Once viewed as an escape from the 24/7 political news cycle, sports have now become a political realm of their own. Whether it’s kneeling, boycotting, protesting or tweeting, an increasing number of coaches and athletes across the spectrum have added &#8220;social justice warrior&#8221; to their job descriptions. This collection offers fresh commentary and analysis on the intersection of politics and sports.

These days, most professional athletes are forced to kowtow to “woke” culture. Any positions that run counter to such Leftist tropes — no matter how nuanced or insightful — are immediately devoured by cancel culture mobs. Just ask <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/drew-brees-will-stand-for-the-flag-but-adds-that-his-lack-of-awareness-hurt-a-lot-of-people?%253Futm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=fedup">Drew Brees</a> or <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/former-nfl-player-marcellus-wiley-rips-black-lives-matter-after-it-removes-page-on-disrupting-nuclear-family-structure">Marcellus Wiley</a>. Some combination of peer pressure and genuine fears of reprisal now inform most athletes’ public statements on sociopolitical happenings. 
MMA and — in particular — the UFC are decidedly different. Athletes in the UFC hail from all over the world and it remains MMA’s top promotion. More importantly, fighters can still hold political views that go against the tidal progressive norms. Here are five outspoken conservative figures in the world of UFC.
Jorge Masvidal
One of the UFC’s most gifted Welterweight strikers, Jorge Masvidal was raised in the rough and tumble streets of Miami, as <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/mma/story/_/id/27931280/from-miami-brawler-ufc-star-jorge-masvidal-always-bmf">ESPN</a> recounts: 
<blockquote>
“When Masvidal was 14, he suffered one of the worst beatings of his life. He’s been in so many altercations, he says it’s impossible to recall every one. But what he does remember is that in this specific encounter he was outnumbered, and it landed him in the hospital.”
</blockquote>
Masvidal began his fighting career in the <a href="https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/27946975">backyard brawls</a> famously put together by underground fight legend, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbo_Slice">Kimbo Slice</a>. He currently holds the UFC’s BMF title after a lopsided TKO victory over Nate Diaz due to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqBNf_hHW4o&amp;ab_channel=MMAWeekly.com">somewhat controversial stoppage</a>. He also holds the record for fasted KO in UFC history with his <a href="https://gfycat.com/enchantinggaseousasianwaterbuffalo">epic flying knee</a> against Ben Askren in UFC 239. 
During the 2020 presidential election, Masvidal came out in full support of Donald Trump. His father is a Cuban immigrant who witnessed firsthand the horrors and atrocities of Communism under the Castro regime, according to <a href="https://www.sportbible.com/australia/mma-news-ufc-star-jorge-masvidal-declares-his-support-for-donald-trump-20201014">Sport Bible</a>.
“It’s understood Masvidal’s father arrived in Miami after fleeing communist-led Cuba as a teenager &#8211; and it was his own experiences which ultimately played a big role in shaping Masvidal’s political beliefs in the United States.”
Certainly, Masvidal’s apprehensions were not unwarranted when he expressed concern over Joe Biden, stating, “We either re-elect President Trump and keep American great again, or we let Joe Biden and the radical left take us down the slippery slopes of socialism and misery.”
Masvidal shared his most insightful reasons for supporting Trump on Dan Le Batard’s podcast, <a href="https://www.espn.com/radio/play/_/id/29509325">South Beach Sessions</a>, according to <a href="https://www.mmamania.com/2020/7/24/21337269/ufc-superstar-jorge-masvidal-explains-his-support-for-president-donald-trump-mma-espn-covid">MMA Mania</a>. The UFC fighter discussed how he’s had to fend off spurious accusations of racism and how the former president contributed to minority communities all across our nation in meaningful ways: 
<blockquote>
“When people would say I’m racist because I would pick a certain person, that lets you know where this is going as a society. They’re using now that to wipe away all the good (Trump) has actually done for my community. The lowest unemployment for Latin and Black people, that gives us dignity. That gives my community dignity. People are working and making more money. The pay gaps that have happened in the middle class are nice, are good. It’s numbers, it’s facts. He’s actually helping out my people. And I’m supposed to not give credit for that?”
</blockquote>
Colby Covington
Colby Covington, the former welterweight champion of the world, first gained widespread notoriety in 2018 after posing with President Trump in the oval office, proudly displaying his new belt. Since then, Covington has remained a vocal supporter and friend of the Trump family, even answering a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERX4j9cZ4ss">call</a> from President Trump in the middle of a press conference after his 2020 victory over Tyron Woodley.
Echoing the antics of “The Notorious” Conor McGregor (who himself called Trump a &#8220;phenomenal President&#8221;) and — to a lesser degree — Chael Sonnen, Colby Covington has relished his role as a top heel in the UFC. According to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK8Tg_vliHs&amp;ab_channel=BeyondtheGameTV">Beyond The Game TV</a>, his more outlandish antics were for the sake of survival and relevancy as a fighter on the verge of being cut from the promotion.
In 2019, Covington explained to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQRMxivohcI">Candace Owen</a>s the compelling reasons that lead to his rise as one of the UFC’s main “villains” in the game, as reported by <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/12/9/21002178/colby-covington-claims-the-ufc-was-going-to-release-him-before-his-now-infamous-filthy-animals-promo">MMA Fighting</a>:
<blockquote>
“I’ve never told this story before but three fights ago, before I fought the No. 2 guy in the world, this guy named Demian Maia, in Brazil, they had told my manager Dan Lambert that they weren’t going to re-sign me. They didn’t like my style, they didn’t like that I wasn’t entertaining, and this is before I really started to become an entertainer and really understand the entertainment aspect of this business. So before this fight they told me no matter what happens, I was ranked No. 6 in the world, ‘We’re not re-signing you. We don’t like your character. We don’t like your fighting style.’ And I’m getting paid $30,000 to go fight the No. 2 guy in the world. After you pay taxes and pay your coaches, you’re really going to get like, $5,000 or $10,000.”
</blockquote>
That’s not to say that him parading about in MAGA attire and openly supporting former president Donald Trump is just for show alone. His conservative convictions seem genuine outside of all the pomp and pageantry.
Of course, his support of Trump and conservatism alone has sent MMA journalists and “woke” mobs on MMA forums into furious fits about what a supposed monster Covington must be for such views.
In 2018, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colby-covington-compares-himself-to-donald-trump-2018-6">The Insider</a> declared Covington to be “the most controversial fighter in the UFC” who was similar to “Donald Trump in the worst ways possible” because he “likened his underdog status to Trump’s rise from unfancied Republican candidate to US President.”
Politics aside, Covington saves his best, most hilarious comments for his fellow fighters. According to <a href="https://www.fightful.com/mma/exclusives/ufc-225-s-colby-covington-talks-rafael-dos-anjos-matchup-spoiling-infinity-wars-talks-wwe?utm_source=TW-FightfulOnline&amp;utm_medium=Fightful.com&amp;utm_campaign=dlvr.it.organic">Fightful</a>, he once referred to Conor McGregor as a “little leprechaun” after the Irishman <a href="https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/24885232/the-conor-mcgregor-bus-attack-words-were-there">launched a dolly</a> at a bus full of fighters in an apparent fit of inebriated rage:
<blockquote>
“He’s a coked up little leprechaun. It’s funny how I put a tweet that King Colby the bounty hunter was coming after him, he turned himself in. He knows what would happen. I would dunk that nerd underwater and make him quit.”
</blockquote>
Does Covington ever cross the line? Perhaps. Some of his animus seems rooted in frustration and fatigue rather than self-promotion. He was kicked out of American Top Team after referring to fellow training partner and former UFC champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, as “ugly” and “washed up,” according to <a href="https://www.sportskeeda.com/mma/has-colby-covington-crossed-line-trash-talk">Sports Keeda</a>.
