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Now that we’ve passed peak wokeness, perhaps we can start admitting that the evidence is undeniable: boys win at girls’ sporting events because of the massive advantages of biology. This idea should be self-evident. Yet, it wasn’t in some quarters—hence, we’re still having this discussion.

In very progressive Ann Arbor, Michigan, the notion that wokeness ever peaked is considered a minor heresy. As a result, Skyline High School has made the state girls volleyball tournament for the second straight year, and in dominant fashion. But what’s the secret to its success? The team isn’t precisely all girls.

According to sports outlet OutKick, Skyline won a straight-sets victory over Saline High School on Thursday, securing its place among the final eight teams in the Division I Michigan High School Athletic Association girls tournament. However, Saline parents were incensed during the 25-15, 25-18, 25-21 sweep due to the presence of a female-identifying male athlete on the Skyline team.

The controversy goes beyond having a boy on a girls’ team, although that’s certainly part of the problem.

OutKick reporter Dan Zaksheske explained: The MHSAA requires transgender athletes to have an approved waiver to compete in any organization-sponsored events, including district and regional tournaments. The organization stated in September that it had not granted any waivers since last fall, with waivers needing approval every year. Yet, it has ignored multiple follow-up requests asking whether any waivers have since been granted.

Throughout the fall season, OutKick reported that Skyline appeared to have attempted to conceal the biological male player’s identity. Many parents of opposing teams expressed outrage on discovering their teenage daughters were competing against a male athlete.

Zaksheske wrote that the individual “dominated the first set with several massive kills, helping Skyline cruise to the first set win.” This performance was not met with universal delight among Saline parents.

One parent said, “As you saw, it was actually a pretty even match when he wasn’t on the court.” Another remarked, presumably with sarcasm, “I’ve never seen a girl jump that high.” A third parent expressed displeasure by putting his thumbs down every time the male athlete made a play.

Despite the controversy, Skyline’s march to the Elite Eight continued. As one parent put it, this outcome is easily possible in “the People’s Republic of Ann Arbor.”

Zaksheske also noted that he’d been harassed for “doing my job,” and that Skyline supporters were “practically encouraged by Skyline principal Casey Elmore” in this endeavor. “Why wouldn’t they?” he added. “It’s clear their views on these subjects are rarely, if ever, challenged.”

That dynamic may change, given that the next match will take place in a region closer to Trump territory in Michigan than before. Most games so far have been in and around Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan. Skyline’s next game will be in Kent County—a much more moderate, conservative area.

That said, this should be an issue that no longer divides anyone. We’ve seen the danger of gender ideology overtaking common sense in everything from high school sports to the Olympics. It is beyond doubt that you cannot overcome biological differences of gender with a bit of woke prestidigitation.

If the rest of us can come to our senses on this issue, surely the People’s Republic of Ann Arbor can, eventually.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/11/opposing-parents-vent-reporter-stands-trans-volleyball-player/

**From the Proving-the-Point Dept: Ohio State University’s Trademark Opposition Over “Buckeye Tears” Draws Ire**

Several weeks ago, we covered a rather silly trademark opposition filed by Ohio State University (OSU) against a restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan, called The Brown Jug. The dispute centered around the restaurant’s offering of an alcoholic drink named “Buckeye Tears.”

To understand the controversy, it helps to know that the University of Michigan and OSU are fierce rivals in college athletics. Ohioans, and OSU fans in particular, are famously referred to as “Buckeyes.” OSU claimed that allowing a trademark for “Buckeye Tears” would cause the public to associate the university with alcohol (which they found horrifying) and might confuse people into believing OSU endorsed or was involved with the drink.

Both claims strike us as absurd.

The only association most patrons of The Brown Jug would make with “Buckeye Tears” is the ongoing rivalry between the two schools — and the reputation that OSU and its fans tend to be a bit whiny when things don’t go their way.

This point was made explicitly clear in the restaurant’s response to OSU’s opposition. Filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on October 6, The Brown Jug’s lawyers said OSU’s overreaction only adds more “Buckeye tears” to the keg.

“The Buckeye Tears mark plays into a perception shared by Michigan fans, particularly after their football team’s four consecutive victories over Ohio State, that Ohio State and its supporters may sometimes act like sore losers,” attorneys from the law firm Fenwick & West wrote on behalf of The Brown Jug.

They continued, “Ohio State’s very filing of the opposition validates that perception.”

In other words — yeah, exactly.

Adding to this, The Brown Jug’s legal team pointed out that the term “Buckeye” isn’t uniquely associated with OSU. In fact, it’s used in more than 5,700 licensed businesses in Ohio and appears on various trademarked products and services throughout the state, including beer, wine, and liquor — brands that OSU has seemingly chosen not to police.

“Ohio State only called in their team of lawyers when a Michigan small business sought to make a good-natured joke,” the attorneys remarked.

So, that “pain water” must be pretty delicious — and perhaps just the kind of rhetorical jab The Brown Jug was aiming for all along.
https://www.techdirt.com/2025/10/20/restaurant-responds-to-osus-opposition-to-buckeye-tears-trademark-see-those-tears-like-that/

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Tag Archives: ann arbor

Opposing Parents Vent to Reporter in the Stands as Trans Volleyball Player Leads Team to Dominant Playoff Win

Restaurant Responds To OSU’s Opposition To “Buckeye Tears” Trademark: ‘See Those Tears? Like That!’