Stephen A. Smith Slams WNBA for Allowing Biological Males in Women’s Sports, Blames Weak Leadership
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith criticizes the WNBA for failing to set strict gender rules, saying the league’s leadership has enabled controversy over transgender athletes and allowed conservatives to expose the dangers to women’s sports.
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith has condemned the Women’s National Basketball Association for refusing to establish clear gender-eligibility rules, particularly regarding the participation of biological males in women’s sports. On his YouTube show, Smith argued that the league’s lack of definitive guidelines has allowed the contentious issue of transgender athletes to overshadow the integrity of women’s competition.
“You’ve got to have rules and regulations. You’ve got to have law. You’ve got to have order. You can’t have this,” Smith said, emphasizing the chaos caused by the WNBA’s failure to enforce basic standards.
Smith noted that conservative voices have rightly seized on the controversy, citing former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, who have announced plans to enter the 2027 WNBA draft to challenge the league’s weak policies. Smith made it clear that the blame lies with the league’s leadership, which has failed to protect female athletes from unfair competition.
“Sure, the right is maneuvering its way through the terrain and politicizing this issue. It doesn’t negate the fact that the WNBA left the door open for it to happen,” he said, pointing out that the league’s refusal to act has allowed the politicization to flourish.
Smith referenced Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who has bravely spoken out about the need to protect women’s sports from the threat of biological males. He questioned whether Republican officials would defend a liberal athlete expressing the opposite view, but reaffirmed his support for Cunningham’s stance on preserving the integrity of female athletics.
“I support her position on protecting girls in competitive sports,” Smith said, standing up for women’s rights in the face of progressive overreach.
In closing, Smith demanded that the WNBA address the glaring policy gap, warning that unless the league acts, critics will continue to expose its inconsistencies and the risks posed to women’s sports.
“The time has come for folks to stop whining about how stuff is being politicized and do something about it so it can’t be politicized. Do something or suck it up,” he said, urging decisive action to restore order and fairness.