Regardless, what most don’t realize or, frankly, refuse to acknowledge is that Covington is a genuinely good man with an unparalleled work ethic, as routinely evidenced by his unmatched conditioning in The Octagon.
<a href="https://streamable.com/fcdq1k">This recent clip</a> of Covington breaking character to give MMA advice to a young Latino fan demonstrates who the conservative fighter really is behind the scenes. Covington tells the young man to avoid partying and drinking, to fortify his mind, to “find a way,” and “never stop believing” regardless of the odds to achieve success.
<a href="https://www.sportscasting.com/ufc-fans-reluctantly-agreed-that-colby-covington-made-a-good-point/">Sportscasting</a> explains the distinction between Covington as a man and as a UFC fighter the best:
<blockquote>
“While it may seem confusing, Covington, as a person, is very different than ‘Colby Covington,’ the UFC fighter. That’s because ‘Colby Covington’ is actually an act that the real Covington’s put on whenever the cameras are around him. This is the same thing as what WWE wrestlers do, as wrestlers, more often than not, have to put on a fake persona whenever they’re working.”
</blockquote>
Henry Cejudo
While not quite a household name, Henry Cejudo remains one of the UFC’s most decorated athletes even in quasi-retirement. He’s a 2008 Olympic Gold medal wrestler who held both the Bantamweight and Flyweight belts in the UFC.
According to <a href="https://gazette.com/ufc-champion-henry-cejudo-on-charged-political-topic-the-son-of-immigrants-to-being-on/article_a0c5761a-98cc-11e8-b271-d73f18d816fb.html">The Gazette</a>, Cejudo considers himself “a very prideful American” who rose up from the mean streets of downtown Los Angeles against all odds to become one of the top wrestlers and fighters in the entire world:
<blockquote>
“The son of undocumented Mexican immigrants who was born into a two-bedroom apartment about 10 miles from the Staples Center…Cejudo made sure his story was known in a time when tensions over immigration on the southern border are particularly charged.”
</blockquote>
A 2015 piece in <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-sports/henry-cejudo-ufcs-immigrant-son-fights-for-the-american-dream-51458/">Rolling Stone</a> detailed how Cejudo gives back to his community and continues to be a role model and inspiration to others:
<blockquote>
“Cejudo works with various charities, outreach programs and non-profit organizations, including the Special Olympics and Beat the Streets Wrestling. In 2011 Cejudo published a book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Victory-Wrestling-Dreams-Journey/dp/0451232038">American Victory</a>, that detailed his treacherous journey to Olympic glory. He says the response was more meaningful than any trophy or medal.”
</blockquote>
In 2020, Cejudo gave his full support to the reelection of Donald Trump. At a Latinos for Trump rally in Phoenix, Cejudo explained why, including mentioning his own undocumented father who “was deported when Henry was six years old.” The fighter certainly didn’t mince his words either, according to <a href="https://www.12news.com/article/news/politics/champion-wrestler-fighter-henry-cejudo-firmly-in-trumps-corner/75-11effa01-8081-4f9e-b565-b416cc9861f4">12 News</a>:
“My dad wasn’t the best human. He came to this country as a foreigner, broke the law, and was deported…I’m going to tell you as an immigrant’s son, that you come to this country, and you break the law, and, rightfully so, you should pay the consequences.”
Cejudo will likely return to the UFC in 2021. <a href="https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/30175330/former-ufc-champ-henry-cejudo-says-right-price-unretire-year">ESPN reports</a> that he will “unretire…for the right price.” 
Gina Carano
Gina Carano is not just a famous actress the Left is desperately trying to cancel, she was also truly a pioneer in MMA. Well before the likes of Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes, Carano was “the face of women’s MMA” and “was responsible for helping female fighters gain mainstream credibility,” according to <a href="https://www.sportscasting.com/was-mandalorian-star-gina-carano-actually-a-good-mma-fighter/">Sportscasting</a>. Her only MMA loss came at the hands of <a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Gina-Carano-16535">Cris Cyborg</a>.
Now, of course, Carano is facing down Leftist mobs for daring to voice conservative views. Her character, Cara Dune, from the popular show, “The Mandalorian,” has been canceled. 
As Madeleine Kearns of the <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/02/gina-carano-wont-be-canceled/">National Review</a> reported, Disney fired Carano for “anti-Semitism” surrounding <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-time-to-uncancel-americans">a clumsy social media post</a> comparing “cancel culture” and Leftist witch hunts to Nazism and the Holocaust.
Kearns argues that “it would be more accurate to say that Carano was fired for tweets and comments she made that had identified her as a conservative.”
“The specific offense (and pretext for her firing),” Kearns continues, “was a rather underwhelming instance of Godwin’s law (the rule that all Internet debates sooner or later lead to trite comparisons being made with Nazi Germany). Speaking of cancel culture, Carano asked, ‘How is [Nazi hatred of the Jews] any different from hating someone for their political views?’ Previous examples of her supposed moral unfitness included her use of ‘boop/bop/beep’ in her Twitter profile (mocking the transgender-pronouns trend), her stated belief that Epstein did not kill himself, and suggesting that ‘expecting everyone you encounter to agree with every belief or view you hold is f***ing wild.’”
Dana White
Though not an MMA athlete, UFC president Dana White deserves mention given that he wears his conservatism on his sleeve. It’s also mainly because of White that so many UFC fighters can voice such seemingly “controversial” opinions without any fear of reprisal from the organization, unlike almost all other professional sports organizations at the moment. 
MMA journalist, Karim Zidan, inadvertently demonstrates White’s willingness to adhere to the tenets of free speech in a piece for <a href="https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2021/1/11/22224984/ufc-mma-fighters-donald-trumps-far-right-propaganda-capitol-riots-feature">Bloody Elbow</a> meant to deride the UFC president. Zidan writes, “White’s laissez-faire approach to regulating speech emphasizes the promotion’s position on the political spectrum.” That “laissez-faire approach” is one of the very principles our nation was founded upon.
Zidan even quotes White in full to — albeit, accidentally — drive home the point: 
<blockquote>
“These guys all have their own causes, things, their own beliefs. We don’t muzzle anybody here. We let everybody speak their mind.”
</blockquote>
White also campaigned for Donald Trump in 2020, as did <a href="https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/09/president-trump-mind-blowing-ufc-photo-colby-covington-ali-abdelaziz">many UFC fighters</a>. The UFC president even spoke at the Republican National Convention where he focused on the success of the “pre-pandemic economy and unemployment numbers,” according to <a href="https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/08/dana-white-stump-speech-donald-trump-republican-national-convention-2020-election">MMA Junkie</a>. 
White also pointedly called out the failed leadership on the Left that demanded defunding the police in the wake of the riots and protests that raged all across our nation for months: 
<blockquote>
“Before the pandemic … we weren’t facing the lawless destruction that now is occurring in a few of our great cities. It blows my mind how quickly some of the leadership in this country has forgotten the critical role first responders play in our society. Police departments, and other law enforcement, and even some fire departments, have faced opposition from many in this country. But they are always the people who are asked to step up when things are at their worst and put themselves at risk. That has certainly been the case during this ongoing pandemic.”
</blockquote>
***
The UFC remains the last bastion in American sports where athletes can freely speak their minds without risk of being canceled or forced to publicly apologize. How long this will last remains to be seen, especially with sponsors like ESPN and its parent company, Disney, to consider. Hopefully, Dana White — alongside various MMA athletes — will keep fighting the good fight inside and outside The Octagon.

