By james art Due to demand, tomorrow’s rally featuring the University of Nevada Reno and Riley Gaines women’s volleyball team has been moved to the Reno Convention Center, and tomorrow’s game, which was moved to San Jose, has been canceled due to “not enough UNR players to compete . ” Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony confirmed he would join the rally at the Reno Convention Center to “save women’s sports.”
The Globe has learned that the venue has been changed to the Reno Convention Center due to demand…@StavrosAnthony @VictorJoecks @CaptainSamBrown
— Nevada Globe (@NevadaGlobe) October 25, 2024
The Globe spoke with Reno Sparks Convention Visitors Authority (RSCVA) President and CEO Mike Larragetta, who confirmed that the contract is being finalized and the event is free and open to the public. The original expectation was 300-400 attendees, but due to the size of the previous venue, the event has now been moved to the convention center located at 4590 South Virginia St. in Reno.
UNR announced yesterday that they have canceled the game against San Jose State University after moving the game from Reno to San Jose, California.
In a statement, UNR announced, “Due to a lack of sufficient players to graduate, the University of Nevada women’s volleyball team will not play its scheduled Mountain West Conference match at San Jose State.” The universities agreed to the location change “in the best interest and of both programs’.
Last week, the University of Nevada Reno (UNR) women’s volleyball team announced that they will miss their upcoming match on October 26 against San Jose State University (SJSU) due to their transgender player Blair Fleming. The team specifically cited “fairness and safety considerations” as reasons for the loss.
To avoid legal liability, the university announced the game would go ahead despite the players’ commitment to forfeit. The players will not be forced to participate in the game, and they, in turn, have announced that they will not compete, despite the university’s decision.
Transgender athletes participating in women’s sports have become a national issue, with the Trump-Vance campaign vowing to protect women’s sports and personal spaces.
Team captain Sia Liilii and teammate Sierra Bernard wrote an official comment on Fox News reaffirming their stance on fairness and safety in women’s sports.
They write: “This election is about leaders like Trump who will stand with women and defend our right to compete safely and fairly… This should not be a political issue, but a unifying issue against injustice in women’s college sports. Trump understands this and has vowed not to let this happen and to put an end to it.
Sen. Jackie Rosen (D-NV) and GOP challenger Capt. Sam Brown faced off last week in one hour debate covering issues related to inflation, the border, foreign policy, housing and the UNR dispute.
Asked about the controversy, Rosen said:
“I can tell you that all student-athletes deserve fair competition and a level playing field. So I support the parents, coaches and league managers. They are the governing bodies. They are the experts. I believe they are the right ones to make these decisions, not the politicians. So, as in any other sporting matter, we let the governing bodies make those decisions. I think we should do it now.
The moderators then turned to Sam Brown asking, “Mr. Brown, what rights, if any, should transgender athletes have while competing in women’s college sports?
Brown replied, “Nevada, let me be clear. What we just heard was a politician saying he doesn’t know enough about this to know whether biological males should be allowed to play in women’s sports. I will not support the participation of biological males in women’s sports. I was proud to stand with the University of Nevada, Reno women’s volleyball team on Tuesday night as they came out and took a bold stand to protect their ability to have fair, safe and private locker rooms for their own sake. It’s sad to me when these young women have to take a bold stand and our politicians can’t even say they have enough experience to take a stand on this issue. It’s a shame.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include commentary from team captain Sia Liilii and teammate Sierra Bernard.
