Overview

• On The Real Science of Sport, Gladwell said he is "ashamed" he was "cowed" at a 2022 MIT Sloan panel and now believes trans women have no place in the female category.
• He claimed that at the time "90%" of the audience agreed with restricting trans participation but only "5%" would admit it publicly.
• Gladwell referenced panelist Joanna Harper as saying "you have to let us win," a line other coverage contextualized as her arguing trans women should sometimes be allowed to win, not win disproportionately.
• Reaction was swift on X and in commentary, with figures like Tim Miller challenging Gladwell’s sincerity and timing as he shared the podcast clip.
• The hosts, Ross Tucker and Mike Finch, have a record of opposing trans-inclusive policies, and Tucker was a panelist on the 2022 MIT session Gladwell moderated.