UFC 245: Ultimate Media Day

‘The Most Conservative Sport’: 5 UFC Stars Who Don’t Hide Their Right-Wing Opinions

Dana White

Free Speech

Readers Pass

The debate over competition of transgender individuals in sports with persons of their opposite, biological “assigned” sex at birth has been gaining traction over the past few years, but particularly since President Biden’s executive <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-preventing-and-combating-discrimination-on-basis-of-gender-identity-or-sexual-orientation/">order</a> allowing transgender individuals to play on sports teams of their choosing.
While the notion of substantial physical differences between biological men and biological women is obvious to most, a deep physiological analysis can further help us to better understand the differences between the sexes and, therefore, how forcing the two sexes to physically compete can be harmful, particularly to women.
It is a scientific fact that humans, like all other mammals, have one male and one female parent. The result of mammalian mating produces offspring that are either male or female. There are no other sexes or genders.
There is also no denying the fact that males and females have unchangeable and distinct physical and psychological characteristics.
One such distinction is the structure of their skeletal systems. While it is commonly known that women generally have larger pelvic regions for birthing and men generally have more pronounced shapes in the jawline of the skull, the differences go deeper than that.
Sexual differences in bone structure <a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jos/2011/702735/">emerge</a> during adolescence. The development of one’s skeletal system is influenced primarily by the increase of hormones and, to a lesser extent, by nutritional intake. For males, the increase of testosterone and IGF-1 (insulin growth factor) causes rapid muscle mass and strength growth. For women, their increase in estrogen provides bone minerals and higher increase in bone mass in relation to muscle mass. 
Sexual differences only <a href="https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1359/JBMR.041005">become</a> more apparent after puberty as periosteal growth, which enlarges the diameter of bones, slows for females but drastically increases for males. And although males generally reach puberty two years later than females, they usually <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/83/5/1414/2865107">have</a> longer legs, and ultimately longer bodies because their epiphyseal fusion occurs later which causes their peak growth velocity to continue longer than that of females. This <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4397276/">phenomenon</a> is displayed by the development of their growth plates located near the longitudinal ends of each bone.
Males and females <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/83/5/1414/2865107">have</a> the same Bone Mineral Density (BMD) per capita, but because males generally have <a href="https://www.juniordentist.com/differentiate-male-skull-female-skull.html">larger</a> skulls and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/83/5/1414/2865107">wider</a> vertebrae due to their higher bone mass, males are <a href="https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1359/JBMR.041005">less</a> likely to experience bone stress and osteoporotic fractures (fractures incurred from bumps and falls on more fragile bones). Even if the bones of the two sexes have the same nutritional value, because of the sheer size of male bones, they are less likely to be injured from experiencing the same impact.
This is backed up by a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9158436/">study</a> published in the National Library of Medicine, which showed that female cadets attending the US Military Academy had 2.5 times the number of injuries and 3.9 times more hospitalizations reported than that of their male counterparts.
Sex is <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Julie_Gilchrist/publication/10747616_Prevention_of_lower_extremity_stress_fractures_in_athletes_and_soldiers_A_systematic_review/links/0c96053356d30c0ea0000000/Prevention-of-lower-extremity-stress-fractures-in-athletes-and-soldiers-A-systematic-review.pdf">found</a> to be the highest risk factor regarding stress fractures. A <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Julie_Gilchrist/publication/10747616_Prevention_of_lower_extremity_stress_fractures_in_athletes_and_soldiers_A_systematic_review/links/0c96053356d30c0ea0000000/Prevention-of-lower-extremity-stress-fractures-in-athletes-and-soldiers-A-systematic-review.pdf">study</a> by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health further states “A number of military studies of Army basic training show that women performing the same prescribed physical activities as men incur stress fractures at incidences 2-10 times higher than those for men.”
<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Julie_Gilchrist/publication/10747616_Prevention_of_lower_extremity_stress_fractures_in_athletes_and_soldiers_A_systematic_review/links/0c96053356d30c0ea0000000/Prevention-of-lower-extremity-stress-fractures-in-athletes-and-soldiers-A-systematic-review.pdf">Some</a> civilian studies on the injuries of athletes can be misleading, since they do not account for men and women practicing together or competing against one another. However, there is overwhelming evidence that, when men and women partake in strenuous exercise at the same intensity levels, females are much more susceptible to incur injuries.
This is not to say there are not some exceptionally athletic women who could outperform most men. It simply shows that men’s bodies are capable of sustaining greater physical damage than women’s bodies.
Moving on, perhaps the most significant contrast of males and females is in their overall strength levels.
A <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.2000.89.1.81">study</a> in the Journal of Applied Physiology shows that men have approximately 40% greater upper body strength and 33% greater lower body strength than women on average. Overall, women <a href="http://archive.sciendo.com/SSR/ssr.2012.xxi.issue-3-4/v10237-012-0015-5/v10237-012-0015-5.pdf">have</a> somewhere between 37-68% the muscle strength of men.
Even when taken to the extremes, men’s strength far surpasses women’s. The gross average bench press power lifting <a href="https://www.castironstrength.com/elite-strength-sports-ipf-and-iwf-a-comparision-of-sex-and-performance/">record</a> for women is 228 pounds less than it is for men. Similarly for squatting, the women’s record is 292 pounds less than the men’s.
These disparities are not just due to bone size and testosterone levels. There are also distinct biomechanical differences between the sexes.
One of these reasons is the difference in “Q Angles” of men and women. The Q Angle is the angle between the quadriceps muscles and the patella tendon of the knee. It was often thought that women have larger Q angles than men because of their wider pelvises, but many <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/69/11/897/2728437">studies</a> have shown that this is not the case. Instead, one <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2881465/">study</a> floats the notion that it is due to women’s inward turning of their thigh bones otherwise known as “femoral anteversion.” Because of this, on average, women have a Q Angle of 18 degrees compared to 14 degrees for men.
According to a recent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6648034/">study</a> by the Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, “A higher Q Angle is associated with decreased isokinetic knee strength, power output, and torque angles.” Not only does this affect lifting capacities, but also tends to lead to joint disorders and sports injuries, with two of the most common injuries being ACL tears and Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner’s Knee).
The first — ACL tears — are a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4805849/">result</a> of smaller femoral notch dimensions and a less stable core (abdominal and hip stability). The second — Runner’s Knee — is <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/sportsdoc/Why-Women-Are-More-Affected-by-Runners-Knee.html#:~:text=One%2520of%2520the%2520most%2520common,knees%2520bent%2520for%2520prolonged%2520periods.">due</a> to women’s leg alignment from their Q Angle, looser joints, and weaker hip muscles.
When it comes to running in general, men generally have a physical advantage.
Male sprinters are <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0026141">recorded</a> to have 47% greater hip extension strength and 56% greater knee extension strength than female sprinters. Researchers from Sports Medicine <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165%252F00007256-200535120-00002">assert</a> the gap between men and women speeds is “biological in nature” and is “unlikely to narrow naturally.”
This gap becomes apparent even when comparing elite female athletes to non-elite male athletes. According to <a href="https://law.duke.edu/sports/sex-sport/comparative-athletic-performance/">research</a> from Duke University, “Just in the single year 2017, Olympic, World, and U.S. Champion Tori Bowie’s 100 meters lifetime best of 10.78 was beaten 15,000 times by men and boys.”
But it is not just distance running where men track better times. Men also record faster reactions for both auditory and visual stimuli. Researchers from India’s Department of Physiology <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4456887/">show</a> men have stronger motor responses and can contract muscles quicker than women.
The final, critical discrepancy between the sexes is spatial ability which can be defined as: the ability to perceive, visualize, and manipulate three-dimensional objects in some way. Researchers from the Griffith University of Australia <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/143902789.pdf">argue</a> that “Gender gaps in spatial ability are the largest of all gender differences in cognitive abilities.”
As their study claims, most researchers would conclude that this is a result of biological and social forces. The leading hypothesis is that males’ spatial skills come from their traditional “hunter” role where strong navigational and vision skills were necessary. However, a University of Chicago <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/668168">study</a> challenges this idea, “demonstrating that a trait now increases fitness does not constitute evidence that the trait is an adaption because the trait could have evolved for other reason.”
While the source of this ability is not crucial, the effect that it has on spatial ability such as hand-eye coordination is important. In virtually every study conducted on the matter, males are found to have significantly better hand-eye coordination than females.
Considering all the evidence and data provided by these studies and research, why should biological males who are generally bigger, stronger, faster, possess better hand-eye coordinated, are more spatially aware, and more are likely to injure women if they collide with them compete physically against women?
To argue that biological females can fairly compete with biological males is an act of unscientific lunacy.
Even the NCAA seems to be aware of these discrepancies, having a <a href="https://www.smith.edu/admission/studygroup/docs/NCAA-Policy-on-Transgender-Student.pdf">policy</a> preventing transgender female athletes from competing in sports of their born sex without having first gone through one year of hormone treatment.  While this is not an adequate policy to protect women, it does at least seem to acknowledge the existence of physical differences between the sexes.
According to a recent <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2020/11/06/bjsports-2020-102329.full?ijkey=yjlCzZVZFRDZzHz&amp;keytype=ref">study</a> by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, transgender female athletes perform at higher levels than their biological female counterparts and “more than 12 months of testosterone suppression may be needed to ensure that transgender women do not have an unfair competitive advantage when participating in elite level athletic competition.” 
However, these undeniable physical differences do not speak to the individual capabilities of women or of their areas of ability that surpasses that of their male counterparts. Women notably <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/668168">outperform</a> males in object memory location, verbal fluency, and recognition of facial emotional expressions. Other commonly accepted examples include better color shade recognition, as well as more acute senses of taste and smell.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Transgender Sports

