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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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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is sneakily becoming an all-time NBA scorer

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is sneakily becoming an all-time NBA scorer

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander puts a lot of effort into his appearance. Fashion is a clear passion. His postgame news conferences double as video shorts for Harper’s Bazaar.

I am impressed by a player who can pull off something shimmery or wear fur up to his chin while sporting a do-rag and dark sunglasses. Far be it for me to pose as a fashion critic. This is not an assessment of whether he pulls it off, though I’d say he absolutely does. I dress like a journalist styled by deadlines concerned only with a nice pair of sneakers and something that disguises the coffee I’m sure to spill on my hoodie. My fashion critiques are useless.

But the SGA off the court and the version of him in the Oklahoma City Thunder uniform represent a striking juxtaposition. The former tries really hard to be stunning. The latter makes it look so effortless.

Gilgeous-Alexander is not just an elite scorer; he’s so, so smooth with it. Watching him get buckets is almost therapeutic. Right before our eyes, he’s blossomed into a historic scoring machine. His handle is silkier than one of his half-buttoned shirts. He doesn’t wow you with dribble moves, but he handles the rock so fluidly. His moves and counters. The improvisational way he manipulates leverage and shifts into spaces. And it’s all punctuated with a midrange jumper that ol’ heads would call butter.

SGA is one to watch as the NBA Cup transitions to the quarterfinals. One of the benefits of this in-season tournament — and the hype surrounding it — is gems like Gilgeous-Alexander get to shine. In a league that loves showcasing its prolific offensive players, he is unique among the game’s best.

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GO DEEPER

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A big game from Giannis Antetokounmpo is like a muscle car with Flowmasters roaring through a school zone. Nothing about Jayson Tatum’s scoring looks easy.

Ever see Luka Dončić go off? It’s spectacular. But he makes it look so laborious. You need a cigarette and a cold one afterward just from watching.

Anthony Edwards is simply exciting. He’s all flair. As is Nikola Jokić. Even though Joker is smooth in his own right, it just has the subtlety of an elephant C-walking to “Not Like Us.” His version of smoothness is seizing.

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SGA sneaks up on you. He just goes to work, and you look up and he’s got 30 again. Like he rolls out of bed to 20 points.

He’s the new Kevin Durant in that sense. You know how KD makes putting the ball in the basket feel like breathing? How it feels so automatic as to be inevitable? SGA is of that ilk. Smooth for no reason. He scores like cats walk. Like Les Twins dance. Like Penelope Cruz says “Nespresso.”

Gilgeous-Alexander already is on pace for a third season averaging 30 points per game or more. If he does, he’d be one of 16 players in NBA history to average 30 or more three times. (Giannis also is on pace for his third such season.) Only 23 players have multiple seasons averaging 30-plus.

Even SGA’s free-throw grifting is slick. He’s fourth in attempts this season, behind Giannis, Anthony Davis and James Harden.

SGA often looks unstoppable. Yet, his career-high is only 45. This is his seventh season, and he’s scored 40 or more only 14 times.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on pace for a third season averaging at least 30 points per game. (Troy Taormina / Imagn Images)

His modus operandi isn’t especially explosive. He doesn’t often get hot and go wild. He’s not one for superb peaks and periodic valleys.

Gilgeous-Alexander is just at the same level. Perennially. Humbly, even. Cooking defenses like it’s a 9-to-5. Over the last two-plus seasons, totaling 164 games, he has just 10 games where he’s failed to score 20.

Not too high. Not too low. Just in the same groove. Unimpeded by smaller defenders or bigger ones, quicker ones or stronger ones. At 6-foot-6, he has just enough athleticism and strength and leaping ability to counter just about any defense.

If SGA continues at this current pace, he will be the 10th player to average 30 in three straight seasons. The other nine: Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Adrian Dantley, Bob McAdoo, James Harden and Joel Embiid. Yes, Gilgeous-Alexander is already among the upper echelon of bucket-getters.

Durant has only averaged 30 twice. Same for Stephen Curry, Rick Barry and George Gervin, among others.

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What’s even rarer about SGA is his road to success. He’s become this unstoppable scorer despite not entering the NBA as such. He averaged 14.4 points his one season at Kentucky and was drafted two picks after college teammate Kevin Knox.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 10.8 points as a rookie despite 73 starts. That puts him in another rare group along with Giannis, Kobe Bryant and Harden. They are the four players in NBA history who have averaged 30 points in a season after averaging fewer than 11 points as a rookie.

Most of the NBA’s great single-season scorers came into the league getting buckets. Of the 37 players all-time who have averaged 30 points in a season, 16 of them averaged at least 20 points as rookies. Another nine averaged at least 15.

Most of the bunch were scorers from the beginning of their careers, better than two-thirds. They announced themselves early. You knew what they were in the league to do.

SGA kinda sneaked up on us. Slithered into rarified air. Most had never heard of him until he was the key piece in a massive deal for Paul George. Now at 26, he’s already a more accomplished offensive weapon than PG.

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And SGA’s 3-ball isn’t refined yet. He shot 40.4 percent in college but is hitting just 34.8 percent over his pro career. He’s got the form and the touch. It figures to get to where he’s knocking down the 3 at a higher clip.

Could he be the next 30,000-point scorer? He’ll pass 10,000 this season. He could be at 20,000 by year No. 12. The pace tracks.

Sure, Gilgeous-Alexander defends and passes, and he is growing as a leader. But, man, just watch him work on offense. With the ball in his hands, anywhere near the free-throw line and the defender at his mercy, peep the rhythm of his flow. The simplicity of his jumper. The reliability of its conversion. The matter-of-factness in his demeanor. The fashion in which he dominates.

The fur coat and do-rag are but accessories.

(Top photo: Joshua Gateley / Getty Images)

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Travis Kelce bristles at watching Taylor Swift Christmas movie favorite: 'Don’t f—ing torture me'

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Travis Kelce bristles at watching Taylor Swift Christmas movie favorite: 'Don’t f—ing torture me'

Travis Kelce may be dating the most famous woman in the world in Taylor Swift, but it does not appear their relationship of more than a year has changed him too much.

Kylie Kelce, Jason Kelce’s wife, called into the “New Heights” hotline during their latest episode on Wednesday. She wanted to nominate a movie for the next movie review and proposed the idea of Travis and Jason watching the movie “Love Actually” this Christmas season – a notable Taylor Swift favorite.

Recording artist Taylor Swift, right, and Donna Kelce arrive prior to a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Nov. 29, 2024. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)

“‘Love Actually’ is a tremendous movie that you can really sit down with your significant others and enjoy because it’s not like one of your significant others hasn’t asked you to watch it multiple times and you said no every time,” she said, apparently referring to her husband. “So, this would be a great excuse to get you to watch it. OK, I hope you take this into consideration.”

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Travis appeared to be looking up the movie while Kylie’s voice played.

“I think we both can probably agree we’re not doing ‘Love Actually,’” Jason said. 

“Yeah, probably not,” Travis agreed. “I’ll do, like, a really good Christmas movie though.”

When Kylie said she would come on if they reviewed “Love Actually,” Travis did not think it would change anything about how they felt. Jason suggested he go on Kylie’s new podcast “Not Gonna Lie” and do the review.

Travis Kelce kisses Taylor Swift after winning the Super Bowl as confetti falls to the ground

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce celebrate his Super Bowl win on the field together. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

TAYLOR SWIFT’S BOYFRIEND TRAVIS KELCE PRESSURED TO PROPOSE AFTER JOSH ALLEN GETS ENGAGED TO HAILEE STEINFELD

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“Yeah, don’t f—ing torture me. Torture your husband,” Travis said. “I’m an innocent bystander here, Ky. Don’t f—ing come for me.”

Travis said coming to know Hugh Grant, one of the stars of the film, has made some of his movies more enjoyable. Travis also made sure to say he didn’t say he “wouldn’t enjoy ‘Love Actually’” he just didn’t want to review it.

Swift is a fan of the Grant, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley Christmas classic. She told Teen Vogue, “Did you ever watch the movie ‘Love Actually’ where Hugh Grant’s voiceover says, ‘If you look around, love actually is all around?’ That’s my favorite motto.”

Kylie echoed Swift about 10 years later.

Jason and Travis then agreed they would review “Love Actually” after some pressure from their producer as well as a movie the fans of the show picked out.

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Love Actually UK film premiere

Actors Hugh Grant and Kiera Knightley attend the U.K. charity film premiere of “Love Actually” at The Odeon Leicester Square on Nov. 16, 2003 in London. (Getty)

Jason did make clear that he did not want anyone to submit “Die Hard” as a Christmas movie to review. He declared the Bruce Willis action thriller was “not a Christmas movie.”

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Lawmakers, labor group push to protect NIL payouts from NCAA settlement deal

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Lawmakers, labor group push to protect NIL payouts from NCAA settlement deal

Two California lawmakers are pushing back against the idea that the proposed House settlement with the NCAA could restrict athletes from within the state receiving the unfettered access to name, image and likeness compensation to which they are entitled by law.

State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) were among a group of lawmakers who issued a statement Thursday saying state law should supersede any edict in a proposed settlement that would prohibit universities from complying with NCAA and conference NIL rules.

“Terms in the preliminary settlement in House vs. NCAA attempt to allow the NCAA and conferences to restrict our college athletes’ freedom to earn NIL compensation from boosters and NIL collectives, for example,” Skinner and Bradford said in a joint statement with Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt and Oregon state Sen. James Manning Jr. “However, this and other restrictions are illegal in our respective state.”

As part of the proposed House settlement, athletes would no longer receive compensation from NIL collectives, cutting off a massive stream of revenue. According to Opendorse, NIL compensation from collectives was expected to represent 82% of the estimated $1.6 billion in NIL compensation paid to athletes in 2024.

Lawmakers pointed out in their statement that California law forbids universities from prohibiting NIL compensation paid by athletic boosters and NIL collectives to athletes; from complying with or enforcing any conference or NCAA rules that restrict or prohibit NIL compensation paid by athletic boosters and NIL collectives to athletes; and from prohibiting conferences and the NCAA from restricting athletes’ NIL freedoms and compensation.

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The lawmakers added that their respective states were not a party to the lawsuit and any settlement would not impact their states’ ability to enforce individual NIL laws. California is one of 17 states that prohibits restrictions on athletes’ NIL compensation and one of at least four states that allows universities to pay NIL compensation directly to athletes.

Ramogi Huma, a former UCLA linebacker and the executive director of the National College Players Assn., said he did not expect any universities to comply with House settlement restrictions on NIL because doing so would put them at a competitive disadvantage.

Even if the House settlement is denied, Huma said, college athletes in California should expect to receive direct pay from their schools because of state law. Huma said the NCPA was in the process of helping lawmakers in other states prepare similar legislation that would allow their universities to participate in NIL-based revenue sharing.

Since UCLA and USC will soon have a deluge of revenue from the Big Ten and College Football Playoff at their disposal to pay NIL compensation to their athletes, Huma said, other states are likely to adopt similar NIL laws to allow similar distributions.

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