ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit says 'of course' men don't belong in women's sports: 'Ridiculous question'
The commentators’ stance goes against ESPN’s support for transgender athletes, including a women’s history month video featuring Lia Thomas.
As transgender athletes such as CeCé Telfer continue to dominate collegiate athletics, multiple high-profile sports commentators are speaking out against the inclusion of biological men in women’s sports.
ESPN sportscaster Kirk Herbstreit recently shared his stance on transgender athletes in college sports during an exchange on X, where he criticized the participation of biological men in women’s competitions.
“Do men belong in women’s sports? Time for influential men in sports media to stand up, Kirk,” one user wrote. Herbstreit responded less than an hour later, stating, “Of course not. Ridiculous question.”
Of course not. Ridiculous question https://t.co/SpwZ07zewv
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) August 6, 2024
Herbstreit is one of several ESPN commentators to criticize biological men in women’s sports.
Pat McAfee, host of The Pat McAfee Show, stated in his own X post that he was “very confused by what’s going on” in the women’s boxing tournament at the 2024 Olympics, which permitted Algerian athlete Imane Khelif to compete after previously being blocked from competitions organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA).
“We hope that the people who are much smarter than us can figure this out,” McAfee said.
Herbstreit and McAfee’s comments go against ESPN’s established stance in favor of biological males’ participation in women’s sports. In March 2023, the network released a video in honor of women’s history month which centered around the athletic accomplishments of Lia Thomas (formerly Will Thomas), a transgender swimmer who won the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA championship meet.
“I knew there would be scrutiny against me if I competed as a woman. I was prepared for that,” Thomas said. “But I also don’t need anybody’s permission to be myself and to do the sport that I love.”
Over 20 states have resisted efforts by the Biden administration to extend Title IX protections to LGBTQ individuals, citing concerns that the changes would increase biological males’ access to women’s sports.
“The U.S. Department of Education has no authority to let boys into girls’ locker rooms,” said Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.
Campus Reform has reached out to ESPN and the International Boxing Association for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.