Can Men And Women Compete Athletically? Here’s What The Science Says.

LGBTQ

Transgender

Joe Biden’s presidency is bad news for at least one group: women.
Even as Biden pays <a href="https://joebiden.com/womens-agenda/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://joebiden.com/womens-agenda/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1612633702910000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHNCu0gr9xLV6WVu84ClOI89xuPXg">lip service</a> to women’s rights, he is <a href="https://www.adflegal.org/blog/president-biden-already-threatening-womens-rights" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.adflegal.org/blog/president-biden-already-threatening-womens-rights&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1612633702910000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGATK_obLervxgqIcdYXHPikSbpDg">already</a> using his administration to reverse decades of hard-won advances for female athletes while jeopardizing women’s private spaces and perhaps even homeless shelters. Biden is following in the footsteps of former president Barack Obama, who similarly used executive orders and federal agencies to coerce schools and businesses into accepting policies that ultimately harm women and girls.
The repercussions of these policies can be truly devastating. Just ask <a href="https://www.adflegal.org/blog/run-mile-selinas-shoes" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.adflegal.org/blog/run-mile-selinas-shoes&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1612633702910000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFAKnphclrvqUnxJlIs1_ZLy6Hh7A">Selina Soule</a>, a female athlete in Connecticut. Selina was one of the top female high school sprinters in the state, and she had her sights set on reaching the New England Regionals in the 55m dash her junior year and competing on world-class tracks in front of college scouts. She missed the cut for regionals by just two spots—both of which were taken by male athletes. Male athletes won first and second place in her event, knocking Selina and every other girl out of the placements they deserved. As Miguel Cardona, Biden’s pick to head the U.S. Department of Education, <a href="https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-cardona-senate-hearing-20210203-ukfihpruyzgzjatqfcrn44gfiu-story.html" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-cardona-senate-hearing-20210203-ukfihpruyzgzjatqfcrn44gfiu-story.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1612633702910000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGWB8NP-UioFhW2yEGHO9Y6ik8jTg">made clear</a> at his recent Senate confirmation hearing, every public school in the nation will be pressured to allow males to compete in girls’ sports and deny female athletes the chance for fair competition.
Or ask <a href="https://www.adflegal.org/client-story/alexis-lightcap" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.adflegal.org/client-story/alexis-lightcap&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1612633702910000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEDsZ7lbpqyob9aPsIxHriKFInypg">Alexis Lightcap</a>, a young woman from Boyertown, Pennsylvania. In 2017, under policies similar to those Biden has promised to enact, Alexis’ high school quietly started allowing boys to use the girls’ restrooms and locker rooms. Alexis didn’t know about the changes until she walked into the girls’ restroom one day only to find a biological male. In shock, Alexis went to a teacher, expecting the school to stand up for her right to physical privacy. Instead, the school told her that there was nothing it could do; she and all the other girls at the school would just have to get used to sharing restrooms and locker rooms with male classmates.
Or, if that isn’t enough, talk to some of the homeless women who nightly take shelter at the <a href="https://www.adflegal.org/blog/anchorage-ends-crusade-against-overnight-womens-shelter" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.adflegal.org/blog/anchorage-ends-crusade-against-overnight-womens-shelter&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1612633702911000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEvhyW1sGm1jDIsW2bZma8K__KZCw">Downtown Hope Center</a> in Anchorage, Alaska. Many of these women are fleeing abusive situations or have trauma from being abused or even trafficked. Downtown Hope Center provides these women with a safe, warm place to have a meal and spend the night. But one night, a drunken, visibly injured male came to the center, said that he identified as female, and demanded to be allowed to sleep in the common sleeping area—just feet from the homeless women, many of whom were fleeing sexual abuse. The center’s director helped the individual get to the hospital to receive needed medical care, even paying for the taxi. In the days that followed, Anchorage officials tried to punish the women’s shelter for not admitting the male to sleep alongside the vulnerable women instead.
In each of these situations, Alliance Defending Freedom stood up for the women involved. With the help of ADF, Selina filed a lawsuit against the state athletic association, arguing that female athletes have a right to fair competition—which means they cannot be forced to compete against physically bigger, faster, and stronger male athletes. Alexis joined other students in a lawsuit against her school, asking that the school protect her privacy in restrooms and locker rooms. Downtown Hope Center pushed back on Anchorage’s unfair, unsafe demands, insisting that the women they serve have a right to a safe place to sleep.
Women’s rights are in jeopardy, and the Biden administration promises to make this worse. The next four years will contain more tragic situations like those faced by Selina, Alexis, and the women at Downtown Hope Center. But no matter what new challenges arise for women’s rights in the coming years, ADF will <a href="https://www.adflegal.org/stand-for-freedom" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.adflegal.org/stand-for-freedom&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1612633702911000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGxb1JnGOLxRNRuf9HkzjIPr4-czQ">remain on the front lines</a> protecting women’s privacy, safety, and fair play.
Christiana Holcomb is legal counsel at <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.adflegal.org&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1612633702911000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGyPQOsaOYmN4msf4_0r8jQSv4Uzg">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/AllianceDefends" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/AllianceDefends&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1612633702911000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFnu5OsMug1jr_uVihcK7DOLsEWCg">@Alliance Defends</a>).
