Jeremy Stangroom

Woah no. Cannot agree with Ellis Cashmore at all. Problem is that people aren’t competing against each other’s gender identities, they’re essentially competing against each other’s bodies. Male and female bodies are very different & that’s why they compete separately #Martina

As a white male sociologist I can confirm he's full of shit!

You have single handedly salvaged my respect for the sociology community Any thoughts on where his position might come from? From an academic perspective? Or is he just a blether?

I'm guessing, but... Left-wing sociologists (and the vast majority are left-wing) are very reluctant to suppose that biology might be a factor contributing to unequal outcomes. They tend to want to believe that you can eradicate inequality by "correcting" social conditions.

If you concede that ineluctable biological factors might explain the differences between male and female athletic performance then it opens up the possibility that they might be in play in other kinds of inequality.

That's dangerous territory, partly because there are echoes of scientific racism, etc., but also because it subverts the sociological modus operandi. It suggests sociologists might be looking in the wrong place for explanations, etc.