Payton McNabb Discusses Injury On Court That Became The Last Time She Every Played Volleyball

yesterday

At Wednesday's House DOGE Committee hearing, Payton McNabb discussed her opposition to transgender athletes in women's sports.

Transcript

00:00I now recognize Ms. McNabb for her opening statement.

00:06Good afternoon, Chairwoman Green and Ranking Member Stansbury and members of the committee.

00:13Thank you for inviting me to appear today.

00:15My name is Peyton McNabb and I am a sports ambassador for the Independent Women's Forum.

00:19We are a non-profit organization that exists to expand support for policy solutions that actually enhance people's opportunities and well-being.

00:27Independent Women's motto is, Tell Her Story, Change the World.

00:32Today, I am here to share my story.

00:34I am a female athlete from Murphy, North Carolina who had my love of playing sports taken away from me.

00:41Since 2022, following a serious but avoidable injury, I have been speaking across the country sharing my story

00:47and advocating for protections for women and girls' hard-earned rights to equal opportunity, fair play, privacy, and safety.

00:54Like many other little girls, I grew up playing sports as soon as I could walk.

00:59My dad enrolled me and my siblings in various sports.

01:02I am incredibly thankful for that because participating in athletics has afforded me so many life lessons and given me valuable skills.

01:09In high school, I played volleyball, basketball, and my favorite sport, softball.

01:13I was excited about the prospect of playing softball in college, but that day never came.

01:17My athletic career was hindered and cut short because I was forced to compete against a male athlete

01:23on an opposing high school women's volleyball team on September 1st, 2022.

01:29I went into this game knowing that there was a male opponent, but I felt helpless and had no idea what to do.

01:34Neither I, my team, nor the administration agreed that we should be playing against a male, but the game went on.

01:40Toward the end of the game, the male athlete went up to spike the ball, and it came right at my face, slamming into my head.

01:46The force of the ball knocked me down, unconscious, while my body lay in a fencing position on the court.

01:52A fencing position is how your body reacts to a serious brain injury.

01:56Everything was dark to me.

01:58The auditorium was absolutely quiet, and my teammates were scared.

02:02That was my last day playing volleyball.

02:04Medical professionals informed me and my family of the heavy news that I suffered a traumatic brain injury,

02:10a brain bleed, and my body was experiencing partial paralysis on my right side.

02:14The doctors couldn't confirm how long it would take for my body to recover.

02:18It could take months or even years, and they couldn't confirm whether I'd 100% ever be back.

02:23While I've learned to navigate my new normal, there are several challenges that I deal with on a daily basis.

02:29Severe headaches, balance issues, vision impairment, and as my parents say, I'm just not the same kid.

02:34It is completely aggravating because the injury I suffered was 100% avoidable if only my rights as a female athlete had been more important than a man's feelings.

02:45Since then, I've chosen to use my voice to advocate for girls nationwide, especially for my younger sister, Avery.

02:51I've decided to turn my pain into purpose.

02:54I played a role in helping pass the Fairness in Women's Sports Act in North Carolina legislature,

03:00although it was initially vetoed by former Governor Roy Cooper, who ironically has three daughters of his own.

03:06Since speaking out, I've heard from so many girls.

03:08They see it happening in their schools.

03:10Male athletes competing in women's sports.

03:13The fear of being severely injured by a male athlete who is undisputedly on average bigger, faster, and stronger than the average female is real.

03:22I want y'all to know that this issue is very real.

03:26I didn't realize how big it was until it personally affected me.

03:30What we are talking about is reality and basic truth.

03:34Men have an inherent biological advantage over women when it comes to sports.

03:38The advantage is particularly prominent in respect to the activities where speed, size, power, strength, or cardiorespiratory characteristics determine performance.

03:48Males jump approximately 25% higher than females.

03:52Males throw about 25% further than females.

03:55Males run 11% faster than females.

03:58Males accelerate about 20% faster than females.

04:01Males punch 30% to 162% harder than females.

04:05Males are around 30% stronger than females of equivalent stature and mass.

04:10This is undeniable, and many more biological statistics can be found in an independent women's competition report.

04:17I was so pleased to be at the White House on February 5th when President Trump signed the executive order entitled, Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports.

04:26Finally, we saw a President act to make sure that sports competition for women is fair and safe.

04:32Now we need laws at the state level that define women and keep women's sports safe for women.

04:38Today, there are 27 states that have legislation protecting women's sports, and more than a third of the nation also defines sex-based words across their state laws.