![Stephen A. Smith Says “No Excuse” for Trans Athletes in Women’s Sports: “Who’s Protecting the Young Ladies?” [Video]](https://balleralert.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2202142584-scaled-1.jpg "Stephen A. Smith Says “No Excuse” for Trans Athletes in Women’s Sports: “Who’s Protecting the Young Ladies?” [Video] - Baller Alert")
Stephen A. Smith is making his position crystal clear in the heated national discussion regarding transgender athletes in female sports.
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During a recent appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the veteran commentator argued that biological advantages create an inherently unfair environment for women and girls. Smith questioned why there isn’t more focus on protecting female competitors from what he sees as a clear physical disadvantage.
“Biological men should not be competing against biological girls in sports, period,” Smith said during the interview. “What about protecting the young ladies? Young ladies going up against men, biological men, there is no excuse for that.”
To illustrate his point, Smith pointed to the case of former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas. He highlighted the dramatic shift in Thomas’s competitive standing after transitioning as evidence that biological factors play a massive role in athletic performance.
“Lia Thomas, for example, was a male, and he was ranked over 400th in the world. And then he became a she…And No. 1. Well…does it really take an Einstein to realize that there’s something wrong with that picture?” Smith asked.
The ESPN host has touched on this topic before, including a notable discussion during the 2025 Super Bowl Radio Row. While Smith was quick to state his support for the broader LGBTQ community, he explained that competitive sports represent a unique situation that requires a different approach to ensure fairness.
Smith’s vocal stance aligns with recent controversial legal shifts in the United States. In early 2025, Donald Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order, which directed federal agencies to interpret Title IX based on biological sex at birth.
As the conversation around fairness in sports continues to evolve, Smith remains one of the most prominent media figures calling for strict biological categories in competition.
