"Men don't deserve to be in women's sports" - SJSU volleyball player Brooke Slusser shares horrors of raising her voice amid controversy

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Oct 08, 2024 03:09 GMT

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Brooke Slusser has been receiving death threats ever since she raised her voice against her own team, the San Jose State University, for including Blaire Fleming, who is reportedly a transgender athlete. However, the volleyball player from SJSU is unfazed by the death threats and believes she has done nothing wrong.

In an interview with the portal 'Outkick', Slusser recounted the hate campaign she had to endure and her thoughts about it. She was worried about her teammates more than herself as she said:

"One of my teammates received a DM basically telling her that she needed to keep her distance from me during the Colorado State game because it wouldn’t be a good situation.That just does not feel right."

However, Slusser is unfazed by the hate campaign against her, especially the death threats. She was initially surprised by the death threats but decided to focus on the match against Colorado State University.

".....At the end of the day, this is something I will stand for. I know my team needs me. You can say whatever you want to say, but there’s only one right answer here that does nothing with politics: men don’t deserve to be in women’s sports. … When you believe in something so truly … that’s not going to stop me from playing volleyball," she further added.

Brooke Slusser and her teammates were escorted to the Moby Arena by the police, where San Jose State University's team was to play their next volleyball match against the team from Colorado State University. They lost to the latter in straight sets by 18-25, 20-25, 20-25.

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The controversy that led to Brooke Slusser receiving death threats

Brooke Slusser [Jersey No. 10] and her teammates from the San Jose State Spartans waiting for the national anthem before the match against Colorado State University Rams [Image Source : Getty]

Brooke Slusser has been facing a vicious hate campaign for deciding to stand for the rights of female players. The 21-year-old volleyball player recently joined the lawsuit against the NCAA, led by former swimmer and social activist Riley Gaines.

It all began with the match between San Jose State Spartans and Fresno State. The former decided to continue with Blaire Fleming, despite the allegations surrounding her gender identity.

However, after September 24, no team was willing to play with San Jose State University. Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, and Utah State University openly announced their decision to boycott their matches against the San Jose State University.

However, the matter escalated when Brooke Slusser went against her teammate and supported the lawsuit against the NCAA. She started receiving death threats, due to which the match between the San Jose State Spartans and the Colorado State University Rams was conducted under tight police security.

Riley Gaines slammed the authorities at SJSU for ignoring Slusser's plight.

" 'Tonight’s women’s volleyball match between SJSU and CSU will be monitored by droves of armed police after one of the San Jose players received a chilling death threat.' Female athlete speaks up for fair play and receives death threat. This is abhorrent", she wrote on her X account [formerly Twitter].

Brooke Slusser has been unequivocal in her decision to fight for women's rights. In the interview, she also said that she was ready to face any consequence if that makes things better for future generations.