Editor's Note*: One of the thing's I'm proudest of about Brew Hoop is how maturely our community handles sensitive topics. We don't stick to sports, and even when conversations get difficult we are largely able to conduct ourselves in a manner befitting this forum. I think that's a good thing, and I thank all of you for it. I am also grateful to our staff and their willingness to share their personal experience; Julie is no exception, and her experience is very different from most people on Brew Hoop, myself included. I appreciate the opportunity to see that perspective.*

All that said, a number of people have previously stated their preference for the site to focus on basketball. And that's fine! Consider this fair warning that this article will not focus on basketball. Nobody's feelings are hurt if you decide to simply not contribute to this conversation. If you do contribute, do so the way you normally would: in accordance with the Community Guidelines. As always, we welcome your feedback, either by contact form or via email.

-Mitchell

noooooooo you cannot tell a basketball site to stick to basketball

Hey guys. It's been a while since I have been here, I kind of took a bit of a break after my posts about the Greatest Milwaukee Bucks Picks, and was going to take off a bit longer before the season but something drew me back. After checking out the site a bit ago, I stumbled upon the N-B-Gay article by Morgan, and wanted to follow up with that with a transgender version. I'm going to discuss what I believe it would look like to have a transgender person in both the NBA and WNBA, as well as a potential solution for not only basketball, but for all sports on how to be inclusive of transwomen without excluding ciswomen. Please note that, yes, this post is a political one (personally, I think it shouldn't be, but that's me), so keep that in mind.

For starters, I agree with Morgan's post that the likelihood that a transgender individual is not currently in the NBA is unlikely. Sooner or later there will be somebody who comes out as a transwoman or as non-binary. To have a transgender player in the NBA, it would mean one of these three scenarios:

1. Someone assigned female at birth would have to be exposed to puberty blockers and testosterone before hitting female puberty, and then become good enough to make it to the NBA.

2. A player assigned male at birth would not start taking hormones until retirement; they were transgender all along, but took further action after they were done playing.

3. A player assigned male at birth would start taking hormones during their playing career, effectively transitioning in the middle of their time as an active NBA player.

The second option is most likely, in my opinion, but none are impossible. As someone who has spent six months taking estrogen, I will say that my own physical strength has decreased by over 25% for certain, probably significantly more. That alone would impact rebounding, defense, shooting range, and much more. This means that any NBA player who touches hormone treatments would lose some ability at all of those things and likely fall out of the league as soon as the team could dump her. The slightest decline in skill or ability already pushes people out of the league, this would be just another name on that list.

This is why I also believe that any transman who was exposed to any amount of cisgender levels of estrogen has next to no chance of making the NBA. The minimum baseline for athleticism is simply too high. The only woman I ever remember getting a look from an NBA team was Brittney Griner (timely, right?), and she didn't end up there. Now, if Brittney or whoever is the best in the WNBA currently took testosterone, that might give them a chance, but still an unlikely one. This is why I believe they would need to go through "male puberty" during their teenage years, so they could grow into a male body instead of transitioning later. On a personal side note, I can't wait for the day when a transman makes it to the NBA; that would be incredible!

Let's delve deeper into each of the four main groups that a transgender basketball player could be a part of. I'm leaving non-binary out of this just for simplicity, but it deserves to be mentioned that even transitioning from male or female to non-binary can actually include some -- or all! -- of the things we'll be covering. That said, here are those four simplified "main" groups:

1. Pre-puberty, male-to-female

2. Post-puberty, male-to-female

3. Pre-puberty, female-to-male

4. Post-puberty, female-to-male

Editor's note*: Let this be another reminder that this article is a thought exercise; the author is specifically not advocating for anything, but looking at each situation to explore the differences in order to explain them to us. This article is not presenting what choices people should make, but explaining what choices exist and how we can better understand them. Please keep this in mind, and ensure that any comments or concerns about transgender youth are made in good faith.*

Look back to the kids you knew growing up during elementary school. If you were to remove the differences in clothing style between genders, hair, etc., boys and girls would look and act mostly indistinguishable from each other. But once a human hits puberty, no matter which s*x they were assigned at birth, the person will go through the hormone process that is associated with that s*x (testosterone = male; estrogen = female).

