Veteran journalist Bob Costas is now joining the discussion about transgender athletes in sports, which has grown to be one of the most contentious topics of discussion in American politics in recent months and years.
Costas recently spoke out against transgender athletes participating in women’s sports during a panel discussion on Real Time with Bill Maher on Fox News, describing it as “crazy” to allow trans women to compete in sports like women’s boxing.
Bob Costas is questioned by Bill Maher about the best response to the question about transgender athletes competing in sports. If trans engage in a split division, Maher asks Costas.
Bob Costas: “I don’t believe you want trans athletes to compete against one another.”
Caitlin Flanagan: pic.twitter.com/tBJkgcL3fH
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“People might not be aware of this, but the various institutions that control these sports create their own regulations. Therefore, Costas said on Fox News that World Aquatics does have different laws than FIFA or the Track and Field Association. Therefore, I am aware that the federation may permit trans women to compete against natural women, who are natural at birth, in Olympic boxing. That seems absurd.
Costas then resisted the idea that opposing trans athletes who compete in children’s activities is transphobic.
“It’s not offensive to suggest that we inject some common sense around,” Costas said. “This is dark in many ways. I believe that any delicate man is aligned with that. We know that some people who use this as an issue are really angry toward trans people, or those who, after carefully considering their options at a certain point in their lives, decide that they’ll become happier and closer to their real selves.”
Costas likened the division of people’s and women’s sports to the disparity between the various weight sessions in boxing.
“However, Mike Tyson wasn’t fought by Sugar Ray Leonard. There were people like them. Okay, Sugar Ray and Mike were both heavyweights. Everyone may cheer if the top WNBA player could one day compete in the NBA. However, Costas argued that it was unfair if the worst player on the NBA’s worst crew entered the WNBA and averaged 40 points per game.”
Chaves also urged American President Joe Biden to abandon his presidential election for the 2024 election, saying that he should possibly withdraw from the race “or get shown the door,” during the discussion. This was not the only divisive viewpoint on British politics.
