Overview
- On October 19, the former ESPN host wrote on X that her middle school daughter guarded “an obviously naturally born boy” in a girls tournament and said the opponent’s team won.
- Ponder said her family teaches kindness toward the child but called the situation “maddening,” and she later asserted ESPN would not have allowed her to post those views while employed there.
- Coverage notes she homeschools her three children, suggesting the game she referenced was likely not a New York City Public Schools event.
- New York City Public Schools permits students to join teams aligned with their gender identity, and the city sued the U.S. Education Department last week after a threat to withhold $36 million in magnet school funding over five years.
- The post drew criticism online and refocused attention on broader policy fights, including President Donald Trump’s executive order on school sports and continuing litigation in Nassau County.