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

CYCLING-ENG-TRACK-WORLD-GENDER

How Biden Administration Policy Will Threaten Fundamental Rights For Women

Biden Administration

On the first day of his administration, President Biden signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-preventing-and-combating-discrimination-on-basis-of-gender-identity-or-sexual-orientation/">executive order</a> on “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.”
Proclaiming that “children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports,” the action supports the participation of biologically male athletes in women’s sports.
Across the United States, biological men have been increasingly permitted to compete against biological women in athletics. In some cases, biological females have been allowed to take hormones while competing against other girls. Because of the increased speed, strength, and stamina caused by either biological advantages or hormone treatments, many tend to dominate their opponents.
Here are five times transgender athletes shattered women’s sports records.
CeCe Telfer — Hurdles
Franklin Pierce University senior CeCe Telfer <a href="https://www.franklinpierce.edu/about/news/National_Champion_CeCe_Telfer.htm">became</a> an NCAA women’s track and field national champion in 2019.
Telfer, a biological male, <a href="https://twitter.com/SecondOnlyRyMac/status/1356011456010084357?s=20">completed</a> the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.53 seconds — more than a second faster than his nearest rival. Earlier in the day, he earned All-America First Team honors in the 100-meter hurdles.
Telfer insisted that he overcame several disadvantages to clinch victory.
“First of all, my height, how tall I am, is a disadvantage, because the wind is hitting us so hard and the taller you are, the harder you fall, basically,” he told <a href="https://www.outsports.com/2019/6/3/18649927/ncaa-track-champion-cece-telfer-transgender-athlete-fpu-trans-testosterone">Outsports</a>. “There’s wind resistance.”
Critics of his transition into women&#8217;s track and field point out Telfer&#8217;s failure to finish inside the top 300 in the men&#8217;s Division III championships in 2017, his last year competing as a male.
Mary Gregory — Weightlifting
In the spring of 2019, Mary Gregory boasted that he dominated at a Raw Powerlifting Federation competition in Virginia. He also broke four women’s world records: Masters world squat record, open world bench record, Masters world deadlift record, and Masters world total record.
“What a day, 9 for 9!” he declared on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwxgbyQgtI_/">Instagram</a>. “As a transgender lifter I was unsure what to expect going into this meet and everyone&#8230; treated me as just another female lifter- thank you!”
Gregory drew criticism from prominent female athletes. Olympic swimming medalist Sharron Davies <a href="https://twitter.com/sharrond62/status/1122421385232551941">noted</a> that Gregory has “a male body with male physiology,” which creates “a pointless unfair playing field.”
Martial artist and podcast star Joe Rogan also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLH4VVdaQd8">commented</a> on Gregory’s victory: “That seems like a very strong man. So ridiculous.”
Following the criticism, the Raw Powerlifting Federation <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/may/15/mary-gregory-transgender-powerlifter-stripped-of-w/">revoked</a> Gregory’s world records and announced that they would form a new “Transgender Division.”
Terry Miller &amp; Andraya Yearwood — Sprinting
At a Connecticut high school women’s track championship in 2019, two biological men left their opponents in the dust.
Terry Miller set a girls’ state indoor <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/24/terry-miller-andraya-yearwood-transgender-sprinter/">record</a> for the 55-meter dash, completing the race in 6.95 seconds. Andraya Yearwood — another biological male — placed second with a time of 7.23 seconds.
Miller also won the 300-meter event in 2019. In the previous year, the two athletes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOQfyIhv9GM">placed</a> first and second in the 100-meter dash. 
Following the state championships, parents in Connecticut began circulating <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/transgender-teens-outrun-track-field-competitors-critics-close/story?id=55856294">petitions</a> to bar biological men from women’s track competitions.
Rachel McKinnon — Cycling
A professional cyclist in Canada set the world record for the Women&#8217;s Sprint World Championship in the fall of 2019.
Rachel McKinnon — a biological male — would not have <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/timothymeads/2019/10/21/transgender-cyclist-who-set-womens-world-record-wouldnt-have-qualified-for-men-n2555072">qualified</a> for the men’s cycling competition. Though his women’s world record was a time of 11.649 seconds, the top qualifying round time for the male division was 10.498 seconds.
Following the race, McKinnon wrote an op-ed for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/opinion/i-won-a-world-championship-some-people-arent-happy.html">The New York Times</a> entitled “I Won a World Championship. Some People Aren’t Happy.” 
“The rules require me to race in the women’s category,” he argued. “That’s exactly where I belong: I am a woman, after all. I am female as well.”
McKinnon told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ipCrGBMtAc">Sky News</a> that “the people who oppose my existence still want to think of me as male,” going on to cite what he views as a false belief that “men are always stronger than women.”
Mack Beggs — Wrestling
Mack Beggs — a biological female who claims to be male — dominated for two consecutive years at the Texas state wrestling championships.
Beggs takes doses of testosterone as part of her transition, which <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/trending-news/a33984383/mack-beggs-transgender-wrestler-interview/">enabled</a> her to physically dominate her opponents. In the 2018 state tournament, she won 36 straight matches.
A video from the 2018 competition <a href="https://twitter.com/HowertonNews/status/967545478601732098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E967545478601732098%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2Ftransgender-boy-wins-girls-state-wrestling-title-for-second-time">shows</a> Beggs pinning her opponent in a matter of seconds, which earned boos from the crowd.
Beggs desired to compete with males, but her request was overruled by Texas’ University Interscholastic League. The organization instructed her to continue wrestling with her fellow females in spite of the advantage from her hormone treatments.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