If one was to first go through what the trans community calls the "wrong puberty" and then go through the "right one" afterwards, that causes exposure to both puberties and thus will be hard to overcome from the perspective of athletic development. Fat gets redistributed, breast tissue or facial hair develops (depending on the hormones), skin gets softer or tougher, muscle mass increases or decreases, and so on. Not going through the "wrong puberty" keeps trans people almost indistinguishable. Here is an example of a transwoman who gained access to hormones at age 15 or so and was on puberty blockers until then.

You really can't tell visually, can you? This is an example of type number 1 from above, pre-puberty male-to-female. In my view, this person should be allowed in ciswomen sports with no question, as the exposure to testosterone (which is the basis for comparing men and women from the perspective of athletic competition) simply did not occur.

For post-pubescent male-to-female people such as myself, a catchphrase I have heard is that "estrogen giveth, but not taketh away". While it's possible for most other current transwomen and me to appear cis (should we choose to) and get everything in order, we still have to spend years overcoming the influence (some might call it damage) that testosterone has had on our systems. It's why everyone was in such a fuss over Lia Thomas, who is transgender (male-to-female). While I will say that estrogen has a lot of power in reducing strength, the data at this point is inconclusive regarding where we would need to get to compete on the same playing field.

Something many people forget is that just because you have a male body does not automatically mean you are good at sports. Even when I identified as a male, I would not have had a chance against a WNBA player or even a women's college player. I swam and played football, but I'm not going to make an all-conference team in women's swimming just because of my birth assignment. My point is that people forget that girls are also good at sports, and in my opinion, the whole trans sports debate is misogyny as well because you are stating that women have no chance to compete with any male body in sports. Furthermore, you are limiting what a woman is to her parts. Imagine if this statement is said to a woman: "you are only a woman because of your parts." That goes right back to the rhetoric where we only value women's bodies and not their minds.

When it comes to transmen, that's a whole 'nother ballgame. Pre-pubescent female-to-male people should, in theory, be capable of developing as anybody else who was exposed to testosterone at a male level. Whether they get to a point of being a Giannis Antetokounmpo or Dwayne Johnson, I don't think that's known yet, but there is nothing yet that says it's not possible. Based on what I've learned, all that happens before puberty regarding differences in s*x is the physical organs, ready to produce hormones when the time comes.

Because female-to-male transgender people had estrogen exposure during puberty, it would be challenging for them, though not impossible, to overcome in terms of developing into professional-level basketball players. Testosterone would help their bodies gain muscle, but height, skeleton structure, and other things won't change. Since most women in the WNBA are shorter than 6'6", that is a challenge on its own. Forget about strength, these men won't grow 3-10 inches after taking testosterone in their 20's or later.

Now that we've discussed the four (simplified) groups of transgender people, let's explore the Lia Thomas route (transitioning during your career) with professional basketball. Let's make up a player to use for this thought experiment, using names that are already familiar to us. Let's meet Khris Holiday. Khris Holiday is an average NBA player; standing at 6'7" and weighing in at 200 pounds, he plays small forward and puts up averages of 7 points and 4 rebounds per game while playing decent defense.

Say my made-up NBA player decides he can't pretend anymore. He doesn't want to continue as he is without fully living as a woman. Regardless of how anyone else feels about it, this is a perfectly valid feeling for anyone to have. Khris Holiday chooses to transition while continuing to play basketball professionally and becoming the first male-to-female WNBA player. He decides to undergo the change and she is now Khristine Holiday. Let's also assume the WNBA and NBA both are trans-friendly enough to allow Khristine to transition leagues and play in the WNBA. There would obviously be some CBA considerations (with both leagues) to work out, but let's just pretend it all works out on that front.

Khristine would likely have to take hormones for at least a year and get her levels of hormones to a normal level for women. She would also likely have to limit her weight-lifting and focus more on finesse exercises, especially upper body, and keep working on getting into appropriate WNBA shape. Changing her exercise routine would, over time, get her closer to ciswomen levels in strength and conditioning. Once cleared, hypothetically, she would then be eligible to be signed by a WNBA team.

Other possible side effects of Khristine's transition during this time would be extensive, and she would also need to maintain contact with a therapist for however long she needs. She would need to go through blood work (albeit NBA players already likely go through it) to check her hormone and vitals every 6 months minimum, but probably more often since she is a professional athlete. Then you have emotional mood swings that may or may not happen (but will) because you are going through your second conscious puberty, and third overall if you include the hormone washes in the womb. She essentially has the hormonal makeup of a pubescent female...in the body of an adult male.

