A southern Michigan school district has voted to restrict participation in girls' sports to biological females, approving a new policy in a 4-2 school board vote amid the ongoing national debate over transgender athletes competing in women's and girls' athletics.
"The Board of Education approved a new policy with a vote of 4 yes and 2 no with one board member absent," Andrew Shaw, superintendent of Monroe Public Schools, told Fox News Digital in an email Wednesday.
"As the superintendent it is my role to implement the policies established by the Board of Education," he added. "The policy that was approved is for Monroe Public Schools only and does not impact any visiting school."
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT RESCINDS BIDEN TITLE IX RULE, RESTORES TRUMP-ERA REGULATIONS
The policy, titled "Girl's Athletic Participation and Facilities Use," addresses participation in girls' athletics and access to facilities. A copy of the proposed policy obtained by Fox News Digital states that participation in girls' athletics at Monroe Public Schools would be restricted to biological females, with eligibility tied to documentation on a student's birth certificate.
The policy reads, "Participation in girl's athletics at Monroe Public Schools shall be restricted to biological females as documented on the birth certificate at the time of birth. Access to and use of girl's athletic facilities (locker rooms) shall follow the same restriction."
The decision comes as school districts across the country continue to grapple with questions surrounding transgender student participation in girls' sports and access to sex-separated facilities.
The new policy announcement also comes after Briley Lechner, a varsity volleyball player at Monroe High School in West Monroe, and her father, Sean, filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 9, announced by the Thomas More Law Center, raising Title IX and constitutional claims against Monroe Public Schools, the Michigan High School Athletic Association and school officials over the alleged incident.
BLUE STATE SCHOOL DISTRICT ACCUSED OF DEFYING SUPREME COURT, HIDING GENDER TRANSITIONS FROM PARENTS
Briley Lechner said she filed a lawsuit after she unknowingly shared a locker room with a transgender athlete.
"What's very scary is that the day that this happened, I had no clue that there was a boy on the other team," Lechner told Fox News Digital in an interview on Oct. 15.
The lawsuit from the Thomas More Law Center "alleges that school officials knowingly concealed from the Monroe High School girls' volleyball team and their parents that the September 9, 2025, match with Ann Arbor's Skyline High School would involve a biological male (transgender female)," according to the legal group.
In a statement, Briley Lechner told Fox News Digital, "Our family loves and respect everyone, regardless of our differences. This has always been about my privacy, my safety, and fair play. Nothing more, nothing less."
She added, "Every female athlete deserves to have her rights respected and protected. Boys do NOT belong in girls’ locker rooms or girls’ sports. Every girl deserves to feel safe, respected, and protected, both in the locker room and on the court. We should NEVER have to fight for that."
Sean Lechner, her father, told Fox News Digital, "The new policy may be watered down, but it's an incremental victory for my daughter and every female athlete. It's shameful it took nearly a year to get here but we still have work to do. Who's to say they can't change it again? Regardless of how some try to twist the narrative, this has ALWAYS been about my daughter's privacy, safety, and fair play. Nothing more, nothing less!"
He continued, "Since our lawsuit was announced, my daughter and I have received even more harassing and threatening messages. But at the heart of everything I'm doing is something simple — being a father, being a parent, and loving my daughter enough to stand beside her when she needs me most."
He added, "To all parents....put aside your differences, bring faith, common sense, and respect back into our homes. Our children are God's most precious gifts. Love them. Cherish them. Protect them. One day, your daughter may look you in the eyes and ask, 'Why didn't you stand up for me when I needed you?' I never want my daughter to ask me that question. I want her to know her father stood beside her and never backed down. No amount of hate or threats will silence us. I will never stop standing up for my daughter."
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Thomas More Law Center for comment.
Hours after President Donald Trump ripped his national anthem golf swing antics, LeBron James appeared to double down by working on his golf hip turns during Thursday's night's anthem before the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In what was a clear shot back at Trump, LeBron, who wouldn't dare disrespect the Chinese anthem, was seen standing normally during the national anthem before sending a signal back to Trump that sure looked like hip turns that golfers would use during warmups.
The Philadelphia Inquirer called hip turns "stretching." The golf world knows better.
TRUMP BLASTS LEBRON JAMES AS A 'TOTAL DISGRACE' OVER HIS NATIONAL ANTHEM ANTICS DURING 76ERS DEBUT
Earlier Thursday, Trump unleashed on the Chinese sympathizer.
