Sage Steele, the former ESPN announcer who had worked with several networks, has recently talked candidly about why she chose to speak out regarding the matter of transgender people and their being part of women"s sports.
She discussed this in the "Gaines for Girls" podcast with former competitive swimmer and Outkick"s Riley Gaines. Steele mentions how she was prohibited from talking about Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete, when the ESPN network mentioned honouring her in Women"s History Month, as per Fox News.
ESPN celebrated Women’s History Month by promoting a special about transgender swimmer Lia Thomas……a biological male who destroyed real women in the pool. pic.twitter.com/gVLa0rz2NN
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) March 26, 2023
Sage Steele says ESPN told her to stop talking about Lia Thomas – a man destroying women in the pool – but she refused to comply.
Incredible bravery from @SageSteele. pic.twitter.com/wh9CyHESrd
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) December 27, 2023
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) December 27, 2023
Lia Thomas is not a brave, courageous woman who EARNED a national title. He is an arrogant, cheat who STOLE a national title from a hardworking, deserving woman. The @ncaa is responsible.
If I was a woman working at ESPN, I would walk out. You're spineless @espn #boycottESPN https://t.co/DF3n5RWsmV
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 26, 2023
Steele said, "I was asked to stop tweeting about it. I was asked to stop doing anything, saying anything about it on social media because I was offending others at the company. I made sure I sent off another tweet that night after I received that email because, like, no, let’s stop living in this lie."
"And once again, you’re going to silence me and Sam [Ponder] – she was told the same thing – for this issue? But we’re going to let everybody else talk about all these other things that are not even related to sports on our sports programming? And I’m like, no, no, no, no, no."
"We’re going to preach on ESPNW and all these things, and I’m going to stand up for all these women, many of whom are afraid to do what Riley Gaines is doing, to do what I’m doing."
"I actually said this to myself as I was sending a tweet, the first tweet about standing up and supporting you.… I literally said, ‘This is a hill I will die on, 100%,’ because it is facts. This is not even my opinion on a vaccine mandate or whatever. These are facts. This is science. This is biology. This is all of the things. Come at me, tell me I’m wrong. Tell me to stop supporting women."
Steele, however, ignored the network’s prohibition and expressed her opinions on social media before she left the organisation.
