Sports
Nike, NFL women's sports Super Bowl commercials draw backlash amid national trans athlete controversies
As America’s sports world remains locked in an ongoing culture war over the presence of trans athletes in women’s sports, this year’s Super Bowl ad slate became a battleground.
Two commercials in particular drew the ire of many who advocate for protecting female athletes from trans inclusion.
One ad that drew the outrage was directly from the NFL and boasted one of the longest run times of the entire night. The league’s “Leave The Past Behind” spot, which intended to promote the spread of girls’ flag football to more high schools across the country, offended some with its portrayal of a female flag football player outperforming male players.
Many critics took issue with the commercial for promoting imagery of females competing evenly and more superior to males. The notion that female athletes are not at a physical disadvantage compared to their male counterparts is often used in arguments promoting trans inclusion in women’s sports.
The women’s advocacy group “Women Are Real” slammed the ad for promoting that notion in a reply on X.
“I hate this ad with all my heart. We know we can’t compete against a team of men. It’s a lie. And it’s a slap in the face of every phenomenal female athlete. Women’s sports is about female excellence. Leave the men out of this,” the advocacy group’s X account wrote in response, and later posted more replies.
“Support your daughter’s development as a female athlete. Don’t compare her to boys this will only discourage her. This ad is a lie that serves as a slap in the face of all hardworking female athletes. Women’s sports is about female excellence. Leave men out of it.”
Marshi Smith, the co-founder of the legal advocacy group the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, called out the NFL for its ad in her own post on X.
“Why is the world obsessed with showing women playing sports against men?” Smith wrote. “Give us our own [God d—] sports and stop comparing us.”
Casey Caston, founder of the marriage-counseling website Marriage 365, criticized the ad for showing “unrealistic” imagery.
“I love women’s sports, but this is completely unrealistic and disrespects gender differences that exist,” Caston wrote on X, later adding, “Women weren’t created to do everything a man CAN do. Women were created to do everything a man CAN’T do.”
Still, the commercial was praised by other social media users for its message of trying to spread girls’ flag football to other schools, overlooking its imagery.
The other commercial that outraged advocates opposed to trans inclusion came from Nike, but for a deeper-seated reason.
The sportswear juggernaut debuted its first Super Bowl commercial in 27 years, featuring a star-studded lineup of women athletes including Caitlin Clark, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles and JuJu Watkins.
However, many critics were quick to call out Nike for its official company stance in supporting trans athletes competing in women’s sports.
Former NCAA swimmer and current conservative activist Riley Gaines slammed Nike’s ad, while in the same breath promoted the startup sportswear ad XX-XY Athletics, which specializes in activist apparel with messaging protecting female athletes from trans inclusion.
XX-XY ATHLETICS LOOKS TO REDEFINE MAINSTREAM IN 2025, EYEING WOMEN’S SPORTS STARS AND HIT VIRAL ADS
“Ditch Nike Support XX-XY Athletics,” Gaines wrote in a re-share of the commercial on X. Gaines is the first brand ambassador for XX-XY Athletics.
The startup company’s founder, former U.S. gymnast and Levi’s executive Jennifer Sey, also called out Nike for the ad while promoting her own brand in a series of posts on X.
“You’re so full of it. The only thing female athletes are told they can’t do is stand up for the integrity of their sports, for keeping men out of women’s sports. Literally, that’s the only thing,” Sey wrote in response to the commercial on X.
Famed sports broadcaster and journalist Michelle Tafoya also called out Nike while promoting Sey’s brand in a series of posts on X.
“Nike is too late to this party. And they’re stuck in stereotypical language from about 25 years ago,” Tafoya wrote, later adding, “What a waste of ad dollars.”
Data suggests the vast majority of Americans, including most Democrats, are opposed to allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s and girls’ sports.
A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, do not think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports.
Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
Nearly 70% of Americans say biological men should not be permitted to compete in women’s sports, according to a Gallup poll last year.
In June, a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago asked respondents whether transgender athletes of both sexes should be permitted to participate in sports leagues that correspond to their preferred gender identity instead of their biological sex. In that survey, 65% answered that it should never or rarely be allowed. When those polled were asked specifically about adult transgender female athletes competing in women’s sports, 69% opposed it.
President Donald Trump recently took executive action to address the issue, signing the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order” on Feb. 5.
However, some states have indicated they will refuse to follow the order and continue allowing biological males to participate and share locker rooms with female athletes, including California and Minnesota.
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Sports
Prep sports roundup: El Camino Real baseball defeats San Fernando on walk-off balk
Two top City Section baseball teams, El Camino Real and San Fernando, faced off Friday in a pitcher’s duel that went eight innings.
Senior Ray Pelayo of San Fernando kept throwing strikes, keeping El Camino Real off balance for 7⅔ scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. But then came a balk that scored the winning run in El Camino Real’s 1-0 victory.
Hudson December threw six scoreless innings for El Camino Real and Andrew Katzman struck out three in two scoreless innings.
South Torrance 4, El Segundo 3: In a battle of unbeaten Pioneer League teams, South Torrance (6-0) received a walk-off single from Owen Rhodes in the bottom of the seventh. El Segundo tied it 3-3 in the top of the seventh on a two-out, three-run home run by Chase Mattoon. Issac Orozco struck out nine in five innings and also homered for the Spartans.
Crespi 3, Saugus 2: Justin Kim had two RBIs for the Celts.
Sylmar 7, Legacy 1: Rickee Luevano threw a two-hitter with nine strikeouts.
Sierra Canyon 12, West Ranch 1: Isaias Tirado hit a three-run home run and four pitchers combined to give up five hits.
Mater Dei 15, Rockwall-Heath (Texas) 1: Ezekiel Lara had three hits and five RBIs in Texas. Earlier, the Monarchs gave up seven runs in the third inning of an 8-1 loss to Rockwall-Heath.
St. John Bosco 1, Gahr 0: Star closer Jack Champlin got a strikeout to end the game, finishing two shutout innings of relief. Champlin drove in the game’s only run with an RBI double in the sixth inning. Julian Garcia struck out six with no walks in five innings for St. John Bosco.
San Juan Hills 11, Cypress 0: Garrett Gandolfo threw five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and Clay Riggs contributed three RBIs for San Juan Hills.
Santa Margarita 1, Damien 0: Warren Gravely IV had the only RBI in the Eagles’ win. Tyler Unter struck out six in five shutout innings.
Garfield 9, Cleveland 7: Omar Martinez had three hits and Victor Alvarez drove in three runs for Garfield. Joshua Pearlstein finished with three hits for Cleveland.
Palos Verdes 8, West Torrance 0: Kai Van Scoyoc struck out nine in five innings and Asher Friedman had a home run and a double for Palos Verdes.
Valencia 12, Chatsworth 0: An eight-run second inning helped lead the Vikings to a five-inning win.
Bishop Amat 13, Gardena Serra 2: Joaquin Ortiz finished with three hits and four RBIs.
Corona Centennial 19, Eastvale Roosevelt 3: Devin Bishop and Emiliano Castaneda each hit home runs for Centennial.
Servite 6, Anaheim Canyon 1: Mickey Cabral went three for four and Cole Grothues struck out three in 2⅓ innings of scoreless relief.
Corona Santiago 5, Crean Lutheran 4: Jonathan Thorton delivered three hits and two RBIs for the Sharks.
Fullerton 1, Chaparral 0: Garrett Wrightman threw four innings of scoreless relief and Caleb Brown had an RBI double in the third inning for Fullerton.
Edison 11, Tesoro 7: Ben Wilson hit a grand slam and finished with five RBIs for Edison.
El Dorado 10, Granada Hills 4: Lorenzo Favela hit a three-run home run to lead El Dorado.
