We have followed (here and here) the story of the Champlin Park, Minnesota girls’ softball team, which was powering its way to the state title game behind the heroics of a six-foot tall pitcher who, until age nine, was named Charles.
Charles became a girl, Marissa, and Champlin Park became state champion last night, behind yet another shutout performance by its star fastballer, Marissa Rothenberger. The linked Star Tribune story says nothing about the controversy over Rothenberger’s participation in girls’ sports:
While the Rebels were building their lead, junior pitcher Marissa Rothenberger was shutting down the Jefferson hitters. She threw all seven innings, surrendered three hits, struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. Rothenberger was the winner in all three Rebels games at state.
While the local press continued its practice of covering up, not covering, the news, national and international commentators took note. Riley Gaines, today’s foremost advocate for women’s sports, tweeted:
Comments off lol
To be expected when your star player is a boy https://t.co/2qY2onUhNW
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 6, 2025
This brought an over-the-top rejoinder from gymnast Simone Biles:
@Riley_Gaines_ You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender… https://t.co/pjpzuZ0AlO
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025
It is perhaps worth noting that various organizations have tried to solve the problem by adding a “transgender” category of competition, but it hasn’t worked because no one joined it.
Biles went on to insult Gaines’s appearance, which seems like a mistake:
My height has been settled@Wikipedia please advise https://t.co/Ptn35pyEvh pic.twitter.com/hUfzv10DKS
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 7, 2025
I can attest to that. When I met Riley, I was surprised that she wasn’t bigger. I assumed that height would be an advantage in making turns in the pool, and she likely would be 5’9″ or 5’10”. But no.
Why liberals, and athletes like Biles, persist in going down with the “trans” ship is something of a mystery. Even in Minnesota, where fads tend to last longer than most places, voters are 55% to 40% in favor of banning biological men (redundant, I know) from women’s sports. And in most places the discrepancy is considerably greater. It is similar to the question why Democratic Party politicians and judges are determined advocates for Central American gang members, human traffickers and pedophiles. I can’t explain it, I just hope they keep it up.