"While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country! I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for!"
This is the video that had Trump, a noted golfer fanatic himself, fuming mad.
During a campaign stop Thursday night, Trump continued to hammer away. "What about LeBron James? Did you see that deal?" Trump asked voters in Iowa. "He's practicing his golf swing. I said, what the hell is that? I don't understand it."
"Slow news day at the office," LeBron said after the game when asked about Trump's Truth Social post that clearly got his attention.
What an amazing night of football we got Thursday night, huh?
The Bears beat the Patriots in a thriller in Chicago, and we had two overtime games down in the college ranks. Appalachian State upset JMU, 34-31, in Boone, while East Carolina blew a double-digit lead in Memphis en route to a 41-34 loss.
Those are the nights we dream about during the dog days of summer, folks. When you're sitting through another insufferable WNBA game in July, just a reminder that you're GRINDING away for fall nights like we got on Thursday.
They're the best, and they don't stick around for long. We get maybe a dozen of them a year if we're a lucky. Last night was one of them. I hope you all took advantage.
Now, you know one fanbase who did not take advantage of last night's glorious fall night of football? The so-called "fans" of the Memphis Tigers, who apparently forgot the fellas were scheduled to play on Thursday this week.
Take a look:
Goodness gracious. The "official" box score lists last night's attendance at over 27,000. Surely it filled in a bit after kickoff, but I don't see how they got to 27K. Seems ambitious to me.
It's a bad look. There's no way around it, and no reason to sugarcoat it. It's just a bad look for Memphis and its fans.
"But Zach, it was a Thursday night!"
So? What does that mean? Are the kids not allowed to go to Thursday night games? Is there a rule in Memphis that says fans and students can only attend Saturday games?
"But Zach, it was East Carolina!"
OK. And? The Tigers are a 5-2 team and still very much alive for a playoff spot. I know they lost last week to Tulane, which certainly dealt them a blow, but it's the G6. Anything can happen down there.
TENNESSEE FANS DRANK $1.3 MILLION WORTH OF ALCOHOL BEFORE, DURING TEXAS GAME ATTENDED BY PRESIDENT
You'd like to think a 5-2 Division I college football team would draw a bigger crowd than the local Moose Lodge for the Sunday brunch buffet.
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"Stop picking on us, Zach. There were a bunch of games last night. Surely we weren't the only no-shows!"
Actually ...
Different worlds, folks.
Choose your fighter(s).
Welcome to Screencaps, "America's Best Daily Column," as named by the readers. Screencaps, which publishes seven-days-a-week, is a mix of sports, pop culture, and emails from sane readers from around the world. This column isn't for the coastal elites. Give us a week to steal your heart. Our track record is pretty good. Let's have some fun.
As someone who has cigs and an empty pack of M&Ms signed by JD, there's something else I need signed for my Daly collection: an ace and face card. I've seen parts of this interview over the years, but I'd never heard that Daly was losing millions — he estimates his losses got as high as $55 million – playing 7-handed blackjack at casinos.
"The game of golf, if you’re in the hunt, you’ve got adrenaline going. But you got 140 to 300, 400,000 on the blackjack table, you’re going to have adrenaline. And I think that’s what I loved more than anything," Daly said in the "Hit It Hard" ESPN 30 for 30.
BRYCE HARPER VIDEO TO FANDUEL USER WITH GAMBLING ADDICTION UNDER REVIEW BY PENNSYLVANIA OFFICIALS
In that documentary, JD said gambling for four days straight was his life. He estimated the net losses once he'd hit rock-bottom were north of $50 million after gambling somewhere just south of $100 million.
Good luck at the casinos this weekend. Just don't be like Big John. Take a break. Go for a walk. Call it a day if the tables turn cold while playing SEVEN hands.
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Have you guys been asked by an airport kiosk to add a tip at a self-checkout? This guy caught a self-serve airport kiosk where you buy water and drinks asking for a tip. I guess this isn't any different than grab & go drink stations at sporting events asking for tips.
The lesson here is that you better have your head on a swivel or that $7.50 bottle of water is going to be nearly $10 when the computer gets its tip because you're not paying attention.
TIPPING SCREEN PUTS CUSTOMERS ON THE SPOT AS EXPERTS REVEAL WHEN IT'S OK TO HIT 'NO TIP'
Guys, I'm trying to look out for you.
