ESPN hosts break with liberals on trans women in sports, Disney-owned network ‘chooses to remain woke’

OutKick host Charly Arnolt discusses her decision to leave ESPN as top female hosts on the network speak out on the need to protect women athletes.

In recent years, ESPN has become synonymous with liberal talking points as the Disney-owned network regularly pushes left-leaning ideology when it ventures into politics. That’s why it was so shocking when two of its biggest stars criticized the Biden administration’s plan to block states from banning transgender students from competing against the gender they identify as.

ESPN personalities Samantha Ponder and Sage Steele, two of the network’s most prominent women, expressed support for Riley Gaines, a former decorated NCAA swimmer at Kentucky who has been an outspoken critic of biological men being allowed to compete against biological women. 

"Women with influential platforms are beginning to speak out to the injustice of men competing against women. These women in particular have a lot to lose by using their voice, yet chose to anyways. That is what courage is. I'm so honored to be able to lean on them as we continue forward with advocating for sex-protected sporting categories," Gaines told Fox News Digital.

Steele declared that she stands with Gaines and called what has occurred with trans people overtaking women’s sports "ridiculous," "heartbreaking," "difficult to watch" and added the hashtag "savewomensports."

SEC champion swimmer Riley Gaines speaks during the general session at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, U.S., August 6, 2022. (REUTERS/Go Nakamura)

ESPN PERSONALITIES SLAM BIDEN'S TITLE IX PROPOSAL AMID UPROAR OVER TRANSGENDER ATHLETES IN WOMEN'S SPORTS

Ponder, a focal point of ESPN’s NFL coverage, tweeted that the Biden