You also have the more permanent alterations that can be done to your body, which we won't discuss in detail here, but someone going through the process surely will. Do you undergo facial feminization? Orchiectomy? Breast enhancement? Bottom surgery? Each of those procedures would require significant recovery. In theory, they could be done during the basketball offseason, but some of them (like reassignment) would take you out of playing shape for at least a few months. The other ones aren't as bad, and there are more surgeries than these (i.e. clavicle shortening), but they all affect your basketball capabilities.

And those are only the bodily effects. You also have mental effects, which are tough to imagine unless you go through them. Forget the fact that she would become the most well-known and (in)famous WNBA player ever and have all of the drama (and trauma) that will come with it, but she still has to deal with the dysphoria. Slight insults that others wouldn't think twice about can be debilitating for a transgender individual for minutes, or hours, or days. Beyond that, seeing the wrong thing in the wrong way at the wrong time, even if there is nothing wrong with that thing, way, or time, can also have that effect. This probably happens to me weekly on average, and I don't know a transgender individual who has escaped that feeling entirely. Can you imagine going through this while living the life of a professional athlete?

Then we get to all the relationship changes: legal, professional, and personal. For starters, you might choose to change your name. This isn't just done in court, but with credit cards, banks, and government agencies, and those are just the big ones. Not only that, you have to eventually tell everyone you know, or else let them find out and deal with it later. You may lose family, friends, partners, kids, teammates, and coaches, all because they don't accept the fact that you "switched" genders.

For the relationships you do keep, you have to teach everyone you come in contact with (like me with Mitchell, lol) about proper pronouns and general information. You become a living FAQ board. You get uncomfortable questions from friends and strangers alike. Some of them seem to want to know what kind of business you have going on "down there" more than anyone else, which can get uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.

That's a lot to go through without basketball being involved, and in many ways, you are never done transitioning. There is a point where you feel like you've hit the end of the road (such as reassignment), but then you still have to deal with getting used to it, which is a continual transition from what was to what is. Hormones are also permanent, as in you don't stop taking them, and there is also potential ongoing dysphoria such as not being able to get pregnant or being too tall or hand size or foot size that doesn't go away.

Going back to Khristine, a mid-career transition could be a blessing because if she had existing NBA money, she likely has the resources to help with the transition. Most transwomen don't have six-plus figures to help with this stuff, so she at least doesn't have to worry about the costs of hormones, appointments, new clothes, and all the procedures. For example, bottom surgery costs over $20,000 (on the low end) if insurance won't cover it.

But let's zoom back into the basketball-centric part of this conversation. We already established that Khristine was average in the NBA: 7 points, 4 boards, solid defense, etc. Let's also assume that her NBA-average measurables (6'7", 200 pounds) are about the same when heading into the WNBA. That might be nothing unique in the men's league, but Khristine would likely be a popular free agent (or draft pick?) in the WNBA. For example, her attributes would make her the second heaviest and tallest player on the Minnesota Lynx while likely being the strongest and among the fastest, as well as having 10+ years of experience playing professional basketball. Suddenly, you have the potential for someone to come in and break the game.

The NCAAW faced this kind of situation with Brittney Griner when you look at her dominating collegiate statistics, and the early days of the NBA dealt with something similar. Did you ever hear of Wilt Chamberlain's season when he averaged 50 per game? I'm guessing it could be something like that for Khristine at best. Wilt was taller than everybody else on his team by four inches, so he had it easier than the likes of David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, and even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But the NBA adjusted, players improved, and the league became more competitive.

This wouldn't be a bad thing, though, for the WNBA. How many players do you know in the league without looking it up? I'm guessing not many if any, and Khristine would change that. She would be the Miami-era LeBron James "villain" or present-day Kevin Durant, if you prefer. She would make the sport more popular to watch, and while there would be hate (similar to what Wilt and Bill Russell got in the 60s), it would still be worth it for the ratings. This would help the entire league and actually help all the other women in the league make more money because of her presence. Eventually, the league would adjust in competitiveness. One final thought: in the year when Wilt averaged 50, the Warriors still lost 31 times, so it's not like one great player makes your team unbeatable.

Draymond has been ejected after flagrant foul on Nurkić pic.twitter.com/RmrLU5tdw8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 13, 2023

Yes, it's Draymond Green for like the 30th time just assaulting another player. He also tries, in true NBA fashion, to comedically flop afterwards as if that face came out of nowhere and just hit him.