• Tom in Virginia asks: I'm sitting in the Charlotte airport, and able to read today's column because the Wi-Fi works for a change. Because I spend a lot of time in airports, I pose the following: Do guys purposely spit their gum in urinals, or are there a suspiciously high number of accidental drops? It's so common, and I move along to a clear option, but I think about the custodian dude who knows, and I mean death-and-taxes knows, that will be a part of his shift today.
POPULAR US AIRPORT CALLED OUT AS 'MOST STRESSFUL' IN AMERICA FOR TRAVELERS
Also, I get your Superbar idea, but it will never happen. I will give you a minute to visualize what derelict behavior will inevitably follow the ribbon cutting.
Good weekend to you. Take your hats off indoors, gents.
• Chris from California is fired up: Until it showed up in your column I didn’t even know "Dump Dinners" were a thing and having watched that video, now think they may be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen.
While I think some parents do it for the social media attention, I also think a lot of it is because of the infantilization of the modern adult. Remember, parents with kids this age are also the ones that are still living with their mom and dad, have to have coloring books and fidget toys at work to settle their nerves and focus and flat out refuse to grow up. They say it’s because the economy, the political system, blah, blah, blah… but honestly it’s because they’ve been allowed and are still being allowed to act like children and they are passing that along to their children.
It’s difficult and frustrating to teach your children table manners and how to eat like something other than a wild animal, so why not do something trendy that removes that headache and responsibility?
I will continue to bang the drum until the day I die, but the habits and manners we instill at home are what makes the difference between a successful persona and a whiny layabout. Could I have my children eat like animals and have no sense of order or decorum because it makes my life easier? Sure, but then what happens when they go over to a friend’s house or actually out in public and act like that?
JILLIAN MICHAELS URGES PARENTS TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST BIG TECH'S 'ADDICTIVE' GRIP ON KIDS
I have 3 boys, all of whom are very active and do a ton of activities outside of school and have very active, robust, healthy social lives. Two of them are teenagers so I’ll let them go meet their friends at McDonald’s or go bum around the mall and I know that when they are doing those things they are reflecting the responsibility and values I helped instill in them. If I wasn’t 1000% sure they were doing that I wouldn’t let them leave the house.
It may make a few dinners here and there more difficult to teach your kids to use silverware, wipe themselves with a napkin, clean up after themselves, say, please and thank you but that little bit of extra effort makes a HUGE difference in their lives, maybe not right then and there but later on in life.
Also, another Outkick writer asked if we are all over getting up in arms about all of the stupid antics held during the National Anthem. The answer, at least for me is a resounding NO!!! It’s two minutes of a 3 plus hour sporting event used to honor and remember all of the men and women that made that very sporting event possible!
Once again, I have teenage boys, they don’t take anything seriously but to go back to my earlier point I taught them from the moment they were old enough to stand that they stand and show some damn respect when the anthem is sung. They don’t question it, they don’t fight it. I explained exactly why it means something and they may not agree with whatever the politics are of the moment but they know the anthem is about far more than that and these are teenage boys that also punch each other through walls and try to shotgun Dr. Pepper’s.
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We do need to make a big deal out of it when athletes blow the anthem off. They are making millions of dollars that they couldn’t make anywhere else in the world because of the very things that flag and that anthem represent. If they really can’t be bothered to show some respect then we shouldn’t be bothered enough to give them our attention and money. Grow up, stand up, stand still and when you eat… eat like a human!!!
• Travis says: There's free software that has been around for at least 12 years called Radiodelay that allows you to pause live radio so it can sync to your TV broadcast. I started using it in 2013 and it's probably older than that.
You can either connect an external radio to your microphone in jack or use a URL if your favorite radio station streams their content online.
• Steve in Texas spent time near where I live: Sad to hear about the lack of quality nachos in NW OH. More years back than I care to count there was a Mexican restaurant in downtown Perrysburg, OH that had great Macho Nachos. I gained about 15 lb having them and a margarita a couple times a week while on an internship in Toledo one summer. I think it was Casa de Barron and it was back in the late 80’s. Also still need to get back to Tony Packo’s, the job was just down the street from the original location.
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Kinsey: There's good news and bad news, Steve. The bad news is that Casa Barron is gone, but it was replaced by a legit Mexican restaurant operated by one of the the real good guys in the food industry. I haven't been to the new place even though it's been there a few years.
