In Minnesota, a 6-foot-tall biological male continues to dominate girls' softball.
As a sophomore last year, Marissa Rothenberger helped Champlin Park High School win 14-straight games heading into the playoffs and was named First-Team All-State — the only underclassman in the 4A division to earn the honor. Now a junior, Rothenberger remains a standout on the mound, with a 6-1 record, 67 strikeouts and a 0.76 ERA in 46 innings pitched, per Minnesota Softball Hub.
But not everyone is cheering. Many parents and players are left wondering why a male athlete is allowed to compete in girls’ sports in the first place and why no one is willing to say anything about it.
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The father of a South Dakota club softball player, who asked to remain anonymous for his daughter's privacy, told OutKick that his daughter’s team played against Rothenberger’s team twice last year in travel ball.
"Our girls have played Marissa's team twice, and they’re a good club. They’re a top-notch club," he said. "However, when you’ve got a kid that goes 3-for-3 and 2-for-2 and pitches two innings and strikes out five batters... sometimes there’s just things you notice that are a little bit odd."
His daughter plays on a team with multiple Division I commits — seasoned athletes used to high-level competition — but none of them had been told they’d be facing a biological male.
"None of us knew that that girl was a boy," he said. "But when this came out... my 16-year-old knew exactly who it was, and she said, 'Man, that doesn’t surprise me.'"
The state of Minnesota allows residents to change the sex listed on their birth certificates. According to documents obtained by Reduxx, Rothenberger's mother, Heather, "applied to the Hennepin County District Court to alter [the athlete's] birth certificate shortly after his 9th birthday. The petition was approved, and Rothenberger was issued a new birth certificate showing that he was born ‘female’ and altering his name from 'Charlie Dean' to 'Marissa.'"
For this father, the issue shouldn't be a political one. It’s about safety, honesty and protecting female athletes, especially in a sport like softball where an errant pitch or a brutal comebacker could lead to serious injury.
"You’re talking about somebody with exceptional size and strength," he said. "Forty-three feet [from mound to plate] is not that far away. The reaction times — the ball off the bat of a 17-year-old male versus a 17-year-old female — it’s just... different.
"The safety of the kids on the other side, from a legal standpoint, needs to be respected. Everybody’s so worried about getting sued by these left-wing woke groups. Well, what about the people on the other side of the coin that just want their girls in a safe environment?"
The lack of transparency (and the incorrect assumption that everyone on the field is female) is what struck him the most.
"There should be no disguise," he said. "If there’s a boy on the other team, the other team should know that— from a safety standpoint and just for open, transparent dialogue. Don’t be hiding players and presenting them as girls when they’re boys."
He admitted that although the issue of trans-identifying males has been a hot-button issue lately, he never imagined his family would be affected.
"Nobody ever thought it would hit this close to home," he said. "You hear about this stuff in Connecticut and Oregon and with Riley [Gaines] in swimming, and you think, ‘Oh, that’s far away.’ But when we found out, it hit us right at home. Everybody was shocked."
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This father also believes it’s time for people in leadership positions to be held accountable. He specifically pointed to those in charge of elite fastpitch softball clubs and organizations, who are supposed to be advocates for their female athletes.
"These people are making a lot of money," he said. "If you want to be in a leadership position, you need to represent these kids and step up and do what’s right."
He cited the original intent of Title IX — and how far we’ve strayed from it.
"When Title IX was enacted in 1972, there was not one congressman, not one judge, not one person in the country that didn’t know the difference between men and women," he said. "They knew why that law was passed. There was no ambiguity.
"For whatever reason, people do not stand up for what’s right. There are really three camps: the people who think these kids should be able to play wherever they want, the people like me who say it’s flat-out wrong, and the people in the middle just sitting on the side and doing nothing. Those people need to stand up."
He left the conversation with a plea to those in charge. He wants to see a strong policy in place, not just for the rights of his own daughters but for future athletes down the road.
"It absolutely sickens me — the cowardice, the apathy on the sidelines," he said. "It’s not even about being gay or trans. It’s cowardice. And if you’re making that call, you need to be called out."
OutKick reached out to three leading organizations in girls' softball (USA Softball, the Alliance Fastpitch and Premier Girls Fastpitch) as well as Midwest Speed, the club for which Rothenberger played last summer and fall.
While the other organizations failed to respond, Alliance told OutKick that its Board of Directors approved a new Athlete Eligibility Policy in January 2025, which limits participation in national events strictly to biological females.
"The eligibility conditions established in this policy are driven solely by the Alliance Fastpitch's desire to ensure safety, maintain fairness and avoid any unfair competitive advantage within our female-only, youth fastpitch competitions," Alliance said in a statement to OutKick. "The Board is actively working to communicate this policy to all member leagues."
It's important to note, though, that the Minnesota State High School League (as well as all other state high school governing bodies) is separate from club softball and operates under its own set of rules. Further, it's difficult to enforce a female-only policy in states, like Minnesota, where individuals can simply change the sex on their birth certificate at will.
As this South Dakota father stated, until state lawmakers and athletic organizations are willing to draw a clear, uncompromising line — one rooted in biology, not ideology — girls and women will continue to be put at risk.
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