What a great league

Redditor is very disappointed with you chuds

Married man (cuck) sneers at single chads (incels)

Two letters collects a lot of downmarseys

Someone had to say it

SHE WAS ONLY 33 YOU SICK FRICKS!

Honest take that says what everyone knows is 100% the truth? Downvotes.

Sadly, there's no way in heck she gets hired. But dramacoin will soar if she does.

Main event:

https://twitter.com/2ktanyaa/status/1779974344816394580

Bunch of tweets with no engagement:

Has racism been driven out of football?

Mild argument about the one drop rule:

https://twitter.com/brunotesoro/status/1779981130478809203

Conclusion

Bout order and results: https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/108579-ufc-300

Very legal and legitimate streams: https://buffstreams.app/title-game/ufc/ufc-300-live-streams-links

https://givemeredditstreams.xyz/mma/600041053/ufc-300-pereira-vs-hill

UFC 300 boyos let's fricking go. On paper there isn't a single bad fight on this entire card top to bottom.

Greatest nation rivalry in football 😂🔥

Brazil and Argentina pic.twitter.com/Uch76TpmkF

— JEY🥇 (@MmoaNkoaaa) November 22, 2023

!football

Edit: just postponed.

Heartbroken. Our run ends.

🇺🇸 USA 1 (4) - 1 (5) PAN 🇵🇦 pic.twitter.com/UsD7bTE5R4

— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) July 13, 2023

!football

Come laugh at

!burgers

The new, shorter version of Match of the Day which the BBC was forced to broadcast on Saturday night proved to be an unlikely ratings success, as curious viewers tuned in to see what was actually left of the programme.

The Premier League highlights show - which squashed six matches into 20 minutes, without commentary or punditry - attracted 500,000 more viewers compared to the previous week.

The BBC's Lizo Mzimba tweeted: "Last night's Match of the Day was watched by 2.58m TV viewers on BBC One.

"Up nearly half a million on last Saturday's figure of 2.09 million according to BARB overnights.

"It's the show's biggest audience since 5 November 2022 when 2.63m watched."

!football

Official:

A’s to Sacramento….. pic.twitter.com/bg6RuYu8co

— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) April 4, 2024

https://twitter.com/CaseyPrattABC7/status/1775964354871238663

https://twitter.com/toomuchtuma/status/1775902211228291468

https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1775903407984746948

Seething: https://old.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1bvp4p3/carmichael_dave_official_as_to_sacramento/?sort=controversial

!football

https://old.reddit.com/r/chelseafc/comments/15ntk2y/david_ornstein_on_twitter_liverpool_reach?sort=controversial

Reddit is actually surprisingly chill about it, the fan forums however...

https://www.theshedend.com/topic/35581-moises-caicedo-to-liverpool/page/77/#comments

Lots of them are lashing out at Brighton too for some reason

>I hope we sign a permacrocked player in his 30s who's not even a dm instead

!dixie

A transgender footballer for a lower-league South Yorkshire team believes she is being discriminated against by teams boycotting matches if she is playing.

On Rossington Main Ladies FC Facebook page, Francesca Needham was quoted as expressing her hope the "issue of perceived discrimination against me can be resolved peacefully" with assistance from the Football Association.

Needham said she was being forced to quit playing for now.

The Football Association told Sky News: "We are working with Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA to find a resolution.

"This issue is complex and constantly evolving, and like many other national governing bodies in sport, we are currently reviewing our transgender policy for English football to ensure it is inclusive, fair and safe for all."

The FA's current transgender policy is that "gender identity should not be a barrier to participation in football" but eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Players over the age of 16 assigned male at birth wanting to compete in women's football have to show their blood testosterone levels are "within natal female range for an appropriate length of time so as to minimise any potential advantage".

Annual checks are required.

Rossington competes in the seventh level of the women's football pyramid.

Needham wrote that the team has faced "challenges from teams unwilling to play against us while I am on the field".

Her statement added: "This unfortunate circumstance has prompted me to investigate pursuing a case of discrimination, as I believe it represents a breach of the code of conduct regarding diversity and inclusion, as well as safeguarding of adults in football established by both the Football Association and the Sheffield and Hallamshire Women and Girls League.

