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Women golfers rejoice after LPGA bars post-puberty males from female competition: 'No more!'

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Women golfers rejoice after LPGA bars post-puberty males from female competition: 'No more!'

Multiple women’s golfers came forward to praise and celebrate the LPGA’s rule change on Wednesday that bars post-pubescent males from competing against females in pro competition. 

The organization said in a news release that male players who have gone through male puberty are barred from competing in the LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour and all other elite LPGA competitions. The new rule will go into effect for the 2025 season. 

“Players assigned male at birth and who have gone through male puberty are not eligible to compete in the aforementioned events,” the organization said. “The policies governing the LPGA’s recreational programs and non-elite events utilize different criteria to provide opportunities for participation in the broader LPGA community.”

Charley Hull, of England, watches her tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the LPGA Annika golf tournament at Pelican Golf Club, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Belleair, Fla.  (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

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The International Women’s Forum (IWF) released a press release in which several women golfers spoke in favor of the ruling later on Wednesday. These golfers include Lauren Miller, Hannah Arnold, Dana Fall, and Amy Olson.

Miller said that she and female colleagues in pro golf have said “no more” to the issues of competing against biological males with the statement.

“This announcement from the LPGA and USGA gives me hope for the future of women’s golf,” Miller said. “The movement of female professional golfers was essential and has been heard — we’ve stood up and said, ‘No more’. By acknowledging the distinctions between men and women, golf leadership is uniting with us in their desire to champion women and girls by restoring a space that prioritizes fair competition. Today, women have won.”

Olson, meanwhile, insisted that the biological differences between men and women should be acknowledged in sports. 

“This is a positive step forward, recognizing that an individual’s chromosomes affect their physical development in ways that are irreversible,” Olson said. 

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SJSU TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL: TIMELINE OF ALLEGATIONS, POLITICAL IMPACT AND A RAGING CULTURE MOVEMENT

Amy Olson swings club

Amy Olson of the United States hits a tee shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give at Blythefield Country Club on June 15, 2023 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Raj Mehta/Getty Images)

Fall said that Wednesday’s announcement indicates that “women do matter” in sports. 

“Today’s policy announcement is a huge win for women and girls in sports. The LPGA and USGA, the premiere bodies which dictate the rules of women’s golf, are standing up for fairness and the integrity of our sport. Today, the message sent to women is that we do matter, and they are working to return equal opportunity and protect fair sport for female athletes,” Fall said. 

Still, the announcement was not meant with unanimous praise. Liberals and trans rights activists have criticized the new rule. 

Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson spoke out against the new rule, as it will likely prevent Davidson from competing in the LPGA moving forward. 

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“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming. Banned from the Epson and LPGA,” Davidson wrote in an Instagram Stories post. “All the silence and people wanting to stay ‘neutral’ thanks for absolutely nothing. This happened because of all your silence.

“And somehow people are surprised the suicide rate for transgender people is around 50%. Situations just like this are part of the reason.”

Hailey Davidson swings

Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson looks after shot at pre-qualifying stage of LPGA Q-Series. (Riley Gaines/X)

A female golfer who competed against Davidson, Olivia Schmidt, made a plea to the LPGA to ban trans athletes like Davidson during an appearance at the Independent Women’s Forum in November. 

“The bottom line is we can fight this all we want, but the true change comes from the LPGA. They are the only ones with the power to stop it. It’s up to them to protect us,” she said. 

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“I want my kids one day to chase their dreams and not have these distractions in their way. I’m just praying that [the policy] gets changed, and I’m praying that we can find a way to kind of find some common ground in that and hopefully for the next generation of golfers.”

Now, the LPGA has fulfilled that wish for all of its female competitors and fans. 

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Tom Brady on late hit call against Azeez Al-Shaair: ‘I have mixed emotions’

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Tom Brady on late hit call against Azeez Al-Shaair: ‘I have mixed emotions’

Former NFL quarterback and Fox analyst Tom Brady said he had “mixed emotions” about the uproar surrounding a late hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Sunday, and argued quarterbacks need to “take better care of themselves” when leaving the pocket to run.

Appearing on Fox’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Tuesday, Brady argued that the onus of protecting a running quarterback doesn’t just fall on the defense. Brady’s comments came after the NFL suspended Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for three games for the hit that concussed Lawrence. Al-Shaair is appealing the suspension.

“It’s gone to a point where everyone will label a certain player as a dirty player; I don’t like that one bit,” Brady said. “Maybe they fine or penalize a quarterback for sliding late and say, ‘Look, if we don’t want these hits to take place, we’ve got to penalize the offense and the defense rather than just penalize a defensive player for every single play that happens when there is a hit on a quarterback.’”

Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, detailed a story during his playing career where he slid late and took a crushing hit. His teammates told him to get down because “these players are coming to get you.”

“Defensive players have to be aggressive, that’s their nature,” he said. “I always tried to be aggressive on offense, we tried to block aggressively and at the same time the defense tried to tackle aggressively.”

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Brady added, “I see (Buffalo Bills quarterback) Josh Allen running a lot, I see (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Lamar Jackson running a lot and it’s a great skill to have. I wish I had that skill set. And at the same time, when you run, you put yourself in a lot of danger, and when you do that, I don’t think the onus of protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t really think that’s fair to the defense.”

Al-Shaair apologized for the hit on Lawrence on Monday.

“I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late,” Al-Shaair said in a post on X. “And it all happens in the blink of an eye. To Trevor, I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening. Before the game we spoke and I told you how it was great to see you back on the field and wished you well. I would never want to see any player hurt because of a hit I put on them especially one that’s deemed ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary.’”

