My research on wheelchair basketball challenges one of the biggest assumptions about sex differences in sports

Assuming that sex is the key factor defining physical ability may undersell what many athletes are capable of.

By: Leanne Snyder, Loyola University Chicago, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 17, 2026

Words: 1,134

Last Updated: 4 months, 2 weeks ago

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By Leanne Snyder, Loyola University Chicago

Every March, millions of Americans fill out brackets and tune in to watch the NCAA college basketball tournaments known as March Madness. The men’s and women’s competitions unfold in parallel, each with their own brackets, champions, storylines and fan bases.

The separation reflects one of the most deeply embedded assumptions in sports: that women and men perform differently enough that they must compete apart.

The divide is …

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