As for Packo's, I have bad news: The food is all factory-made and overpriced. Yes, even the original Packo's. It's just not the same as 15-20 years ago. And if you were eating it pre-2000, it's going to be really disappointing. The original Packo's is still an institution, but the food has gone downhill.
My phone hadn't been hammered until Thursday. I don't know what list I ended up on, but it's officially being lit up. Amy Acton is pleading with me to donate $5 to battle Vivek. This election can't get over with fast enough.
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Go have an incredible weekend. We'll be in Columbus for the Ohio Junior High Cross Country State Championships. Can Screencaps Jr. run in the 11:20s or maybe even the 11:19s at one of the fastest courses of the season? The weather should be just about perfect. Stay tuned.
Chicks dig the ... small ball?
Bunting, situational hitting, and productive outs had seemed to become a lost art in today's baseball. But the two teams in this year's World Series brought it all back.
The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays were each the top seed in the National and American Leagues, respectively, and throughout this postseason, they've shown why.
Now, one of those franchises will be crowned World Series champions for the first time, and all the action will be on FOX.
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The Brewers had the second-lowest payroll in all of baseball, while the Rays had the eighth-smallest. Those payrolls have led to a heavy emphasis on analytics. But their analytics have zigged when the rest of the league's have zagged.
It is no secret, despite how much people want to deny it, that home runs win (more on that later). That has been the case in the regular season as well as the postseason since stickball. Yet the Brewers and Rays ranked 29th and 22nd in total home runs this season.
Their success, instead, has come at the hands of good old batting average - they both hit .258, good for the top two spots in the league. Both teams also had the highest batting averages with runners in scoring position (Rays were .284, Brewers were .276).
Tampa Bay also ranked first in sacrifice bunts with 45, and Milwaukee's 37 were the fifth-most. That's not to say that bunting means you will win - the Los Angeles Dodgers had 23 combined sac bunts in 2024 and 2025, both seasons that ended in titles.
But it works for the Rays and Brewers.
The Rays (49) and Brewers (32) also ranked first and second in bunt hits. They also were tied for second in infield hits, behind only the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In the days where exit velo has taken over (hitting the ball hard has always mattered, by the way), the Rays had the highest soft-hit percentage and second-worst hard-hit percentage. The Brewers ranked 12th and 18th in those categories and ranked sixth in medium-hit percentage.
Nobody pulls the ball less often than the Brewers, and nobody goes up the middle and oppo more than they do, as well. The Brewers even hit ground balls at a higher rate than anybody and fly balls at the lowest (the Rays are fifth in grounders and 25th in fly balls). All of that is a tremendous shy-away from modern-day data taking over.
Strikeouts have become more acceptable in baseball, but not in Florida. The Rays had the lowest strikeout percentage this season. Milwaukee, though, actually struck out at a higher percentage than most teams - they ranked 14th throughout the season, and they're actually striking out a ton this October.
The Brewers have actually strayed away from their brand of baseball this October. In the National League Championship Series, they had the largest three-true-outcome percentage (home run, walk, strikeout) out of any LCS team since 1969. They were outhit in two games and struck out more than the Dodgers in each game. The walks shouldn't surprise anybody, as they had the highest walk rate in the regular season.
But they out-homered the Dodgers in each game (the Dodgers went homerless in three of the games), and all season long, Milwaukee hit home runs that hurt badly.
Despite hitting the second-fewest in the league, they actually had the ninth-most home runs with a runner on base and the highest percentage of multi-run homers in the league.
The Rays also used the long ball throughout their American League Division Series against the New York Yankees and to clinch the pennant against the Cleveland Guardians.
In all of this, the pitching cannot be dismissed. The Brewers have maybe the best pitcher in the sport in Jacob Misiorowski, and it feels like the Rays can pick up anyone reading this and turn them into a weapon on the bump.
Brewers pitchers own a 2.03 ERA this postseason, while the Rays' staff sits at 2.59. Opponents are hitting just .183 and .201 off them, respectively, and they are allowing fewer than one homer per game.
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Small ball and elite pitching undeniably got these small-market juggernauts to the big dance, but what they've proven this October is they can beat you in multiple ways - even by going the apparently dreaded "boom or bust." Now, all that is to be seen is which style while bring it home.
