School Official Told Parents: No Signs, No Shirts, No Comments On Trans Softball Player
Leaked email reveals parents were told to "keep our focus where it belongs."
(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) – As a high school softball team heads to the Minnesota state championship game with a transgender-identifying male on the mound, OutKick has obtained an email from an opposing team's athletic director that appears to instruct parents not to speak out about the issue — even as their daughters were set to face the athlete head-on.
The email, sent by Jason Elias, Eagan High School's athletic director and assistant principal, was distributed to parents ahead of the team’s quarterfinal matchup against Champlin Park, which featured trans-identifying male pitcher Marissa Rothenberger. While Rothenberger was not named in the message, the implications were clear.
"There may be added attention surrounding our game, and it's important that we represent our team and school with class and integrity," Elias wrote. "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."
Full text of email sent by Eagan Athletic Director Jason Elias to parents of the school's softball players.
(Screenshot of email obtained by OutKick)
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.
"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."
She wore a "Save Girls’ Sports" T-shirt to the game — despite the school’s warning not to display any "political messages."
An Eagan dad agreed.
"Yeah, I think it's completely unfair — a 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."
Eagan High School student-athletes shake hands with Champlin Park following quarterfinals loss.
(Photo by Amber Harding)
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 on Wednesday. They will face Bloomington Jefferson in the state title game on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Eagan’s season is over — and so, too, is the illusion that everyone involved is comfortable with what’s happening.