Minnesota softball: Parents speak out as trans athlete dominates playoff game

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) girls’ softball state tournament is officially under way — and so is the controversy surrounding Champlin Park’s starting pitcher.

Marissa Rothenberger, a trans-identifying male athlete, threw a complete-game shutout Wednesday morning as No. 2-seeded Champlin Park defeated No. 7 Eagan, 5-0, in the Class AAAA quarterfinals. Rothenberger allowed seven hits and struck out four in the win. 

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Rothenberger, whose participation in girls’ sports highlights a growing trend across the state and country, threw 14 shutout innings in back-to-back games in the sectional finals to help Champlin Park reach the state tournament.

On Wednesday, not everyone in the stands was clapping.

Two Eagan parents, both of whom requested anonymity for the sake of their daughters, expressed frustration and disappointment after the game. One mother, wearing a “Save Girls’ Sports” T-shirt, said the outcome felt inevitable.

“I was pretty disappointed and frustrated,” she told OutKick. “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. You don’t see that. 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.”

Her frustration wasn’t just about the scoreboard.

TRACKING THE TRANS ATHLETE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS CONTROVERSIES SHAKING THE NATION OVER THE LAST YEAR

“I think it’s really unfair,” she said. “I’m just really disappointed that all the schools didn’t band together and say, ‘Enough is enough. We’re going to protect our girls and we’re going to have an equitable playing field for everyone.’”

A father of another Eagan player agreed, calling the situation a clear violation of federal law.

“Yeah, I think it’s completely unfair — violation of federal Title IX,” he said. “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.”

He added that, while athletes are trained to compete under any circumstances, knowing Rothenberger would be on the mound added a layer of frustration.

“As athletes, you go out there and you play the hand you’re given, so you want to continue to compete,” he said. “But again, it’s frustrating.”

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Champlin Park will face No. 6 White Bear Lake in the semifinals on Wednesday afternoon.

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