CeCe Telfer

5 Times Transgender Athletes Dominated Women’s Sports

Feminism

Sports

On Sunday, January 25, future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-26 victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, advancing to Super Bowl LV to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This is the first title appearance for the Buccaneers since 2003, and the 10th Super Bowl appearance for Brady. To put this achievement in perspective, Brady’s soon-to-be opponent Patrick Mahomes — who may very well be his heir in terms of talent — was in kindergarten when Brady won his first Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams in 2002.
With Brady dominating sports headlines, it seems appropriate to remember that he is often the focus of political and cultural criticism. Here are three of the more memorable times Brady triggered the Left.
MAGA Hat in Brady’s Locker 
During an interview in 2015, a Make America Great Again (MAGA) <a href="https://www.bizpacreview.com/2017/01/30/tom-brady-called-denounce-friendship-donald-trump-punished-442310/">hat</a> was spotted in then-Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s locker. This sparked a flurry of desperately angry tweets and responses from Hollywood, and all of those on the Left, shaking with disbelief.
“Can I just stay out of this debate? Donald is a good friend of mine. I have known him for a long time. I support all my friends,” Brady <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/new-england-patriots/donald-trump-calls-tom-brady-bill-belichick-great-friends">responded</a>.
Speaking to Variety prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe was nothing short of triggered. Even though the “hat incident” was two-years removed, he couldn’t let it go. When asked who he was rooting for in the Super Bowl, Radcliffe <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1089288707461414912?ref_src=twsrc%255Etfw%257Ctwcamp%255Etweetembed%257Ctwterm%255E1089288707461414912%257Ctwgr%255E%257Ctwcon%255Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.foxnews.com%252Fentertainment%252Fdaniel-radcliffe-slams-tom-brady-over-trump-support-and-maga-hat">immediately went</a> with the Rams. “[Brady] should stop winning things. Take that MAGA hat out of your locker&#8230;. C’mon dude!”
Even though Brady has clarified to Leftist and sports media alike that he had the hat because of a friendship with the President of the United States — not necessarily because of his ideological leanings — they all came out swinging. 
Golfing History with President Trump
In some ominous way, the Left’s craving for cancel culture gratifies their sensibilities, by furnishing the notion that we all must live up to a utopian standard. Of course, this standard only takes into account what is “politically correct” in modern times, with rules changing every day. Join the mob or else, in other words.
It goes without saying that Brady’s history of golfing with Donald Trump is one such cancelable offense, uncovered during the “hat incident” as journalists investigated Brady and Trump’s past relationship. At a press conference in Cincinnati, one media member asked “Tom, you have kids of your own. How would you respond if your kids heard Donald Trump’s version of locker room talk?” Brady proceeded to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKiupGdm3Mk">walk</a> out of the room, chuckling.
When Trump was the Republican presidential front-runner, the media started poking Brady about his golf experiences with Trump. <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/tom-brady-chuck-klosterman-gq-man-of-the-year-2015">GQ</a> writer Chuck Klosterman performed a lengthy interview with Brady. At the end of the piece, Klosterman asked Brady if Trump “cheats.” 
“Nah. He just — he doesn’t lose,” Brady responded. 
“I mean it’s pretty amazing what he’s been able to accomplish,” Brady also said on WEEI radio when referring to then-candidate President Trump in 2015, “He obviously appeals to a lot of people, and he’s a hell of a lot of fun to play golf with.”
Time magazine would cover this story in late 2015, which is now resurfacing as Brady, yet again, heads to the Super Bowl.
Trending Discussion of Kaepernick on Twitter
On January 25 — the day after the Buccaneers beat the Green Bay Packers to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LV — the Left went on a Kaepernick-related spree. The <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=Kaepernick&amp;src=trend_click&amp;pt=1353551413700423687&amp;vertical=trends">trending</a> topic on Twitter read as follows:
<blockquote>
“As Tom Brady makes his way to another Super Bowl, some football fans are pointing out that the quarterback’s politics, i.e., his friendship with Donald Trump, haven’t derailed his career in the way that Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protests of police violence did, arguably leading to his exit from the NFL.”
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Funny how people can separate Tom Brady’s politics from his game, but struggle to do the same when it comes to Kaepernick.
&mdash; Ahmed Ali (@DrAhmednurAli) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrAhmednurAli/status/1353551413700423687?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
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This week, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/sports/football/kaepernick-kneeling-protests-super-bowl.html">published</a> a column “revisiting” Colin Kaepernick, arguing that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback deserves a second chance. What author Kurt Streeter — and many others — fail to recognize is that Kaepernick’s poor performance resulted in his replacement by first round pick Blaine Gabbert. Then, in 2019 Kaepernick rejected his second change after the NFL organized a private workout and invited dozens of coaches and personnel. Instead, the quarterback practiced elsewhere while wearing a divisive “Kunta Kinte shirt.” 
In reality, the truth is simple. Brady is in the Super Bowl because of his talent. Kaepernick is not in the NFL because of his lack of talent.
Follow Gabe Kaminsky on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Gabe__Kaminsky">@Gabe__Kaminsky</a>
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Los Angeles Rams v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

