ESPN's Sam Ponder claps back at columnist: 'Biology is not bigotry'

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ESPN broadcaster Sam Ponder responded to an attack from a sports columnist on Wednesday after the presenter was labeled a "bigot" for supporting fairness in women’s and girls' sports.

USA Today’s Nancy Armour criticized Ponder for her support of former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, who has called for transgender women to solely compete against those who are of their biological sex and not the one they identify as. Ponder agreed with Gaines’ messaging.

But for that, Armour called Ponder’s words "plain old bigotry."

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Nancy Armour wrote the column taking issue with Sam Ponder. (USA Today via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

Ponder disagreed.

"Biology is not bigotry. Loving people does not require the absence of boundaries," she tweeted.

Ponder, and fellow ESPN colleague Sage Steele, have voiced their support for Gaines, who has taken the reins to lead the calls for transgender athletes to participate in sports against the gender they were born as instead of the gender they identify as. Gaines has been at the forefront since she tied with Lia Thomas in the NCAA Championship in 2022.

Ponder spoke about the issue again last week after Gaines tweeted the messages she received about transgender high school runners participating in the girls' division in California.

However, Armour took aim at Ponder in a column.

"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 started the column.

ESPN sideline reporter Sam Ponder before