Female On-Air Talent Who Was Fired By ESPN Says She Was Harassed Over Transgender Views

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Former ESPN host Sam Ponder says harassment over her views on transgender athletes pushed her away from social media.

Ponder made the claim Thursday while explaining why she stopped posting regularly.

The former ‘Sunday NFL Countdown’ host said two New York Post reporters showed up outside her home roughly nine months ago.

She claimed they filmed her and her daughter after she criticized transgender participation in girls’ basketball.

“I stopped posting about 9 months ago when 2 men from the NY Post showed up at my house, filming my daughter and me,” Ponder wrote.

She said the experience changed how openly she discussed the issue online.

Ponder also criticized the New York Post for placing her on its cover after the incident.

Her comments arrive as the debate over transgender participation in women’s sports has returned to the WNBA.

The league recently addressed the issue after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham spoke about protecting girls in sports.

Ponder now wants the WNBA to take a clearer position.

“The WNBA should be courageous. Stand for women. You can’t stand for something you can’t even define,” she wrote.

Sam Ponder Has Discussed Transgender Athletes For Years

Ponder’s latest comments build on a position she has expressed repeatedly.

Last year, she claimed her middle-school daughter faced a transgender opponent during a girls’ basketball tournament in New York City.

“It’s happened many times now living in NYC… yet another basketball game today where my middle school daughter is guarding an obviously naturally born boy in a girls tournament,” she wrote.

Ponder said she taught her children to treat everyone with kindness.

However, she argued that fairness in girls’ sports required different standards.

Her comments have drawn significant attention since she left ESPN.

The network laid off Ponder in August 2024 alongside football analyst Robert Griffin III. The Los Angeles Times reported that ESPN characterized the moves as business decisions.

Ponder later said her views on transgender athletes played a role in the timing.

She has now connected that controversy to the decision to step away from social media.

Ponder’s Comments Arrive During Another Major WNBA Debate

Ponder’s return comes at a particularly interesting moment.

The WNBA has faced renewed scrutiny over transgender athletes following Cunningham’s comments.

Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have since claimed they plan to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft.

The league responded by saying there are “no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA.”

It also condemned what it called “bad-faith efforts” to use the debate to demean or marginalize others.

Ponder believes the league should go further.

“Boundaries, clarity and exclusion are not hateful in sport… they’re the prerequisite to playing and loving the game,” she wrote.

The former ESPN personality also argued that biological differences are central to the existence of women’s sports.

“Without the lines, without the rules, without the honesty about who’s in and who’s out, there is no fair competition.”

Ponder’s career has largely moved away from mainstream sports television since ESPN dismissed her.

She remains active on social media, however, and has continued discussing political and cultural issues.

Now, she says a confrontation involving her family helped explain why she became much quieter.