All the action begins Friday in Milwaukee at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Ethiopian was given a two-year ban for using a prohibited substance and an extra four years for tampering with the anti-doping investigation
© Reuters
The Kenyan returned an adverse analytical finding for EPO in a test before her victory at the Sydney Marathon
© Getty
The Kenyan returned an adverse analytical finding for EPO in a test before her victory at the Sydney Marathon
© Getty
Enes Kanter Freedom has come forward with new allegations regarding the culture of the NBA during his playing career and sent a warning to the WNBA amid his ongoing feud regarding the league's gender eligibility policy.
Freedom's new statements come one day after the WNBA tried to direct him to sit in a private luxury suite at Game 3 of the WNBA Finals in Atlanta instead of the courtside seat he purchased, amid security concerns. The change in arrangement resulted in a highly-publicized encounter with police at the entrance of State Farm Arena, which resulted in Freedom leaving the venue entirely amid disagreements over where he wanted to sit.
Now Freedom is revealing that his former Boston Celtics teammate Dennis Schröder privately questioned LeBron James’ motives as an activist, and that his Celtics teammates once shunned him for making an appearance on Fox News in his final year in the league in 2021.
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According to Freedom, he asked Schröder that season what James was like as a teammate and how he viewed James’ public advocacy.
"He said, 'Whatever is LeBron doing is for LeBron.' I was like, enough said. We don't have to say a word anymore. Because, uh, I used to respect him a lot, you know, uh, for what he'd done for Black community. Uh, but when one of his former teammates said, you know, all his advocacy is for, is for LeBron, um, that's where, that's where he lost me."
Freedom also criticized James’ conduct during the national anthem before Philadelphia’s season opener against the Knicks on Tuesday. Video showed James making apparent golf and shooting motions during the performance, prompting criticism from President Donald Trump on Thursday.
"But I mean, everybody knows LeBron James... I call him the dictator of the NBA. And I think President Trump said the best. You know, he disrespects our country and disrespects our flag," Freedom said. "LeBron James is the reason the NBA is woke still. I promise you, once he retires, NBA is not going to be as woke as now."
In terms of the league's "woke" culture, Freedom also recalled an incident in his final year when he was praised for doing a television appearance on CNN, but shunned for going on Fox News to discuss the same topic of human rights abuses in China.
"I actually attended a show on CNN. The next day I walk in the locker room, they were saying, 'Good job last night, we watched your interview, keep doing what you're doing," he said. "The next morning I walk in the locker room, nobody said a word to me. They were not even looking at me. I was getting these dirty looks. I asked one of my teammates, I'm like, what happened?"
Freedom said a teammate explained that the objection was to the outlet carrying his message.
NBA STAYS SILENT ON WNBA FINALS TEAMS SKIPPING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BEFORE GAMES 1 AND 2
"They said, well, we watched your interview again last night. I'm like, okay. It's not your interviews, it's who you did it with. I walk on the court, one of my assistant coaches came up to me and whisper— he was whispering in my ear, hey man, me and my family watched you last night, good job. I'm like, why are you whispering?"
According to Freedom, the coach feared a backlash of his own.
"He said, because I don't want your teammates to know that I watch Fox News. I was like, why? They said, well, because none of them will talk to me the rest of the year."
Freedom said he explained to teammates that appearing on the network did not mean endorsing a political party, and that he wanted his human rights advocacy to reach a wider audience. But they weren't receptive to that reasoning, he claims.
"In NBA circles, we don't talk about Fox News, we don't watch Fox News, and if you do, you will realize that you are going to get cancelled and you're going to get hated on," Freedom said.
But Freedom also claimed that those beliefs are different in private, for some, claiming that that some players privately support conservative causes and President Donald Trump but conceal those views because they fear how they would be treated.
But Freedom claimed some NBA players privately support conservative causes and Trump while concealing those views because they fear how others would treat them.
"But there are many people actually that supports the conservative movements, supports the Republican Party, uh, many of them actually supports President Trump, but just because of they know that they will get canceled and they will get hated on throughout the whole year, they're just hiding it. I mean, you're not even allowed to say you watch Fox News," Freedom said.
Freedom said he has encountered similar reluctance to speak publicly among former NBA colleagues discussing his current campaign to push the WNBA to explicitly restrict eligibility to biological females.
He said some initially questioned his tactics, but expressed support after he explained his intentions.
"I don't want to give their name because I know, I just know that as soon as I expose their name, then there will be a lot of questions," Freedom said.
According to Freedom, those conversations included players telling him "we cannot help you," while also saying, "but now we understand what you're doing and we support you and we will pray for you."
