Okay, buckle up folks, because something truly bizarre happened this week that you probably didn't see coming. We're talking about Olympic golden girl Simone Biles suddenly deciding to take a bizarre, unprovoked swipe at none other than Riley Gaines, the fearless advocate for saving women's sports. I mean, seriously? Simone Biles attacks Riley Gaines? Didn't have that on my bingo card.
Most of you know Riley Gaines. She's the former NCAA swimmer who experienced the absurdity of competing against a biological male, Will “Lia” Thomas, firsthand. Since then, she's become a national voice, tirelessly fighting to protect female athletes and the integrity of women's sports. She's been instrumental in getting legislation passed, and even President Trump signed an Executive Order on this issue back in February.
The whole dust-up started on X after Gaines reacted to a tweet from the Minnesota State High School League congratulating the Champlin Park Rebels for winning the state championships. Comments were disabled on the post because this is the team that cheated its way to victory by having a male pitcher.
Comments off lol
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 6, 2025
To be expected when your star player is a boy https://t.co/2qY2onUhNW
This sent Simone Biles into a tailspin.
“You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race,” Biles replied. “Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!”
“Sore loser”? Give me a break. First of all, Riley Gaines didn’t even lose—she tied Will “Lia” Thomas in the women’s 200-meter freestyle at the 2022 NCAA championships. They both finished fifth, but only Thomas walked away with the trophy. Think about that: same time, same place, yet the biological male gets the recognition. And Biles calls that fair?
What’s even more puzzling is who this criticism is coming from. Simone Biles isn’t just a world-class athlete—she’s also a survivor of unthinkable abuse at the hands of USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. She understands better than most what it means to be vulnerable, to be taken advantage of by powerful institutions that fail to protect women. And now she’s out here defending policies that allow biological males into women’s locker rooms and let them dominate female athletic competition? That’s not progress. That’s betrayal.
Naturally, the backlash was immediate and brutal. Former ESPN host Sage Steele didn't hold back, absolutely shredding Biles for abandoning female athletes.
Easy to say this @Simone_Biles when you only had to compete against fellow women. Every one of your Olympic medals came competing against fellow women. @Riley_Gaines_ was not only forced to compete against a man, but forced to share a locker room with a man. THAT is SICK.… https://t.co/YQl1uPJdVq
— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) June 7, 2025
Simone,
— Kaeley Triller (@KaeleyT) June 7, 2025
I loved you until now.
This is gaslighting, and the bully is you. You could be such a champion for girls; instead you’re playing handmaiden to the boys running roughshod over them.
Why?
For virtue signal points? Identities don’t play sports; bodies play sports, and…
Simone should totally allow men to compete against her… if this is the sentiment. Because if it happened pre-medals, she wouldn’t have one medal or endorsement contract. It’s that simple. https://t.co/WzUNInLKaY
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) June 7, 2025
Even Gaines herself responded, expressing her disappointment and making a rather pointed suggestion.
"This is so disappointing,” she wrote. My take is the least controversial take on the planet. Simone Biles being a male-apologist at the expense of young girls’ dreams? Didn’t have that on my bingo card. Maybe she could compete in pommel horse and rings in 2028." Ouch.
It's truly disappointing to see Biles, who built her career and won her medals competing against other women, now advocating for the very thing that would deny future female athletes the same opportunities. What a sellout.
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