Former Espn Host Details Firing After Support For Women Against Trans Athletes: 'i Thought This Was Sports'

Samantha Ponder has been quiet astir her firing from ESPN, until now.

Ponder had been vocal astir transgender athletes successful women's sports connected societal media backmost successful 2023, which she said prompted a informing from ESPN executives.

Ponder told Sage Steele on nan latter's podcast that she shared Paula Scanlan's "story" astir swimming against Lia Thomas, but then, "one of nan top, top, top" bosses reached retired to some erstwhile ESPN employees.

"I didn’t really deliberation that was going to get overmuch of a response, but it did," Ponder said. "They were uncomfortable pinch maine talking astir nan trans women successful women’s sports rumor and that they weren’t going to let maine to misgender people."

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Samantha Ponder precocious collapsed her soundlessness astir getting fired from ESPN. (David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Ponder past said she sewage a "detailed email" from execs that described "anything I had ever tweeted aliases favourite that they thought was violative and warned me."

"I knew past I was benignant of connected nan clock, if you will," Ponder said.

Ponder had kept quiet until past summer, moreover opting not to make a video astir Riley Gaines erstwhile an ESPN inaugural was for its female labor to grounds a video astir an inspirational woman.

That is, until Imane Khelif caught her attention. 

Ponder had shared her Olympic force Angela Carini's quotes astir having "enough" of Khelif successful nan ring. Khelif was antecedently barred from competing successful different boxing tourney owed to grounded gender eligibility testing.

"ENOUGH is what each of america should beryllium saying!! Proud of this woman," Ponder posted astatine nan time.

"And nan adjacent week, sewage a matter that said, ‘Can you jump connected a telephone pinch this personification and this personification successful for illustration an hour.’ And 1 of nan bosses is personification I ne'er perceive from, and I was like, ‘This is it,'" Ponder said.

Imane Khelif of Team Algeria celebrates triumph against Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary aft nan Women's 66kg Quarter-final information lucifer connected time 8 of nan Olympic Games Paris 2024 astatine North Paris Arena connected August 03, 2024 successful Paris, France.  (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

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Ponder said that she believes different factors led to her eventual firing, including imaginable cheaper alternatives, while Ponder said she wanted to person a work-life equilibrium pinch her family.

"But nan timing of it almost surely was," Ponder, who revealed that apical ESPN execs really agreed pinch her connected nan issue, said.

Ponder past said getting fto spell was "one of nan champion point that ever happened to me."

"I was connected that hamster wheel, and I was not going to jump disconnected connected my own. I needed to get kicked off. As overmuch arsenic nan portion of nan reasoning down it I deliberation is legit crazy, I consciousness nary bitterness aliases moreover frankly sadness. I had a awesome career. I was 20 years successful that business. I met immoderate awesome people, and location are still immoderate really awesome group there. Never thought this would benignant of beryllium nan measurement out, but I should person spoken up a agelong clip before. I should person been a batch much courageous erstwhile I knew what was right," Ponder said.

Ponder questioned why she was fundamentally barred from discussing nan issue.

Samantha Ponder of ESPN prepares to spell onstage astatine nan espnW Summit held astatine Resort astatine Pelican Hill connected October 2, 2018 successful Newport Beach, California. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

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"You are not allowed to speak astir immoderate different rumor [other than sports]. But I thought this was sports," Ponder continued. "We’re talking astir female collegiate athletes, Olympic athletes, and it’s incorrect to radiance a spotlight connected that and springiness different voice, different opinion. I wasn’t against statement aliases patient discussion. I conscionable didn’t want anybody telling me, ‘No, no, no, you can’t talk astir that.’ I wasn’t really giving my ain opinions astir it, arsenic overmuch arsenic I was saying, ‘Listen to these girls, they’re successful nan locker rooms. Why do their opinions not merit a level erstwhile we’re giving awards for Women’s History Month to personification calved male?' I couldn’t understand it, I still don’t understand it."

ESPN declined to comment.

Ponder is joined to erstwhile NFL quarterback, Christian Ponder.

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