"Therefore, in the best interests of my club and my supportive teammates who stand beside me, I have made the decision to step down from playing football for the foreseeable future.

"This decision is rooted in the desire to safeguard the team and the club's trajectory.

"It's disheartening to acknowledge that this situation contradicts everything in the diversity and inclusion policies, given that I have diligently met every single requirement set out by the Football Association to play.

"I sincerely hope that this issue of perceived discrimination against me can be resolved peacefully and promptly, with the full support of the Football Association and the policies they have written and approved."

Needham said she did not want to comment further.

!football

We hosted your crappy women's World Cup and packed out the stadiums despite the fact that the quality of football on display makes the Sidemen vs YouTube Allstars game look like El Clasico, only for FIFA to turn around and rig the deck for Saudi Arabia to stroll in and host it uncontested.

FIFA YOU DO KNOW THAT JULY IN AUSTRALIA IS WINTER WHICH IS THE BEST TIME TO HOST A TOURNAMENT, INSTEAD OF IN THE MIDDLE EAST WHERE YOU'LL HAVE TO HOST IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EUROPEAN SEASON AND DISRUPT THE CLUB SEASON AGAIN

!football

https://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/more-sports/zion-williamsons-hoegate-reaching-critical-mass-just-like-his-physique/108418802/

"this dude discovered the power of kitty and calories and got defeated like frick."

Get fricked sports nerds

!football

https://old.reddit.com/r/Everton/comments/120pli8/john_percy_breaking_premier_league_refer_everton/?sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/Everton/comments/120qh3o/premier_league_statement_in_full_after_everton/?sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/120pdbt/john_percy_breaking_premier_league_refer_everton/?sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/120rdbx/premier_league_refers_everton_over_finances/?sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/120qvcj/everton_premier_league_refers_club_to_independent/?sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/comments/120pduu/rival_watch_everton_could_be_in_trouble/?sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/LeedsUnited/comments/120qyei/everton_charged_with_alleged_breach_of_premier/?sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/PremierLeague/comments/120qo63/everton_referred_to_commission_over_ffp_breach/?sort=controversial

https://twitter.com/JPercyTelegraph/status/1639301807741468673?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1639306471757234176?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://twitter.com/martynziegler/status/1639318238445158400?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1639317844637925376?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://twitter.com/iambolar/status/1639316054974291968?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://twitter.com/CharIieBennett/status/1639315474927460352?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://twitter.com/TheAthleticFC/status/1639320735251300375?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://twitter.com/theesk/status/1639327620536860702?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://archived.moe/sp/thread/130304594

https://archived.moe/sp/thread/130305900

More may be added soon as the drama is still fresh

Various TERFS Sneeding 1 2 3 4

https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1bkv7ca/comment/kw0zjb0/?context=8&sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1bkv7ca/comment/kw0wdrd/?context=8&sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1bkv7ca/comment/kw0wu61/?context=8&sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1bkv7ca/comment/kw0strh/?context=8&sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1bkv7ca/comment/kw0zn9l/?context=8&sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1bkv7ca/comment/kw0ztmq/?context=8&sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1bkv7ca/comment/kw10d5p/?context=8&sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1bkv7ca/comment/kw10npn/?context=8&sort=controversial

Arsenal have acknowledged a lack of diversity in their women's team and say they will work to deliver 'greater diversity' as a 'priority'.

The Gunners posted their women's squad photo earlier this week and there was criticism with not a single Black or ethnic minority player in the squad.

The club have now promised to deliver 'greater diversity' in their women's squad.

Arsenal's statement said: "We acknowledge our current women's first-team squad does not reflect the diversity that exists across the club and the communities we represent.

"Increasing participation among young women and girls from diverse backgrounds is a key priority for us at academy level, with specific measures in place to improve pathways and accessibility.

"Across all our teams, including our men's and women's academies, we're proud of our players from diverse backgrounds who have contributed to our history, success and culture.

"It's a priority for the club to continue to drive greater diversity and inclusion and create a sense of belonging for everyone connected to the club."

The lack of diversity in the women's squad is in contrast to the make-up of the Arsenal men's squad with Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, William Saliba, Thomas Partey, Gabriel, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Jesus some of the players at manager Mikel Arteta's disposal.

