Bob Costas says 'common sense is not transphobic' after IOC bans trans athletes from women's competition

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Legendary sportscaster Bob Costas praised the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) policy change this week banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, saying, "Common sense is not transphobic."

Costas, the longtime voice of the Olympics, addressed the groundbreaking policy change during an appearance on CNN this week. Costas said that while some use the issue "for political purposes," the IOC policy does not fall under that umbrella. 

Sportscaster Bob Costas on the field before a game between the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 22, 2018. (Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports)

"Common sense is not transphobic. There’s a reason why the high school champions don't compete with the college champions. There is a reason why no trans man who was once a woman and has become a man has ever competed successfully with men in the Olympics.

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"If Caitlin Clark could play in the NBA, everybody would applaud it — that would be an incredible thing. But if the last guy on the bench of an NBA team went to the WNBA and started averaging 40 points, everyone would know that is BS."

The IOC unveiled the policy Thursday, limiting female competition to biological females. Eligibility will be determined by SRY gene screening, also known as genetic testing.

"Based on scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the presence of the SRY gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced male sex development. Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood