Sports
Women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova defends JK Rowling in debate over males in women’s spaces
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Women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova stepped into a social media debate in defense of famed “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling over biological males in women’s spaces on Thursday.
Rowling responded to an X thread by English columnist Dan Hodges, who was condemning what he considered “hostile” treatment of biological male transgender people who enter women’s spaces.
Rowling sarcastically wrote in response to Hodges, “A man explaining to women that they should pretend some of his fellow men are women because that’s ‘respectful’ is exactly what this debate needed. Thanks for your bravery.”
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“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling said on X this week she’s not keen on reconciling with actress Emma Watson over their political differences. (SOPA Images/Getty)
Rowling later wrote, “What you, and many other men, fail to grasp, possibly because you’re so used to women coddling men’s feelings you see it as the natural order of things, is that while a trans-identified man is absolutely and rightly free to dress and refer to himself however he likes in our society, that doesn’t give him rights over women’s beliefs and speech.
“I don’t believe a man literally becomes a woman when he identifies as one, and as I have freedom of speech, I have the right to call him a man. The verifiable truth of sex forms the legal basis for women’s rights and for safeguarding. Nothing reveals your inability to grasp this issue, or your fundamental sexism, more than the fact that you, a man, are assuming the right to dictate to women how they should speak about men.”
Another user then responded to Rowling, arguing that the topic of trans people invading women’s spaces is a “fringe issue.”
Navratilova then entered the debate in defense of Rowling.
“Fringe for you maybe. Not so fringe for the women who are affected by males in women’s sex based spaces . Compelled speech is not ok either,” Navratilova wrote.
AOC RIPPED BY WOMEN’S SPORTS ACTIVISTS IN RESPONSE TO ‘TRANSGENDER AWARENESS WEEK’ POST
Tennis legend and female rights activist Martina Navratilova blasted The New York Times for a controversial description of biological women. (Angel Martinez/Getty Images for Laureus)
Navratilova has been a polarizing figure on social media for her conflicted support for liberals and opposition of Trump. She regularly slams Democrats for allowing biological males in women’s sports.
Last December, she said she was “mad” Republicans have tackled the nationwide controversy of trans athletes in women’s sports instead of the Democrats.
“And I am so mad that the Republicans captured this issue – shame on all the elected Democrats who keep silent on this!!! #whataboutthewomen,” she wrote on X.
The tennis legend appeared at the Independent Women’s Forum’s Take Back Title IX rally in June to address the issue.
“Initially, being the Democrats and the women that we are for the most part, we in this group were trying to find every single possible way to include trans-identified men, males who identify as women, into women’s sports,” she said. “And the more we try to find a way to mitigate the advantage, to handicap, to somehow to include, the more we figured out it’s not possible. It’s not possible to do it in a fair way, and here we are in a much different position.
“As I got deeper into the issue, I also saw the connection between women’s sex-based spaces and women’s sports. They are totally interconnected, and I’m sure the swimmers at Penn could tell you all about that. You heard about Lia Thomas, right?
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Martina Navratilova in September 2022 in Flushing, Queens, New York City. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
“Now, it’s, ‘Oh, you’re a homophobe.’ Go figure. I’ve been out since ’81. Yeah, I’m a homophobe,” she said, rolling her eyes. “‘You’re a bigot, you’re a transphobe, you’re a Nazi, you’re a fascist, you’re a communist,’ everything and everything in between. And this is coming from the left. I am the left! My people are turning on me. They’re turning on us women who speak up for women’s sex-based rights.”
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It’s common in sports for a player to provide a gift to a teammate in exchange for the rights to a certain jersey number upon moving to a new team. But what happens if the number a player desires is owned by a mascot?
The same thing, apparently.
Artemi Panarin was traded to the Los Angeles Kings just before the Olympic break, with the veteran winger looking to adopt the jersey number 72 that he wore when he entered the league with the Chicago Blackhawks.
There was just one problem: The Kings’ mascot, Bailey, also already wears the number. The reason? “Because it’s always 72 degrees in Los Angeles.”
So a number trade ensued.
Panarin will wear No. 72, and Bailey received a Rolex.