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Texans general manager Nick Caserio addressed his frustration in a Tuesday news conference amid the backlash Al-Shaair has received since Sunday, defending the linebacker.

“I think where we take umbrage is the picture that’s been painted about Azeez, his intentions, who he is as a person — quite frankly it’s b—–-,” Caserio said. “It’s unfair to the individual, it’s unfair to the organization. We love everything about Azeez Al-Shaair, what he means to this team, what he brings to this team. He was elected a captain after being here for four months.

Brady said it is also up to offensive coordinators and play callers to help protect quarterbacks by not calling so many designed runs.

“The aspect for a play caller, there’s more design runs for quarterbacks ever now than in the history of the NFL. So are we really trying to protect quarterbacks? Because if you are trying to do it through the rules then why are the offensive coordinators not protecting by keeping them in the pocket and not designing as many quarterback runs?”

The Texans are off until Dec. 15, when they will host the Miami Dolphins.

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(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

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Gymnast Simone Biles vows to 'never' return to Pilates class, cites difficulty with first experience

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Gymnast Simone Biles vows to 'never' return to Pilates class, cites difficulty with first experience

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Simone Biles is an elite athlete and one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, but she recently admitted she struggled to get through a workout.

Biles apparently took some time off after she won her fifth, sixth and seventh Olympic gold medals earlier this year in Paris. 

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But she recently resumed her workouts. 

According to Biles’ social media account, Pilates was at least part of her first post-Olympics workout, but her experience with the popular exercise was not something she is interested in doing again.

Simone Biles warms up before the U.S. Gymnastics Championships Aug. 27, 2023, in San Jose, Calif.  (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

“First time working out since the olympics,” the superstar gymnast wrote on her Instagram story Wednesday. “This is what I wore to a Pilates class that I will never be attending again! Y’all stay strong out there lmao. It was too hard.”

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LIVVY DUNNE REFLECTS ON WATCHING SIMONE BILES IN PERSON AT OLYMPICS, ‘HEARTBREAKING’ JORDAN CHILES CONTROVERSY

Joseph Pilates is credited with developing the exercise. A typical Pilates class involves machines, which use bands and movable benches.

Simone Biles waves to the crowd

Simone Biles reacts after competing in the floor exercise during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships Aug. 27, 2023, in San Jose, Calif.  (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Exercises focus on Improving flexibility and building muscle strength. When done properly, Pilates has also been known to help lower back and leg muscles.

Simone Biles waits

Simone Biles waits her turn to compete on the balance beam during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships June 4, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Biles has not ruled out competing again in the Olympics.

“Never say never. The next Olympics is at home. So, you just never know. But I am getting really old,” Biles, 27, said in August.

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The Summer Games are scheduled to return to the U.S. in 2028, when athletes from across the globe descend upon Los Angeles. It will mark the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics an American city hosts the summer edition of the Games.

In addition to the three gold medals she earned at the Paris Olympics, Biles also won silver in the floor exercise.

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Prep basketball roundup: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame surges past Los Alamitos

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Prep basketball roundup: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame surges past Los Alamitos

Less than two minutes into the game against Los Alamitos on Wednesday night, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame coach Matt Sargeant went into full Dan Hurley mode, calling a timeout and benching four of his starters with his team trailing 7-2.

By the end of the first quarter, his team trailed by three points and Zachary White was fuming not only because he couldn’t find his missing jersey at home, but because Sargeant was dissatisfied with his effort.

“I was mad,” White said. “He said I wasn’t playing hard, so I wanted to prove him wrong.”

White proceeded to score five consecutive baskets in the second quarter to help Notre Dame obliterate the No. 10-ranked team in Southern California with a 31-9 surge. By the game’s conclusion, Notre Dame had won 100-69, leaving little doubt that the Knights, St. John Bosco, Harvard-Westlake and Eastvale Roosevelt are four teams that have separated themselves from the rest of the top teams early this season.

And Notre Dame (5-0) is still awaiting the return of Tyran Stokes, its All-American junior transfer student recovering from a wrist injury. He’s practicing but probably won’t be available to play until later this month. Lino Mark scored 24 points and Josiah Nance had 22 points. White finished with 12 points and nine rebounds and planned to search for his jersey. Samori Guyness had 19 points for Los Alamitos (3-2).

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Loyola 69, Downey 54: Quincy Watson finished with 20 points for Loyola.

Bishop Alemany 46, Arcadia 41: Freshman Houston Rolle had 11 points for Alemany.

Westlake 56, Crespi 52: Austin Maziasz led the Warriors’ upset with 19 points. Peyton White had 26 points for Crespi.

Heritage Christian 68, Bishop Montgomery 56: Dillan Shaw and Tae Simmons each scored 23 points and Dominic Loehle added 19 points for 6-0 Heritage Christian.

Mira Costa 71, Cajon 52: The Mustangs (8-0) received 14 points from Eneasi Piuleini.

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Crossroads 82, Venice 49: EJ Vernon returned to scored 31 points and get 10 rebounds for Crossroads.

Viewpoint 63, St. Genevieve 23: Wesley Waddles had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Viewpoint.

Tesoro 66, Churchie 56: Nathan Draper had 24 points and 11 rebounds for Tesoro.

AGBU 71, Mesrobian 54: Isaiah Bennett had 30 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for 9-0 AGBU.

Malibu 78, Pilgrim 72: Dylan Goosen had 36 points in the overtime win.

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Girls basketball

Ventura 70, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 43: Kailee Staniland scored 29 points for Ventura. Freshman Hamiley Arenas had 29 points for Notre Dame.

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