3 Times Tom Brady Triggered the Woke Outrage Mob

Colin Kaepernick

Super Bowl

Tom Brady

Green Bay Packers All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers expressed his disgust with Democratic politicians like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Governor Gavin Newsom for their hypocrisy in supporting draconian shutdowns of the economy while they were “not even following their own rules.” He added, &#8220;I mean, how many people have gotten caught?&#8221;
Rodgers, a California native who formerly starred at the University of California, Berkeley, spoke on “The Pat McAfee Show” about his $500,000 donation to the Dave Portnoy’s Barstool Fund, which has been sending relief to many small businesses desperate to keep their businesses afloat. After McAfee, a former All-Pro punter for the Indianapolis Colts, congratulated Rodgers on his $500,000 donation, Rodgers stated of Portnoy, “I’ve been following El Presidente on social media for a while; I’ve enjoyed his takes on many different things. And when he got kind of challenged, I was wondering how he would respond. Initially, it was ‘Here’s $500,000, you take it; you figure how to go with the money.’ That changed pretty quickly into him and his folks there figuring out how to get the money out. It’s just an amazing deal, what they’re doing; to be able to not only change people’s lives and livelihoods, but to do it in such a timely fashion. I mean, the money is going out every 24 to 72 hours.”
“I think there was such a need,” Rodgers continued. “If you look around our environment today, it&#8217;s not like the government is really helping anybody out in a timely fashion. I mean, they took forever to figure out how to give $600 checks away, and then you know may or may not get to $2,000 at this point. That&#8217;s not life-changing money. What Dave and his folks are doing with the Barstool Fund is life-changing money. It&#8217;s sustainability for these people, and I think that&#8217;s the thing that you gravitate towards the most is just not having a reliance on the government to help you out, because obviously it’s shown that&#8217;s not going to be the way they&#8217;re going to do it.”
Then Rodgers targeted Pelosi and Newsom as he slammed hypocritical politicians instituting lockdowns:
<blockquote>I mean, they put these rules in place. They&#8217;re not even following their own rules. I mean, how many people have gotten caught? “Don&#8217;t travel. Don&#8217;t leave the state.” Oh, here&#8217;s so-and-so on a vacation. Oh, here&#8217;s so-and-so <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/salon-owner-shreds-pelosis-claim-that-she-was-set-up-she-set-appointment-has-been-coming-in-for-quite-a-while/">at a salon</a>. “Don&#8217;t eat out at a restaurant unless you&#8217;re wearing a mask and separate.” Oh, here&#8217;s a picture of the governor of California <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/photos-emerge-of-gov-gavin-newsom-at-ritzy-restaurant-allegedly-failing-to-comply-with-health-guidelines/">violating those rules</a>. Oh, public schools are closed, but I can send my kids to a private school in person.</blockquote>
Rodgers commented, “For us to count on the government to help us out is becoming a joke at this point.”
Of Portnoy’s efforts, Rodgers concluded, “It&#8217;s really a call to action for those of us who can donate. Let&#8217;s donate. Let&#8217;s help our brothers and our sisters out because these are our people. We&#8217;re all we got.”
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Green Bay Packers v Carolina Panthers

‘They’re Not Even Following Their Own Rules’: Aaron Rodgers Slams Pelosi, Newsom

Aaron Rodgers

COVID

Gavin Newsom

Green Bay Packers

Lockdowns

Nancy Pelosi

Who had Bill Belichick on their 2021 Unlikely Virtue Signaler Bingo Card? Come collect your winnings. 
That’s right — the Lord Vader of the NFL’s Evil Empire has publicly rejected a Presidential Medal of Freedom because being in the same room as Donald Trump is apparently too icky.
Here’s his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/belichick-rejects-medal-of-freedom-from-trump-statement">statement</a>, in part: “Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation’s values, freedom and democracy. I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team. One of the most rewarding things in my professional career took place in 2020 when, through the great leadership within our team, conversations about social justice, equality and human rights moved to the forefront and became actions. Continuing those efforts while remaining true to the people, team and country I love outweighs the benefits of any individual award.”
Translation: I coach in the NFL, and standing up to the mob is risking career suicide, even for a six-time champion, and I’m going to use the “riot” as an excuse to weasel out of going to the White House.  
Et tu, Bill? You would think that resistance to bending the knee would be in his DNA. The guy’s GAF (Give a f***) meter has been pegged at zero since I’ve been paying attention. He shuffles into press conferences in his cut-off hoodie looking like he just missed last call and is pissed about it, mumbles a few occasionally coherent thoughts and leaves, apparently unconcerned with protocol, decorum or even personal dignity. 
But not even Bill Belichick is immune to the woke virus rampaging through pro sports. Roger Goodell is NFL Commissioner in name only; Colin Kaepernick apparently calls the shots.  
As with any former Republican president who garners a Strange New Respect for not being as bad as his successor, the announcement has given Belichick some unexpected cachet with leftists, who celebrated it as “the latest rebuke to Trump from the sports world.” Deadspin’s headline blared: “Bill Belichick has some integrity, turns down Trump’s Medal of Freedom.”
To his credit, hard-core leftist Mike Florio of NBC Sports saw the announcement for what it probably was: a cynical reading of the room at Patriots HQ and attempt to deflect the guilt-by-association that has haunted Belichick since he supported Trump in 2016. Florio wrote, “This was not a deathbed conversion. It was an effort to avoid what would have been the death knell for Belichick’s coaching career.”
Of course, it follows a certain twisted logic that the author and instigator of Deflategate and Spygate, a win-at-all-costs, whatever-it-takes NFL Machiavelli, would align himself with those who would consider cheating Trump out of an election (whether it actually happened or not) a moral necessity. 
My thoughts on the matter? Get over yourself, Belichick. These Medals of Freedom are often nothing more than a chance for the President, whoever he is, to fangirl over his sports and pop culture idols. Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Lorne Michaels and Robert DeNiro — all Medal of Freedom recipients during the Obama years — are the kind of company Belichick would be keeping. A good reason to turn down the award, now that I think about it.  
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Pittsburgh Steelers v New England Patriots

