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Former ESPN employee Sam Ponder is witnessing one of her strongest oppositions come to life before her own eyes.
Ponder said last month that it is “ridiculous” to have transgender athletes compete against biological women and girls in sports.
On Monday, Ponder took to social media, explaining that her middle school daughter was “guarding an obviously naturally born boy in a girls (basketball) tournament.”
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ESPN sideline reporter Sam Ponder during the first quarter between the Florida State Seminoles and Mississippi Rebels at Camping World Stadium. (Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)
“It’s happened many times now living in NYC… The parents cheer while the boy is physical and dominant against the girls. The all-girls team loses,” Ponder posted on X.
“We’ve taught our kids to never make fun of the kid… to always be kind and loving. That the parents are the problem. That no kid is born in the wrong body. But if I’m honest, watching my daughter get posted up by a boy whose parents have deceived him in this way is maddening.”
Neither the city of New York nor the state has regulations regarding trans athletes, but there is currently a legal battle in Long Island’s Nassau County.
Ponder responded to numerous X users, saying that the “boy” in question was not at fault but rather the parents.
ESPN reporter Samantha Ponder during the BCS Championship game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Sun Life Stadium on Jan. 7, 2013. (Matthew Emmons/USA Today Sports)
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Ponder appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Saturday in America” with Kayleigh McEnany last month and talked about her decision to speak out against transgender athletes participating in girls’ and women’s sports. The topic has been hotly debated in recent years, with Lia Thomas winning an NCAA title in 2022, and now the Trump administration demanding U.S. schools to comply with Title IX.
“There is no way in this country, especially in sports, you shouldn’t be able to say on your social media accounts, ‘I don’t think men should be in women’s sports.’ This is something – I talk to athletes all the time, 99.9% of professional athletes, like we know this is ridiculous,” she said.
“And the fact that we haven’t been able to say it boldly – but with kindness and some humility – is insane. It is insane we’ve gotten to this point in sports that we just can’t be honest about what’s true and not be a jerk about it but to say, ‘Yeah, you’re not putting a male in my daughter’s locker room. It’s not happening.’”
Samantha Ponder watches her husband, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder, at training camp at Blakeslee Fields on July 27, 2013. (Bruce Kluckhohn/USA Today Sports)
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Transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports continue to be a major topic in 2025. President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring men from competing in girls’ and women’s sports in February. Since then, several states have thumbed their nose at the order.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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