competition. This approach provides a multifaceted view of how these issues impact different people and offers insights into the complexities of the matter. The book challenges oversimplifications often presented by opposing sides and encourages readers to consider the complexities at hand. As we anticipate the next Olympics, "Fair Play" serves as an enlightening guide for those seeking a deeper understanding of the evolving intersection between gender and sports.

I had seen a lot of different bits of information regarding trans athletes and the overall question of trans folk (primarily trans women) in different level of sports and I you are like me then this is the perfect book for anyone who wants a more detailed view of the topic in general and the trans athletes specifically who have been in the news.

I was never naive to think that any sort of "solution" would be easy or to think that there is any at all, and I knew going into reading this book that it would not provide an easy "answer" to this, but it definitely gave context and broader history to help understand everything as we know it now and where it may go in the future. There is a lot of nuance when it comes to this topic specifically and then trans issues more broadly but this book handles the topic with acknowledging the complexity of it all while still recognizing the humanity of trans people themselves.

What an important book, especially right now. Katie Barnes has researched the gender inequality in sports so well. This book should be on the shelves of high schools and colleges as well as something that all athletes read to understand what others are going through especially when it comes to an imbalance. As a woman who worked in sports, this book would have been a great read to have back then.

This book is really great and I really want a lot of people to get their hands on it as soon as it comes out!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC! I will also be posting on TikTok and Instagram.

Fair Play by Katie Barnes is a well written and well researched book on the highly politicized topic of gender in sports .
I highly recommend this piece for readers of non fiction interested in the history of sports , modern social Justice topics, and political topics.

Thank you to the author Katie Barnes, publishers St. Martin's Press and SMPG Influencers #smpinfluencers , and as always NetGalley, for an early access widget for Fair Play, which I very much enjoyed.

Fair Play is about one of the most politicized subjects in the world: Competitive sports.

Sports is naturally political. Athletes come to represent their countries' military intterests at unrelated sports events. Athletes and their performances represent the athletes' communities, cultures, homes. Athletes use their influence to move a cause, one way or the other. And then there's this:

"Frankly, there isn’t even a need to sex-separate sports before puberty, let alone restrict access to those sports on the basis of what amounts to pure animus." p177

The phenomena of gendered sports.

Katie Barnes is a life long athlete and professional sports reporter with a long merit list, who took advantage of a coincidence to start writing on the topic of gendered sports. As a nonbinaty individiual, they think they bring a valuable insight to the debate, and have a unique interest in its eventual resolution. Even in the early stages of the project, during what might have seemed like a more favorable political climate, Barnes expeerienced a great deal of push-back on their reporting, and on their personal expression.

"More than one news outlet specifically noted my pronouns in copy when citing my reporting, as a means of casting doubt on my ability to report on and think about these issues. It was a sudden development of scrutiny that made me feel the political heat of the moment. My identity, the person I am, was suddenly a problem." p176

In Fair Play, Barnes discusses many facets of how gender touches athletics, from trans athletes to hormone thresholds to how definitions of gender exlude some athletes from competing. A lot of calls to increase restrictions and barriers to competition, but Barnes says that sends us in the wrong direction:

"There are already strict rules and regulations governing all athletes in elite sports as it pertains to doping and hormone levels, so it would make sense to me that a similar level of scrutiny be applied to questions of eligibility in gendered categories. I want to underscore, however, that a path to participation is my belief at all levels. The barrier to entry is already so high for elite sport that even getting into that level requires a tremendous amount of skill. There can be hoops, but those hoops should allow for an athlete to successfully jump through them to be able to compete." p180

Fair Play is a solid entry into the canon of research nonfiction and journalism in thefin area of gender. Well composed, just the writ length, a little wordy.

Rating: 👟👟👟👟 / 5 running shoes
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: June 30 2023
Format: Advance Digital Copy, screen reader
Read this if you like:
📰 Nonfiction
🗞 Sports journalism
🌈 Books about gender
⚖️ Social justice

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced copy of this book. Nicely researched on a topic that feels like a hot-button issue for so many people nowadways.

Thanks to St Martin's Press a s NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

This was a well researched and well written nonfiction book about the role gender plays on sports. Very eye opening and insightful.

A timely book that seems well-researched and an important contribution to our current times. I really enjoyed learning about this issue and having more of an understanding about the many different angles concerning this topic.

This is a really interesting topic, and I'm curious to see how other people review this. I really appreciated having the deep dive into this. Thank you for the opportunity!

Important book covering an important topic, especially in the times we find ourselves. Well researched and well written. Great read!

I do not know much about the world of competitive sports, but I do have an interest in equality for all people. The author did a great job of presenting many different pieces of information for a complex issue. They talked to people of many different sports and at a variety of levels to give a picture of how different individuals are being affected.

I appreciated that the author also admitted how tricky of a situation sports and gender is. At times, I would have liked a glossary to remind myself of what all the acronyms stood for, how different organizations had been mentioned before, and who individuals were.

This is an excellent, nuanced exploration of gender and trans identities within the world of sports, from the Olympics to youth leagues and everything in between. Katie Barnes has been reporting on the debates around trans athletes for years, and I really appreciate how they put today's hot topics into historical context and consider the future of gender in sports. They shine a light on how nuanced these issues are, despite the fact that both sides try to oversimplify them, and provide thought-provoking suggestions for what a gender-inclusive world of sports might look like. Perfect for reading in the lead up to the next Olympics!

Katie Barnes has written an extremely important book for all humans to read no matter how they identify. The reason for this strong belief is that many of us don’t even know the history behind women’s sports, Title IX, testosterone, organizations that govern a certain level of sport, and the controversy of winning.

Ultimately, this book is about culture wars and legislation governing sports that have separated the sexes from the get go. Who are the bills meant to protect? Is it a problem if trans athletes are participating and losing? Is there really such a thing as “fair play”? What if we rethink sports altogether?

Things I loved:
Barnes’s writing is braided with history, extensive research, and storytelling. I learned there have been trans athletes for years and many went unnoticed even before the NCAA wrote policies. This book is interesting and provocative. I also really enjoyed Chapter 11! Read. It.

Things I struggled with:
Being a cisgender woman and having participated in sports myself, I struggled with how I would feel as a high school student and losing against a trans woman. Which is the point of this book, right? But now that I am a mother, I have different feelings about how my children would feel if they were banned from participating in an activity where they sought refuge. Reading on my phone is not my ideal. I do my best reading with my ears or with my eyes on paper. But overall, this was a great read. I am grateful for the opportunity.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press for the #arc. Thank you, Katie Barnes, for your work and dedication to sports. Save the date for September 19, 2023 when Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates hits the shelves.

#FairPlay
#KatieBarnes
#SMPInfluencers
#StMartinsPress