Belichick Bends The Knee

Bill Belichick

Cancel Culture

Donald Trump

New England Patriots

As we approach the end of the year, countless towns across America look fundamentally different. Small businesses nationwide are being forced to their knees by government mandated lockdowns, with many closing for good and others likely never to recover.
With no country in the world demonstrating an effective strategy for “handling” the COVID-19 pandemic, American politicians seem to be limited to just two actions. The first is to continue to squeeze the life out of small businesses as they demand further lockdowns and other forms of societal control. The second is to attempt to quell the fires of economic collapse with financial stimulus packages.
During such times, we are reminded in no uncertain terms just how inept and ineffective the faceless members of “big government” truly are. In many ways, various state and local governments are responsible for the damage done to small businesses. After all, why are economies flourishing in some states while they implode in others? Either the COVID-19 virus is unable to cross state lines, or contrasting policy has an impact. 
However, despite the fact that our elected officials bear responsibility for much of the damage we are witnessing, they often present themselves as the only solution, creating an inescapable cycle of political failure as they spend our money to bail themselves out.
This form of reliance on government is inherently antithetical to foundational American principles. This is a country of pioneers who create for themselves and their communities, not a fearful flock of subservient subjects who abdicate all responsibility and power to others. 
Even now, during one of the most challenging times in modern history, this American desire shines through. Dave Portnoy, founder and president of Barstool Sports, epitomizes this unique American characteristic. Earlier this month, he announced to his 1.9 million Twitter followers that he was launching “The Barstool Fund,” explaining that they “will try to help as many people as we can.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Introducing The Barstool Fund
If you are a small business that needs help staying in business because of covid email us your story to barstoolfund@barstoolsports.com. We will try to help as many people as we can. <a href="https://t.co/9BS8HeyHaq">pic.twitter.com/9BS8HeyHaq</a>
&mdash; Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) <a href="https://twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1339674567447556098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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According to The Barstool Fund’s <a href="https://www.barstoolsports.com/the-barstool-fund">website</a>, Portnoy has raised almost $9 million, with over 76,000 supporters, providing support for 36 businesses.
Kevin Redden, who owns Pony Express Cleaners in Scottsdale, Arizona, was one of these businesses who received financial support from Portnoy’s fund. Redden <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/small-business/arizona-small-business-owner-barstool-fund-support">said</a> that “the world was lifted off my shoulders.” 
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MUST WATCH &#8211; Pony Express Cleaners tells their dad that the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Barstoolfund?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Barstoolfund</a> will be there for them. This is why we are doing this. This is why I’m shaking down the internet. Thanks to everybody who is donating and letting us help. <a href="https://t.co/yX2RzHQmP2">https://t.co/yX2RzHQmP2</a> <a href="https://t.co/vqO99nsG5E">pic.twitter.com/vqO99nsG5E</a>
&mdash; Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) <a href="https://twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1342613620748939264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Those who have <a href="https://fee.org/articles/barstool-sports-is-doing-more-for-small-businesses-than-the-federal-government/?fbclid=IwAR1D91FAJsP7tqt_cTYnT3FksiQ9oCjhq2yrUnry_htJY9_DolC6g-BQNwo">donated</a> to the fund include UFC president Dana White, YaynerSports’ Gary Vaynerchuck, and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment Michael Rapino. 
Despite the partisan cynicism which presents America as evil, selfish, or broken, we are constantly reminded by people like Dave Portnoy that the United States is both wonderful and unique. Even while our government entities pontificate as they vie for political leverage on the backs of struggling citizens, there are some among us who cut through the partisan and bureaucratic nonsense. 
True patriots who identify a problem and — rather than seeking to twist it to their advantage — take responsibility, roll up their sleeves, and build a solution.
Portnoy has shown us that we don’t need to rely on our government. Instead, we need to rely on ourselves and each other.
Ian Haworth is host of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkPxdVsNp7k&amp;list=PLhi-aq-5DfuTQRVv1IOVMnA735vEYO0f5">The Ian Haworth Show</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E05t2L69Sks&amp;list=PLhi-aq-5DfuRHu5r0IV5qr4h2rBAV9oBd">The Truth in 60 Seconds</a>. Follow him on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth">@ighaworth</a>.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Dave Portnoy

Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy Epitomizes The American Problem-Solving Spirit

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With the news that the Cleveland Indians have decided to follow the Washington Redskins off the PC cliff and erase decades of tradition, we thought we’d scan the sports world for similarly offensive nicknames. How long can these last in the face of the scorched-earth tactics of today’s tireless social justice warriors? 
Wait a second — warriors? Isn’t that offensive to and/or appropriative of Native American culture? For shame, SJWs, for shame.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. If the stupid grows ever stronger, here are some names that belong on the chopping block. 
Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Braves
If “Indians” is verboten, then these two are no-brainers for history’s ash heap. Never mind that these franchises have worn these nicknames as points of pride, not derision. Good night, Chief Noc-a-Homa, wherever you are. 
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
This one actually is a pretty blatant stereotype — the Irishman as drunken brawler. Working in the nickname’s favor is the fact that Irish people are white (aren’t they? It’s hard to keep up any more) and therefore stereotype-able. 
New Zealand All Blacks
Tradition says that the nickname is a reference to their jerseys, but how have the wokescolds who run New Zealand, personified by progressive princess PM Jacinda Ardern, allowed this atrocity to stand? 
Orofino (Idaho) High School Maniacs
Insensitive much to the mentally ill? Come on, Orofino. Be better. And haven’t you heard? Here in Wokeistan USA, we celebrate our mentally ill; we don’t label them with pejoratives. Of course, the Orofino Individuals Living with Mental Illness probably wouldn’t fit on the banner. 
Freeburg (Ill.) HS Midgets
I am actually a little shocked that this one has survived. “Midget” hasn’t passed PC muster since before Herve Villechaize was a thing. Of course, little people have taken a prominent place in pop culture, so celebrating them is encouraged. Maybe change it to the Peter Dinklages? Or the Tyrion Lannisters? 
Yuma (Ariz.) HS Criminal
Celebrating criminality isn’t a good idea, is it? Of course, isn’t a so-called criminal just an individual forced into his or her (or their) actions by centuries of oppression? If used in this way, to shine an ironic spotlight on injustice, we’ll allow it.   
Glenville (Ohio) HS Tarblooders
A tarblooder was apparently a railroad worker who laid ties and secured them with tar. So the nickname is a tribute to America’s working class, i.e., deplorables. Can’t have that. 
Salesianum (Del.) HS Sallies
This one’s a Mobius strip of offensiveness: It offends those whose masculinity is called into question by being called Sallies; and that perception in turn offends those who think masculinity is a patriarchal construct to begin with. Got it? 
Montgomery Biscuits
The Tampa Bay Double-AA affiliate baseball team is stationed in the one-time capital of the Confederacy and named for a Southern delicacy, a two-fer of shame worthy of banishment from polite society. Put more succinctly: Paula Deen makes biscuits. Paula Deen once used a racial epithet. Cancel. It’s just as well — hot, buttery and delicious is no way for a sports team to go through life. 
Honorable mention: Butte HS Pirates
Do with this what you will. (Yes, I know it’s pronounced Byoot. And I know I have the emotional intelligence and maturity of a toddler.)

Atlanta Braves v Minnesota Twins

11 ‘Offensive’ Team Names Next To Be Canceled

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