An email from Eagan (Minn.) High School athletic director and assistant principal Jason Elias ahead of Eagan's state softball quarterfinal matchup Wednesday against Champlin Park, which featured trans-identifying male pitcher Marissa Rothenberger, instructed parents to not politicize the situation.
The email, obtained by OutKick, stated, "There may be added attention surrounding our game, and it's important that we represent our team and school with class and integrity. We ask that families avoid engaging in conversations or commentary about other teams… To maintain a positive and unified atmosphere, we are asking that no political messages, signs, or shirts be brought to or displayed at the game."
An email from Eagan (Minn.) High School athletic director and assistant principal Jason Elias ahead of Eagan's state softball quarterfinal matchup Wednesday against Champlin Park, which featured trans-identifying male pitcher Marissa Rothenberger, instructed parents to not politicize the situation.
The email, obtained by OutKick, stated, "There may be added attention surrounding our game, and it's important that we represent our team and school with class and integrity. We ask that families avoid engaging in conversations or commentary about other teams… To maintain a positive and unified atmosphere, we are asking that no political messages, signs, or shirts be brought to or displayed at the game."
He concluded by urging families to keep the focus on "our athletes and their hard work."
But after Rothenberger threw a complete-game shutout to eliminate Eagan in a 5–0 loss, some parents couldn’t stay silent, OutKick's Amber Harding reported.
"I was pretty disappointed and frustrated," one Eagan mom told OutKick after the game. "I think we've seen this happen over and over again to our girls. You look online, and you see women transitioning to men, and they're not dominating any of the men's sports. But on the women's side, you see it over and over again across the country. It's super frustrating. I knew it was eventually going to happen to my daughter. I was sad to see it happen to her."
According to Harding, the parent wore a "Save Girls’ Sports" T-shirt to the game — despite the school’s warning not to display any "political messages."
"Yeah, I think it's completely unfair — a violation of federal Title IX," said the father of an Eagan player. "And the fact that the state of Minnesota wants to ignore that is ridiculous. If they want to continue to play sports — which I think is great — you can play baseball. But to do that to girls and just make everybody stay quiet about stuff is pretty ridiculous."
Per Harding's reporting, under the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) policy, athletes are permitted to compete in sports based on gender identity, not biological sex. That policy aligns with state law, which allows individuals to amend the sex marker on their birth certificate with either a letter from a physician or a court order. No surgery is required, and the new certificate does not indicate any changes were made.
After defeating Eagan, the Champlin Park Rebels went on to win their semifinal matchup, also on Wednesday. In that game, Rothenberger threw another complete game and contributed two doubles to her team's offense to help rally Champlin Park past White Bear Lake, 3-2.
Champlin Park faces Bloomington Jefferson in the Class AAAA state title game  Friday morning.
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