USA Today sports columnist Nancy Armour faced backlash over the weekend for a column defending Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles after the gymnast’s public social media attack on Riley Gaines. In the column, Armour framed Biles as a champion for the transgender community, despite the athlete’s controversial comments toward Gaines. The columnist emphasized that there is no scientific evidence that transgender women athletes have a physical advantage over cisgender women, a point that drew both support and criticism across the political spectrum.
A key point of contention in the article is the lack of acknowledgment of public opinion on the issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports. An AP-NORC poll found that 70% of U.S. adults believe transgender individuals should be barred from participating in girls’ and women’s sports, a statistic that Armour did not address directly in her column. This omission has led to accusations that her piece failed to reflect the broader sentiment among the American public.
The controversy surrounding the column has also drawn responses from other athletes and public figures. Riley Gaines, a prominent advocate for women’s sports, publicly criticized Biles in response to her attack. Gaines described B, Biles as a