ESPN has officially given the boot to its last conservative-leaning female personality, Sam Ponder, after she decided to share her thoughts on transgender athletes competing in sports. This, of course, is a reference to biological males who claim to identify as female competing in women’s sports. We’re all still buzzing about the latest example of this from Imane Khelif who who has XY chromosomes and failed the gender test, but still competed in women’s boxing at the Olympics. Khelif won the gold medal, by the way.
Here’s more on this from Sports Illustrated:
Nearly a week ago, University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines tweeted her thoughts about transgender girls competing in high school track and field competitions in California, saying it was “discrimination against women and bullying” that “mediocre men” have crept into the sport. Gaines also revealed text messages from girls who claimed to be scared to voice their opinions and fathers stating their frustration about the sport’s influx of transgender competitors.
That’s when Ponder quote tweeted Gaines and stated that it is not “hateful to demand fairness in sports for girls.” USA Today columnist Nancy Armour subsequently wrote a scathing column calling Ponder’s stance “bigotry” and a “sham.”
“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 stated in her column published on Sunday.” “… Ponder endangers these already in-peril people by further amplifying the bogeyman that cisgender women’s participation in sports is being threatened by transgender girls and young women.”
Ponder issued a response to Armour’s dig on Wednesday, posting on X that “biology is not bigotry,” going on to add that “loving people does not require the absence of boundaries.” This statement is absolutely true. You can care about someone without approving of every lifestyle choice they make. Someone who has a loved one involved in drugs understands this concept very well.
Biology is not bigotry. Loving people does not require the absence of boundaries.
— Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) May 31, 2023
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. It is not hateful to demand fairness in sports for girls https://t.co/teNoMDWNW4
— Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) May 25, 2023
“Just wow. Yes Riley, so many of us are cheering you on. I imagine this has felt lonely at times and I’m genuinely sorry for my own cowardice in not speaking out sooner. Stay strong sister ❤️,” Ponder said.
Of course, ESPN claims the whole thing was a cost-cutting measure, but come on now. The network has been diving deep into liberalism and wokeness for quite some time. No doubt Ponder was slashed due to the fact she doesn’t support the notion of men with a delusional mental illness claiming to be women competing against actual, biological women in sports. Heaven forbid we stick to the science, right?
Naturally, there likely is a monetary component to all this. Despite Ponder having time left on her contract, the cut allows the network to write off the expenses right away.