The Reds’ squad may need a summer overhaul with the potential exits of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk
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USA Fencing has come under fire after a viral video of women's fencer Stephanie Turner kneeling in protest of a transgender opponent.
Prominent figures, including J. K. Rowling and Martina Navratilova, have weighed in on social media, alongside thousands of women's sports rights activists.
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USA Fencing addressed the controversy with a public statement on Thursday, defending its trans-inclusion policies.
"USA Fencing remains committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful community for everyone in our sport. We believe in the principle of creating a safe communities where all athletes, and community members, have a place," the statement read.
"While we understand there are a range of perspectives, USA Fencing will continue to engage in respectful, research-based dialogue and review as policy evolves in the Olympic and Paralympic movement as well as domestic law, hate speech of any kind is not acceptable—online or in person. Let's keep the conversation respectful and the strip welcoming to all."
The organization first enacted its current trans-inclusion policy in 2023. It allows transgender athletes to compete in the women's category at both the junior and senior level after completing one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment. Proof of compliant hormone therapy must be provided prior to competition, but the organization has taken even further steps to prioritize its trans competitors.
In November 2022, it announced a policy to give preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to states without laws that "harm members of LGBTQ communities" and states that do not "have laws undermining the reproductive health of women." That policy went into effect in the 2023 season, the same year it changed its gender policy.
"We’ve heard from a number of members, including members of the Board and members of our elite athlete community, asking whether continuing to place events in areas with either anti-LGBTQ laws or anti-abortion laws aligns with our core values as an organization," said USA Fencing CEO Phill Andrews in the policy page. "After a robust discussion with our Board and our staff team, USA Fencing has moved to give preference to those states without these laws."
In November 2023, the organization released a list of states that it intended to "avoid where possible" and the states that it flat out would not allow hosting major events. The states on the "do not allow" list were Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.
The states on its "avoid where possible" list include Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
This combination of polices preceded an influx of biological male fencers competing in women's and girls' USA Fencing-sanctioned events over the last two years. Some of those competitors previously competed in the men's category. By September 2023, four biological male fencers, who previously competed in the men's category, achieved USA Fencing podium finishes in the women's category.
Turner told Fox News Digital the quantity of trans competitors is even higher than that.
"In fencing, personally, I see it quite often," Turner said. "I have witnessed transgender fencers in women's tournaments and girls tournaments in different age categories, specifically Y-14 (the youngest age group)."
The trans athlete Turner refused to compete against last weekend, Redmond Sullivan, competed in men's events up until June 2023, according to Sullivan's profile page on Fencing Tracker. The page shows no competitions for Sullivan from June 2023 until a return on Sept. 28, 2024 – the athlete's first competition in the women's category at an event in Newtown, Connecticut. Sullivan then went on to win two gold medals, one at the Connecticut Division Junior Olympic Qualifiers on Dec. 8 and one at the Connecticut Division Summer National Qualifiers on March 16.
This past December, a nonprofit fencing organization, the Fair Fencing Organization, penned an open letter to USA Fencing Board Members urging the re-evaluation of its stance on several issues, including transgender inclusion.
"Politics aside, it is a reasonable request to form a task force to do a deeper dive on this issue in fencing and create a safe space where the voices of all women are heard without ridicule and abuse," the letter said.
Just days later, however, board members voted against several motions to approve an all-female task force to re-evaluate and revise the current transgender policy, in an 8-3 vote. Now, after siding against women fencers seeking protection from trans inclusion, USA Fencing finds itself plunged into a global controversy after Turner's viral protest.
USA Fencing provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the incident.
"USA Fencing enacted our current transgender and nonbinary athlete policy in 2023. The policy was designed to expand access to the sport of fencing and create inclusive, safe spaces. The policy is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based upon the research available of the day," the statement said.
"We respect the viewpoints on all sides and encourage our members to continue sharing them with us as the matter evolves. It's important for the fencing community to engage in this dialogue, but we expect this conversation to be conducted respectfully, whether at our tournaments or in online spaces. The way to progress is by respectful discussion based in evidence."
A USA Fencing spokesperson also told Fox News Digital Turner was not penalized for her stance against trans inclusion, but simply for refusing to fence.
"In the case of Stephanie Turner, her disqualification was not related to any personal statement but was merely the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE rules clearly prohibit," the spokesperson said.
"According to the FIE (International Fencing Federation) Technical Rules, specifically Article t.113, a fencer is not permitted to refuse to fence another properly entered fencer for any reason. Under these rules, such a refusal results in disqualification and the corresponding sanctions. This policy exists to maintain fair competition standards and preserve the sport’s integrity."
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Anthony Greene has been almost everywhere as a professional wrestler.
He competed at WWE for its NXT and 205 Live brands. He was with All Elite Wrestling, performing mostly on "AEW Dark." He’s worked at New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah.
But when he makes his Major League Wrestling (MLW) debut on Saturday at Battle Riot VII, it will be a dream come true.
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"I’m a huge wrestling nerd, always been," Greene explained to Fox News Digital. "And I remember buying on HighSpots.com the original MLW DVDs. I watched [Satoshi] Kojima win the title in the tournaments back in like 2002, Reloaded, WarGames, seeing Steve Corino with the Extreme Horsemen, and it’s always been a place that I’ve followed. It’s always been a place that I’ve followed.
"And when it came back in 2017, I was wrestling for five years at that point. I decided that was a place I wanted to wrestle, and it’s just never worked out. Either I wasn’t where I needed to be to get to that level of where MLW was, or when I was there, the schedule just never matched. And the perfect moment for me, Battle Riot – where the MLW World Championship is on the line – is when I finally get to make my debut. So, yeah, you can say I’m very excited."
