ESPN host Sam Ponder has been fired by left-wing sports network ESPN after speaking out about the unfairness of biological males competing in women’s sports.
The network, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company, claimed they fired Ponder, along with Robert Griffin III, due to “financial reasons.”
However, social media platform X was rife with outrage about the host’s abrupt firing. Some noted that Ponder was the only female at the network speaking out about the vital gender issue, specifically when it comes to sports. It was also highlighted that former ESPN personality Sage Steele was similarly fired after she voiced some conservative opinions.
“So ESPN fires [Sam Ponder], the only woman at the network who [has] publicly said men don’t belong in women’s sports,” Riley Gaines posted. “Three weeks before football season? Sam is one of the most beautiful, genuine women I’ve ever met along with [former ESPN host Sage Steele] who had a similar fate….not a coincidence.”
Gaines was a Division 1 swimmer who was deprived of an NCAA award at the championship tournament when she tied trans-identifying male swimmer Lia Thomas.
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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?
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
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 15, 2024
Most recently, Ponder applauded Italian fighter Angela Carini for refusing to speak to the media after her brutal Olympic match against Algerian fighter Imane Khelif, who failed a past gender test. Carini stopped the fight after 46-seconds.
“ENOUGH is what all of us should be saying!! Proud of this woman,” Ponder said of Carini.
ENOUGH is what all of us should be saying!! Proud of this woman 👏🏼💪🏼 https://t.co/C23l9Sn2js
— Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) August 1, 2024
Concerning the same issue, Ponder posted online last year, “Biology is not bigotry. Loving people does not require the absence of boundaries.”
Biology is not bigotry. Loving people does not require the absence of boundaries.
— Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) May 31, 2023
She also seemingly foreshadowed her own firing, writing: “I barely said anything publicly [about] this issue & I’ve had so many ppl msg me, stop me in the street to say thank you+ tell me stories [about] girls who are afraid to speak up for fear of lost employment/being called hateful,” she said. “It is not hateful to demand fairness in sports for girls.”
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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
Ponder has also made other comments that some have viewed as conservative, such as defending Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker for a recent commencement address he gave at Catholic school Benedictine College. In the speech, Butker praised his wife and other homemakers.
— Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) May 17, 2024
The sportscaster also wished former President Donald Trump well after he was shot in the ear in a failed assassination attempt.
Horrifying and evil. God be with President Trump and his family. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
— Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) July 13, 2024
Related: Boxers Who Failed Gender Tests Make It To Gold Medal Match. Here’s What You Need To Know.