Fox News host Jesse Watters has claimed he’s “done more” for women’s sports than Megan Rapinoe, a two-time World Cup winner.
During Tuesday’s episode of Fox News’ The Five, the controversial host discussed pro soccer player Megan Rapinoe’s recent comments about trans women participating in sports. In a new interview with Time, the soccer icon – who has announced she is retiring at the end of the season – said she would “absolutely” welcome a trans woman onto the US Women’s National Team.
“So, is Rapinoe okay with having an all-male US women’s soccer team?” Watters told his Fox News co-hosts. As the conservative pundit falsely claimed that “it’s only men trying to compete against women in sports,” he then declared that he’s been told he’s “done more for women’s sports” than the Olympic gold medalist.
“Some people have told me that I have actually done more for women’s sports than Megan Rapinoe has done, that maybe she’s a traitor in the war on women,” Watters said. “And I have fought valiantly in that war, obviously on the women’s side.”
“That’s not me saying that, and I actually disagree with that. I’m just saying it’s something that’s being said,” he added, seemingly in jest.
While Watters’ comments appeared to have been tongue-in-cheek, they didn’t go over well on social media, where people wondered what exactly the broadcaster has accomplished in women’s athletics.
“File this under, Things That Never Happened,” replied one user on Twitter.
“Narrator: ‘In fact no one has told him that…ever,’” another person joked.
“Rapinoe did more for women’s sports in a week than he’s ever done,” a third user said.
The Fox News host later admitted that he has “respect” for what Megan Rapinoe “has done on the field,” but claimed that her stance on trans inclusion in sports was “destructive” and “destroying women’s sports”.
Rapinoe, 38, has catapulted the US National Women’s Soccer Team to international stardom throughout her decades-long career. In addition to winning two World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, she also won a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden in July 2022.
In a recent interview with Time magazine, the soccer star voiced her opposition towards legislation that bans transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams – such as the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which passed in the US House of Representatives last April.
“We as a country are trying to legislate away people’s full humanity. It’s particularly frustrating when women’s sports is weaponised,” Rapinoe said. “Oh, now we care about fairness? Now we care about women’s sports? That’s total bulls***. And show me all the trans people who are nefariously taking advantage of being trans in sports. It’s just not happening.”
Rapinoe also called out tennis star Martina Navratilova, ESPN anchor Sage Steele, and comedian Dave Chapelle for questioning transgender participation in women’s sports. “I don’t want to mince words about it,” she continued. “Dave Chappelle making jokes about trans people directly leads to violence, whether it’s verbal or otherwise, against trans people. When Martina or Sage or whoever are talking about this, people aren’t hearing it just in the context of elite sports. They’re saying: ‘The rest of my life, this is how I’m going to treat trans people.’”
Rapinoe went on to say that the claim that a trans athlete would be taking the place of a “real woman” was “extremely transphobic”.
“‘You’re taking a “real” woman’s place,’ that’s the part of the argument that’s still extremely transphobic,” she added. “I see trans women as real women. What you’re saying automatically in the argument – you’re sort of telling on yourself already – is you don’t believe these people are women. Therefore, they’re taking the other spot. I don’t feel that way.”
On 8 July, Megan Rapinoe announced she was retiring from professional soccer at the end of the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League season.
The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment.