Freedom also pointed to a podcast conversation with Michael Porter Jr., saying Porter initially had questions about the campaign and understood his position better after they discussed it. He did not identify the other players he said privately supported him.
Meanwhile, Freedom named Kevin Durant, Patrick Beverley, Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson among the current and former NBA players he said have criticized him, challenging them to discuss their disagreements directly.
"Invite me to your podcast and let's sit down and talk. And let me explain to you why am I doing the things that I'm doing. Don't just go on Twitter. Don't just go on social media and just tweet about it. You know how to, you know, you have my number."
His campaign to join the WNBA has now culminated in two hostile incidents at WNBA arenas after he was ejected from a Chicago Sky game in August, and then faced police resistance while trying to enter State Farm Arena on Wednesday night.
Freedom said one of the reasons that sitting courtside on Wednesday was so important to him was because he wanted to make sure that his shirt, which read "What is a woman?" would be as visible as possible during the game. Asked whether he wanted television cameras to capture his "What is a woman?" shirt from courtside, he acknowledged that visibility was part of his thinking.
"I mean, that was one of the reasons maybe. My main reason was I wanted to support the WNBA," he said.
But he said accepting the suite was never an option.
"They were trying to put me in a prison box. And I mean, everyone knows me that I'm not going to bow down or kneel to someone who is trying to silence me," Freedom said.
The Atlanta Dream and State Farm Arena said the arrangement responded to safety concerns Freedom himself had raised with authorities and basketball officials. They said the suite would have additional security and was intended to protect him and other guests.
Although Freedom objected to being surrounded by police at the entrance, he acknowledged that the officers treated him courteously.
"They were very, actually very kind. They were trying to do their job, and I was being very very nice to them as well," he said. "This is not their fault."
He nevertheless rejected suggestions that he should have accepted the seating arrangement or handled the encounter more diplomatically.
"I think I handled everything perfectly," he said.
Freedom also pushed back against accusations that his campaign is a publicity stunt, pointing to threats he said included references to Charlie Kirk’s shooting.
"I think people need to understand I'm getting death threats every hour. I mean, I showed you that the text messages, you know, yesterday that people are sending me pictures and videos of the moment that Charlie Kirk got shot and said, you are next," he said.
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"So I'm not that crazy. I'm not going to put my life on risk just to get attention."
Freedom said the campaign would end if the WNBA explicitly restricted eligibility to biological females. The league has already declared Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White ineligible, while its collective bargaining agreement limits participation to women without specifying sex assigned at birth.
"I'm literally telling the league that define what a woman is, or add the word biological in your collective bargaining next to the word female. I will disappear the next day," Freedom said.
But he said he was finished initiating further discussions with league officials.
"If they would like to sit down and have a conversation with me, listen, I love diplomacy," he said. "But I'm done reaching out. So if they would like to reach out, uh, go ahead. You have my number."
Despite the league’s eligibility determination, Freedom said he still intends to attend the next draft and continue preparing for it. He also claimed the campaign could expand to include additional male professional players, whom he did not identify.
"If they don't draft me and if they don't change the rules, now they have to deal with 6 other male professional players," he said.
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"And if not, again, this is not a threat, next year will be very interesting."
CAMAS, Wash. — The sign seemed innocuous enough. So did the man holding it. But a passing jogger apparently saw things differently.
Outside a district cross country meet in which a biological male was competing against girls, Steve Lynch held a sign that read: "Coached X-C & Track for 24 years. If you have questions about the differences between Girls & Boys...answers given here FREE of charge!"
But as Lynch began explaining those differences, the jogger shouted: "Jesus loves a firing squad! Go kill Muslims! Go kill trans people! That's your rhetoric, right? F--- you!"
DAD BANNED FROM SCHOOL GROUNDS AFTER PROTESTING TRANS RUNNER COMPETING AGAINST HIS DAUGHTER
Lynch didn't even flinch. In fact, he smiled.
"Oftentimes I have to deal with that," he said.
Lynch represents courage on this issue, which is something many adults lack. Over the past few weeks, it's been mostly students, not grown-ups, who have led the opposition to a Camas High cross country runner competing against girls after starting the season on the boys team.
But a rally outside Wednesday's meet — where the boy finished second among a field of 25 to help lead Camas to the girls district championship — showed that the adults are catching up in the bravery department.
