The author describes losing a Minnesota high-school softball semi-final after the opposing girls’ team fielded a male player as pitcher, arguing that the experience exposed what she sees as unfairness in women’s sport. She says the defeat caused intense distress because she believed adults and institutions had failed to protect female athletes, and it prompted her to speak publicly about fairness, opportunities and safety.

She argues that participation by male athletes can affect girls’ roster places, playing time, awards, championships and recruitment prospects, particularly at elite levels. The author says her activism led to appearances in Washington, D.C., but also to isolation at university, including pressure not to identify her institution and a disputed sociology assignment; she later transferred and now plays at Colorado Christian University, where she says she feels supported.