Ayala 7, San Dimas 1: Caleb Trugman struck out nine with zero walks in a complete game.
Loyola 14, Venice 1: Wyatt Clougherty had three hits and Luca Marucci contributed three RBIs for Loyola.
Softball
Norco 5, Torrance 0: Coral Williams struck out 10 in six innings. Leighton Gray and Rae Logue hit home runs.
Garden Grove Pacifica 4, Anaheim Canyon 2: Natalia Amezquita had a two-run single for Pacifica.
Orange Lutheran 7, Perry 1: Mia Scott had four RBIs for the Lancers.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 15, Culver City 0: Ellayne Tellez-Perez had three hits and five RBIs.
Sports
Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert gushed over 27-year-old singer Madison Beer in a heartfelt birthday tribute on social media, offering fans a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship.
The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who normally shies away from the public eye, posted a series of photos to his Instagram Stories on Thursday.
Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 8, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
“Happy birthday to my favorite person of all time,” Herbert wrote in a post that showed the couple on the sidelines of one of his NFL games. “I love you so much. You’ve changed my life forever.”
In another photo appearing to show the couple out to dinner, Herbert wrote, “I am the luckiest guy alive…”
Herbert, who turns 28 later this month, shared another photo of the “Make You Mine” artist petting goats and captioned the photo, “My goats.”
The couple was first linked together in August when they were spotted together on the set of one of Beer’s music videos in Los Angeles. Herbert and Beer were photographed in October on the sidelines of a Chargers game at SoFi Stadium, seemingly confirming the dating rumors.
Quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and singer Madison Beer attend an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The same month, Herbert went viral after blocking a rogue basketball from hitting Beer when the two sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers in July 2023. Despite proving himself to be one of the elite young quarterbacks in the NFL, Los Angeles’ offensive struggles have seen the team fall short in back-to-back playoff appearances.
Quarterback Justin Herbert (10) of the Los Angeles Chargers blocks a basketball from hitting Madison Beer as they attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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The team’s offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, was fired in January and replaced with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in football.
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Sports
Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener
The last time Shohei Ohtani was seen wearing a World Baseball Classic uniform with “Japan” across his chest, he was striking out Mike Trout of the United States on a ninth-inning, full-count slider to give his country a victory in the championship game three years ago.
So much has happened in Ohtani’s life between then and now. He has a wife and a daughter, a new interpreter, a new Major League team, two World Series championships and three more Most Valuable Player awards.
Yet unforgettable WBC memories continue. This time, he delivered from the batter’s box instead of the pitcher’s mound.
In the second inning of Japan’s WBC opener against Chinese Taipei on Friday at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani smacked a hanging curve a few feet over the right-field wall for a grand slam, triggering an offensive onslaught that resulted in a 13-0 victory.
“I thought it might land as an out, so above all, I really wanted to get the first run on the board,” Ohtani told reporters afterward.
Ohtani led off the game with a double and singled in his second at-bat of the second inning, when Japan put up a WBC-record 10 runs. He added a run-scoring single in the third inning, giving him five runs batted in.
In 2023, Ohtani hit and pitched Japan to the WBC title, batting .435 with eight RBIs and allowing only two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings on the mound. This year, he will only bat, saving his pitching for the Dodgers, who begin their quest for a third consecutive World Series title in three weeks.
Japan’s starting pitcher Friday was a decorated Dodger nevertheless. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, MVP of the 2025 World Series, threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two while giving up no hits.
His command wasn’t pinpoint — he threw 53 pitches, 33 for strikes — but it is still spring training, even though the atmosphere was electric for Japanese players competing in front of a crowd of 42,314 that included actor Timothy Chalamet and superstar Bad Bunny.
“I know there will be some tough battles ahead, but if the fans and the team can unite and everyone can help build the excitement together, it will really encourage us,” Ohtani said.
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