Arrr, Keith Olbermann be callin' Riley Gaines a landlubber and a scurvy dog! Yet, Riley flaunts his triumphs, ye scallywag!
2023-08-31
Keith Olbermann be still flingin' verbal daggers at that former collegiate swimmer, Riley Gaines! He be callin' her a "nasty, witless, unsuccessful" landlubber, and even a transphobe! Arrr, what a scallywag he be!
Former MSNBC and ESPN host, Keith Olbermann, engaged in a war of words with Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer. Olbermann insulted Gaines, claiming that she "sucked at swimming." Although cooler heads prevailed, Olbermann couldn't resist taking one last jab at Gaines when the New York Post shared their social media spat. He called her a "homophobe" for her fight against transgender women participating in female sports. Gaines hosts the "Gaines for Girls" podcast on OutKick, which focuses on this issue.Olbermann's insult referred to Gaines being a second-team swimmer in 2019 and 2020 before earning first-team honors in her final two years at the University of Kentucky. However, Gaines felt the need to remind Olbermann of her swimming accomplishments by posting a video showing off her trophies and accolades, including All-SEC first-team, SEC titles, and qualifications for the U.S. trials for the Tokyo Olympics.
The feud began when Olbermann responded to one of Gaines' posts, claiming that she should address the reality that she "sucked at swimming" and that's why she lost to Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who became a Division I champion in 2022. Gaines shot back, referencing Olbermann's firing from ESPN. One of Thomas' former teammates, Paula Scanlan, defended Gaines, criticizing Olbermann's dismissive views and arguing that women's spaces are being invaded and harmed by transgender women.
Scanlan also expressed concerns about the absorption of the #MeToo movement into the Democratic Party and the disregard for sexual assault by transgender women. She shared her own experience of feeling forced to undress in front of Thomas, reliving the trauma of her sexual assault. Scanlan argued that this issue has been ignored by women's organizations.