ESPN host Sam Ponder was reportedly fired in a “cost-cutting” move on Thursday. However, her firing came days after she signaled that she did not support so-called transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Sam Ponder’s remarks came in response to a post shared by women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines last weekend.
Gaines had posted about how high school girls’ sports was being “infiltrated with mediocre men” and that they “feel helpless.”
“It’s discrimination against women and bullying at its finest,” Gaines wrote.
“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,” Ponder shared with Gaines’ post.
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
Gaines reacted to the news on X.
“So ESPN fires @samponder, the only woman at the network who was publicly said men don't belong in women's sports. 3 weeks before football season?” she wrote.
“Sam is one of the most beautiful, genuine women I've ever met along with @sagesteele who had a similar fate....not a coincidence,” she added.
So ESPN fires @samponder, the only woman at the network who was publicly said men don't belong in women's sports. 3 weeks before football season?
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 15, 2024
Sam is one of the most beautiful, genuine women I've ever met along with @sagesteele who had a similar fate....not a coincidence. pic.twitter.com/igeC87UOnK
This week, ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit said in an interview that he “doesn’t give a s***” about getting backlash for criticizing transgender athletes in women’s sports, which Townhall covered.
On Outkick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich” podcast, Herbstreit claimed that he’d been “biting my tongue on a lot of topics for three years.” He was told not to discuss not to talk publicly about race, religion, or politics.
“I’ve tried to just…I try to stay on the sidelines for a lot of that…but, you know, you can only take so much until you want to start to speak up a little bit and start to say what you think,” Herbstreit said.
“I’m done giving any s***s at all about any of it when it comes to…it’s almost like there’s two different sets of rules and if you have a view that’s a little bit more traditional, or I’m a Christian guy, it’s like there’s a different set of rules for that viewpoint. It’s hard to just turn the other cheek time after time after time,” he said.
Kirk Herbstreit Doubles Down On Opinion That Men Should Stay Out Of Women's Sports: ‘I Don't Give A Shit’ https://t.co/e4K2hu80iV pic.twitter.com/sEUbw3838u
— OutKick (@Outkick) August 14, 2024
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