Back in September 2002, the Gunners also became the first team in Premier League history to include nine Black players in a starting XI, with Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Lauren, Ashley Cole, Kolo Toure, Gilberto Silva, Nwankwo Kanu, Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord all included by then manager Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal Women player Jen Beattie told the Three Players and a Podcast: "The club knows it's not good enough not to have representation at the top level. The men's team have that, a lot of men's football has that. But in women's football, it's not good enough and it's not good enough for us at the minute.

"You see the likes of Rach [Yankey] on the side of the Emirates, Anita Asante and other top players, who have been a huge part our history of Arsenal so to not have that at the minute is disappointing.

"But it has to happen at grassroots level. Our academy are making steps towards that, in terms of allowing coaches and buses to come from inner-city London up Hertfordshire to allow girls to train as part of the academy to make it more diverse, make it more inclusive and more accessible for everyone.

"But it has to happen at both levels and for me, representation is even more important at first-team level."

Yankey added: "If you're a young kid now, you're able to switch on the TV, you're able to look at magazines and you're able to find information about footballers so you want to have a role model that looks like you and you can relate to in some sort of way."

However, the lack of diversity is a microcosm of the wider issue within women's football. Players from ethnically diverse backgrounds are often in the minority in elite squads and issues around access and opportunity are mitigating factors.

For example, all of England's starting XI at Euro 2022 were white and only three (Nikita Parris, Jess Carter and Demi Stokes) in the squad were from mixed-heritage backgrounds.

At the 2023 World Cup, Carter and Lauren James were used regularly, but were the only ethnically diverse players on Sarina Wiegman's squad.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has been among those to criticise the lack of diversity in the women's game, calling it a "middle-class sport".

"Women's football is quite a middle-class sport in my opinion," Hayes said. "In terms of the locations, the pedigree of player, they're often coming from suburban belts around the training grounds.

"They're not the Alex Scotts, the Rachel Yankeys, the Anita Asantes. They're not coming to our facilities in the same way and you've got to ask yourself the question: why?

"Look at the number of footballers that came out of south-east London and into the England men's team; an unbelievable number. Why aren't they in the women's side? I often ask that question [at Chelsea]. They're all from Surrey. They're the most talented kids in Surrey. But are they the most talented kids around? I beg to differ.

"Why aren't we going into London? Why aren't we hosting our academies right in the heart of London? Who in their ivory tower has been dreaming up this prawn sandwich girls football club?

"Girls don't travel. Boys in the academy game either have parents who will take them somewhere or they'll get on trains to do it.

"Families won't let their girls go to games [by themselves]. It's going to have to be parent-led and kids coming from the city, often their parents are working and might not have the same [opportunity].

"So our starting point should be...that if you want a diverse group involved with our game at an elite level then perhaps we should be travelling into the cities in a more profound way.

"But why are you going to do that if you don't have player protection, if you're investing into something where you could lose a player at any point? Both have to be supported."

!football

My guess would be that the phrase "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" in his story, triggered this response.

If you would know what "from the river to the sea palestine will be free" really means then it is absolutely enough and punishable by german law btw

Germs

The French are not to be left behind, but they only suspended a guy

!football

God darnit I just want to watch sports and not have ideologies and politics everywhere

I wish this sub had team flairs so I could know how much free government money your team got to build a new stadium only for you to turn around and demand that politics be left out of sports because colorful tape makes you hyperventilate.

Since sports are subsidized bybthe government gay politics have to be involved

More news: I can confirm a big group of @MLB players will refuse to wear pride or trans flags of any kind this year if asked to by their teams. This includes star players. A few strong men taking a stand is leading others to as well. Courage is contagious.

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) May 31, 2023

Ja Morant was accused of punching a 17-year-old boy 12-13 times and flashing a gun at him during a pickup basketball game last summer, according to a police report obtained by @mollyhc

Full story: https://t.co/NsRnhsIXlk pic.twitter.com/DH0utTt37V

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 1, 2023

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been accused of punching and flashing a gun at a 17-year-old and threatening a mall security guard.

also mall cop, lol

In police records obtained by Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post, Morant was accused of punching the teen "12-13 times" during a pickup basketball game at the 23-year-old's house last summer.

Morant told police in an interview he "swung first" in the alleged fight with the teenager, but he was acting in self-defense because the teenager threw a basketball at his head and stepped toward him.

2.0 incoming?

The Pacers' traveling party also said someone in a "slow-moving SUV" that Morant was riding in "trained a red laser on them." It was unclear if the laser was attached to a gun.

This one kinda came out of nowhere