PARENTS SPEAK OUT ON THE INGRAHAM ANGLE AFTER GIRLS FORFEIT RACE OVER BIOLOGICAL MALE RUNNER
There looked to be more than 100 grown-ups, maybe 200, in attendance — mostly dressed in garb advocating for the separation of males and females in sports. At the heart of the rally was Initiative 638 — a Nov. 3 ballot measure in Washington state that would enforce such separation in K-12 athletics.
People such as Sarah Burns, the mother of a Camas runner who walked off the start line in protest last week, never imagined herself playing the role of activist when the cross country season began. But now she finds herself at the center of one of the most contentious debates in Washington state.
"I was just a mom going to watch her daughter, and then we found out what was happening, and I couldn't not say something," said Burns, wearing an XX-XY Athletics shirt. "These are teenage girls that should be able to be teenage girls and run and compete in their sport and not have their achievements taken from them."
Burns was not the only Camas parent willing to speak out on Wednesday. Also in attendance was Sarah Babb, whose daughter Madeline walked off the start line last week as well. Like Burns' daughter, Holly, Madeline had no idea her actions would prompt such widespread media attention. But as reporters from across the nation showed up to cover Wednesday's rally and meet, Sarah was no longer feeling quite so isolated.
"As a mom who comes to these races all season long, it feels very alone as I stand there and go, 'This is awful,'" Babb said. "So it was great to see such support last week, and this is wild this week. It's hard to be the quiet majority, to feel like we're being bullied into silence. I think a lot of people feel that way. I know it's scary. It's scary."
It certainly can be. Over the past couple weeks that I've been covering this story, most parents have been reluctant to speak — even anonymously. Many have expressed fear of losing their jobs, and one even said, "I don't want my house burned down."
It's easy to catastrophize, especially when you see how vicious opponents of the Protect Women's Sports crowd can be. There was the aforementioned jogger. There was the Golden State Valkyries fan who told an XX-XY shirt-wearer to "f---ing kill yourself" at a WNBA Finals game last week. There was the Seattle Storm co-owner telling a girl with the same shirt that she's "f---ing insane" in July, bringing that girl to tears.
Surely one can see why parents would want to sit this issue out, right? Women's sports advocate Amy Sousa isn't so sure.
"I don't have a lot of patience for adults who are willing to let the girls take the hits," Sousa said. "If these girls are willing to stand up to their peers, I think adults can stand up to theirs. And if they can't do it in public, at least they can do it at the ballot."
There were some people at Wednesday's rally very much against I-638. One was a woman named Stephanie, who didn't want her last name used but was cordial with me and my photographer.
She said the measure would require invasive genital exams to prove one's sex, which is not true. When I mentioned that there were other options such as cheek swabs, she argued that that would be too expensive and that there weren't enough trans athletes for such testing to be worthwhile. When I mentioned all the female athletes speaking out against having to compete against biological males as a matter of fairness, she offered the following:
"Fairness is reasonable, and I do think there should be rules. Even in the Olympics, each sport can set up certain rules. I don't want to wrestle with somebody who's got 40 pounds on me, whether they're male or female," Stephanie said. "But that's about size, not just about what gender you're born."
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Come on, though. It's more than about size, isn't it? How many women under 6'4" have you seen dunk a basketball? Yet there are countless men under that height who can. Biology matters in every sport.
In fact, it was a difference in biology that ultimately led Camas High senior Kate Westfall — the fastest girl on the cross country roster — to quit the team earlier in the month. Westfall won districts last year. She had bigger aspirations in her final high school season. But she walked away from it all because she felt racing against a boy simply wasn't fair.
So Wednesday, her parents — Joe and Jennie — showed up to districts in protect-women's-sports attire to honor their daughter's courage.
"She made the brave decision to forgo the rest of her senior season and give up opportunities in order to bring awareness to the impact the current state policy is having on females who are being forced to compete in this unfair environment," Jennie said. "As her parents, we are proud of her courage and are honored to stand with her."
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Jennie and Joe admit to a fear of backlash. But that's the thing about courage — without fear, it doesn't exist.
NFL Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk says that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
The post NFL Legend Marshall Faulk Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at 53 appeared first on Breitbart.
President Donald Trump called on LeBron James to apologize Thursday after video showed the Philadelphia 76ers star moving his arms and practicing shooting motions during the national anthem.
The post Trump Calls for LeBron James to Apologize for His Behavior During National Anthem: ‘Total Disgrace’ appeared first on Breitbart.
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