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MLW champion Matt Riddle will have to defend his title in the 40-man rumble match. It’s no easy task. Even for someone like Greene, who has been in a few rumble-style matches over the course of his career, is thinking realistically.
"One thing I am confident in is by the end of the night, MLW and the fans are going to know who Anthony Greene is and I will be back. That’s one thing I can promise," he said. "And best-case scenario, I walk out with the MLW World Heavyweight Championship."
Battle Riot VII takes place at Thunder Studios Arena in Long Beach, California. The sold-out show begins at 10 p.m. ET.
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Former NFL player Clint Bruce, who decided to serve the U.S. by becoming a Navy SEAL after his football career, travels around the country sharing word of wisdom about leadership with athletes.
Bruce graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned Aloha Bowl MVP honors in 1996. He was inducted into the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium Hall of Fame in 2009.
Bruce went on to have stints in the league with the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints. He is currently a successful motivational speaker. In an exclusive sit-down with Fox News Digital, Bruce shared what motivates him to help today's athletes in any way he can.
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"I'm always going to go visit with athletes, because athletes … I think always have an extraordinary amount of pressure on them, always trying to prove someone right, prove somebody wrong," Bruce told Fox News Digital.
"And I just remember what it was like to be an athlete. I remember how meaningful it was for me when I had an opportunity to learn from people who have been from where I said I wanted to go."
Ohio State coach Ryan Day entered this past season under considerable pressure. The criticism of the coach ramped up after the Buckeyes once again failed to defeat their top rival, the Michigan Wolverines, in late November. Day ultimately sent a strong message to the doubters as he guided Ohio State to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Bruce said he "could tell" how good the 2024 Buckeyes were going to be early on.
"That team … I think I can tell how good someone's going to be based on who asked the questions and what the questions are. And one of the things I always say is, if your best and your youngest are curious, [then] you're going to win, it's just a question of when," Bruce said.
"Curiosity is a catalyst. … So what was interesting about this team is who was curious and how curious they were. Their best players were asking the hardest questions, and they weren't [just] football questions."
Bruce said having the courage to ask questions was something he learned during his military service days.
"In the special operations community, when your senior enlisted [members] are curious [and they] start asking questions, everybody who is afraid to ask a question now has permission to ask it. On the battlefield, you don't want to learn out there … you want to learn before we go out there."
Bruce said he has been repeatedly asked by the players and coaches to return and speak to the team. Next week, he will deliver the keynote speech at the 2025 Ohio State coaches clinic, Day announced on Wednesday.
The clinic will also feature a wide receiver roundtable with Joey Galloway, Brian Hartline, Santonio Holmes and Carnell Tate. The event is scheduled for April 10-12.
During an appearance on the "The Triple Option" podcast last month, Day credited the Navy SEALs for providing the Buckeyes with some added motivation during their run to the national title.
"He's been really good for me in the process of understanding what it means to be a leader," Day said in reference to the mutual respect he shares with Bruce.
"The soldiers are doing all the fighting. It's your job as a head coach, leader and captain to look along the horizon and figure out what's coming next. There are so many parallels between the military and coaching. He and I would share a lot of conversations."
Day credited Bruce for delivering an "unbelievable talk" to the Buckeyes before their playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns in January.
"We played down in Dallas, and just by chance, the fort he is stationed at was like five minutes from our hotel," Day said. "He just came over and gave our team an unbelievable talk. He talked about how when the SEALs go to a hot spot in Afghanistan or different places, they set up shop, take a few days to get regulated with the area, then they create a storm, wreck and then leave. That was what we were doing. It was really cool. I'm just trying to find as many people who are in the top 1% of the top 1% as possible and put them in my life as possible."
Last month, Day was rewarded with a contract extension that will tie him to the football program through the 2031 season. Day also became the second-highest-paid coach in college football, trailing only Georgia's Kirby Smart.
Since leaving the Navy, Bruce remains active with his company, HoldFast. The organization focuses on leadership and showcases transitioning veterans as speakers and professional executive coaches.
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Throughout sports, athletes have not shied away from publicly displaying their faith.
Los Angeles Angels reliever Ben Joyce is among those athletes sharing their Christian beliefs, and he shared with OutKick’s Trey Wallace how he loves seeing others displaying their faith throughout sports.
"Yeah, 100%. I think it’s been awesome," Joyce said.
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In the NFL, Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker are among many in the sport who have outwardly praised God. In the NBA, Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac and Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. have all actively discussed their faith.
For Joyce and his Angels teammates, he said a healthy amount of praise comes between workouts, bullpen sessions and more that keeps him grounded.
"The guys I’ve shared a clubhouse with, they all feel the same way, and we’ve done things from Bible studies, to having chapel every Sunday," Joyce explained.
"I feel like that just makes the life that we live that much easier because I don’t think I can go through this life without having that foundation. You can get caught up in all the things in professional baseball, and it really just brings you back down to Earth and grounds me."
The 24-year-old flamethrower is enjoying a good start to the 2025 season, his third with the Angels, as he has 2.2 innings pitched over three games where he has not allowed an earned run.
As Joyce continues to make his mark on MLB, he continues to use his platform to share his beliefs while encouraging others to do the same.
"It’s awesome that people are being more open about it, and at the end of the day, God is great and everything that I do is to glorify Him. If I can have any type of platform to spread that, then that’s what I want to do."
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De Bruyne leaves City as one of the greatest players ever to grace the Premier League
© PA Wire
© PA Wire
