Opinion | The author's opinion does not necessarily reflect Sarah Palin's view.
ESPN broadcaster Samantha Ponder and fellow ESPN colleague Sage Steele have voiced support for former All-American swimmer Riley Gaines, who believes athletes should compete based on biological sex.
Ponder argued that it’s important to keep women’s sports fair and equal.
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Gaines has been leading the fight against biological males competing against women after Gaines tied Lia Thomas, formerly William, at the NCAA Championship in 2022.
Ponder said, “I barely said anything publicly abt this issue & I’ve had so many ppl msg me, stop me in the street to say thank you+ tell me stories abt girls who are afraid to speak up for fear of lost employment/being called hateful.”
Biology is not bigotry. Loving people does not require the absence of boundaries.
— Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) May 31, 2023
BUZZER BEATER: @samponder fires back at columnist who labeled her a "bigot" after the ESPN host called for fairness in women's and girls' sports. https://t.co/KM3AoDVFKE pic.twitter.com/G6swYWCFYh
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 1, 2023
“It is not hateful to demand fairness in sports for girls,” Ponder tweeted.
USA Today columnist Nancy Armour called Ponder’s words “plain old bigotry.”
“Don’t be fooled by the people who screech about ‘fairness’ to cloak their bigotry toward transgender girls and women, the transgender girls and women who have the audacity to want to play sports, in particular,” Armour wrote in her column.
“This is, and always was, about hate, fear and ignorance,’ she added.
“Did Ponder use her platform to express outrage at any of this? Urge her nearly half-million followers on Twitter to write or call their representatives and ask that women be given the funding and opportunities they rightfully deserve?” Armour continued. “Did she publicly participate in any of the many excellent documentaries, videos and commentary ESPN did to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX last year? Or even Tweet about them?”
💯 @samponder pic.twitter.com/EYxIV1GfLa
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) June 1, 2023
“No, she did not. Her public concern about ‘fairness’ for female athletes starts and stops with the miniscule number of transgender women who are participating in sports.”
Despite the USA Today column and Armou’s opinion, the vast majority of Americans agree with ESPN broadcaster Samantha Ponder.
65% of American adults don’t believe that biological males should be allowed to compete in women’s sports, according to a a Washington Post-KFF poll.
Armour accused Ponder of putting transgender people in danger “by further amplifying the bogeyman that cisgender women’s participation in sports is being threatened by transgender girls and young women.”
Armour concluded that Ponder’s opinions have nothing to do with “fairness.”
Earlier this month, a Washington Post-KFF poll showed that the majority of American adults believe gender is determined at birth and are against biological males competing in women’s sports.
Sixty-six percent of American adults do not believe that biological males should be allowed to compete in women’s sports competitions at the high school level, while 34% support biological males competing against women…
In youth sports, 62% of American adults did not believe biological males should be allowed to compete against biological girls, while 37% were behind allowing transgender girls to compete with biological girls.
