Orlando Pride has voiced support in the continuing social media confusion over a frustrating incident in the life of striker Barbra Banda.
Social media has hiccupped several times since the Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda was named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year. This award results from fan voting.
Banda delivered superlative performances in this historical season for the Pride. She also has thrilled fans in international competitions representing Zambia.
The eruptions on social media cited a 2022 incident when her testosterone level didn’t meet Confederation of African Football guidelines. She didn’t play in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Yet she has had no eligibility issues in appearing internationally in events including the Olympics and Women’s World Cup.
NWSL looked at the International Olympic Committee testosterone guideline issued in 2015 in forming the league policy. The policies consider testosterone a performance-enhancing substance.
The policies set a requirement that the athlete’s level measurement must be under 10 nanomoles per liter (10 nmol/L). A mole is the amount of the substance that contains a large number of the substance’s molecules. A nanomole is one-billionth of a mole.
Women have testosterone and some may even produce a high level of it. For this reason and researchers questioning the soundness of the guidelines, the negative reactions to the BBC honor for Barbra Banda lack a good reason.
Researchers question if testosterone guidelines for women athletes achieve anything meaningful. They call them based on flawed science.
In 2019, a paper led by researchers from the University of Colorado-Boulder called previous testosterone research fatally flawed. They testified on behalf of South African runner Caster Semenya who had issues with the testing. She eventually found a favorable 2023 ruling in the European Court of Human Rights.
The fact remains that Barbra Banda has earned her positive recognition. In international competitions, she has supported her teammates, respected the supporters, and brought success to her teams. In the face of the one 2022 incident where she was unable to play, she expressed disappointment but never made accusations against anyone.
Getting the ball to her in the League Championship match meant defeating the Washington Spirit 1-0. That means the Pride won it all.
With Barbra Banda and her teammates, there’s no stopping the Orlando Pride. They’ll carry on.