Our 72s 🖤 pic.twitter.com/mdthCYTJmm
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 25, 2026
The “trade” actually proved to be a win-win for Bailey. Because the mascot won’t ever be on the ice at the same time as Panarin, it’ll keep wearing No. 72 in the stands.
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano has confirmed he will use the friendly against Independiente del Valle on Thursday night as an opportunity to give all players some minutes on the field despite returning to Major League Soccer regular-season action just 72-hours later.
The Herons will play the rescheduled preseason friendly in Puerto Rico on Thursday night before traveling to Orlando on Sunday to face Orlando City.
“This game clearly gives us the opportunity to, first, give minutes to guys who have perhaps had fewer minutes in the preseason and in the last game we played. But yes, we’re going to try to give everyone playing time,” Mascherano said on Thursday morning.
“We need to give the whole squad some opportunities.
“Obviously, being careful because then, in 72 hours, we have a very important game, where beyond the loss against LAFC, those of us who have been here at Inter Miami for a while know that regardless of a loss or a win, the next game is always the most important, and the next game is always the one we have to win.”
Inter Miami was originally set to face Independiente del Valle on Feb. 13, before the club, in collaboration with the event promoter and government of Puerto Rico, opted to postpone the event after Lionel Messi suffered a hamstring strain.
“Hi everyone, I wanted to send this message to the people of Puerto Rico and all the people that will be going to the training session and game,” Messi said in a video.
“To be honest, during the last game in Ecuador I concluded with a muscle strain, which is why I left the field early. So, together with the people of the organization and Inter Miami it was decided to suspend this game. We hope it can be reprogrammed, and we can see each other.
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Visit you soon. Sending a hug to you all and thank you for all the love that you always give. I hope we can do it in the future, all the best.”
Messi has since returned to action, playing the full 90 minutes in the team’s MLS season opener against Los Angeles FC on Feb. 21.
Mascherano later emphasized that he’ll use the friendly in Puerto Rico to prepare the players for Orlando City at the weekend.
“We’re trying to use today’s match, beyond the fact that it’s a friendly, to see certain things, to see players we perhaps haven’t had the opportunity to see in terms of playing time, and use this game to prepare for the match on Sunday,” he said.
Mateo Silvetti, however, stands as the only player mentioned by Mascherano to be in doubt for the game after he suffered a strain over a week ago. The coach confirmed the team will evaluate his condition before deciding whether he features against Independiente del Valle.
Sports
Jontay Porter, who was given a lifetime ban by the NBA for gambling, makes pro basketball comeback in USBL
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Jontay Porter, whom the NBA banned for life for gambling in 2024, is making his return to the court.
Porter, 26, is going to the Seattle SuperHawks, a member of the re-created United States Basketball League. The SuperHawks announced Porter’s signing on Wednesday. The team begins its season on March 7.
Porter is currently awaiting sentencing after he pleaded guilty to a related federal charge. In July 2024, he pleaded guilty to a federal court in Brooklyn to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud, a sentence that carries up to 20 years in prison.
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Jontay Porter (34) of the Toronto Raptors warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center. The game was played in Portland, Oregon, on March 9, 2024. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
However, Porter is expected to get a sentencing of between 3 and 4 years. The former Toronto Raptors player was accused of manipulating his performance in coordination with gamblers to win prop bets during two games in the 2023-24 season.
Porter also won $22,000 by gambling on 13 NBA games that he didn’t play in, which is a violation of league rules, according to an NBA investigation.
Jontay Porter (34) of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball during a game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. The game was played in Detroit, Michigan, on March 13, 2024. (Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York indicted dozens of others based on the investigation that began with Porter. Miami Heat guard Terry Roziers, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chancey Billups and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones were all indicted as part of the expanded investigation into Porter.
Porter spent two seasons in the NBA. He signed with the Memphis Grizzlies as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri and played 11 games with them in the 2020-21 season. After spending two years out of the NBA, he played 26 games with the Raptors in the 2023-24 season.
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Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors fights for a rebound with Lindy Waters III of the Oklahoma City Thunder during a 2023–2024 NBA regular-season game between the Raptors and the Thunder in Toronto on March 22, 2024. (Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
In 37 career NBA games, Porter averaged 3.7 points per game.
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