Just two weeks ago, the Olympic gymnastics legend and the former NCAA swimmer got into a fiery exchange after Gaines criticized the Minnesota State High School League for Champlin Park High School’s championship win, which included a transgender athlete. Gaines had captioned it with, “Comments off lol…” Biles fired back, calling Riley Gaines “truly sick” and a “sore loser,” and later took another jab, telling her to “bully someone your own size.” And this was just the beginning!

The exchange quickly escalated, sparking a flood of reactions and dividing the sports community, with many choosing sides. But on June 9, Biles issued a public apology, writing, “I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles…it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.” However, Riley was reluctant to accept the apology, questioning Biles’s stance on ‘competitive equity and inclusivity.’ Meanwhile, other voices in the debate have largely remained in the background.

Amid the ongoing war of words, Simone Biles’ former teammate MyKayla Skinner publicly backed Riley Gaines. On June 16, 2025, The Will Cain Show’s official Instagram shared a reel featuring Skinner, where she voiced her support in the controversy. “Stand by Riley and for the amazing way that she is helping athletes to fight for women,” she said. “And now that I have a daughter, it really helps me to want to stand by Riley’s side because I want the future of women’s gymnastics and women’s sports in general to have fairness…” Skinner also echoed this support during an appearance on the One America Show. Just a week earlier, a UFC legend had also publicly taken Riley’s side.

On June 8, UFC legend Chael Sonnen reposted Riley Gaines’s tweet on X with the caption, “Riley is on FIRE.” In her original post, Gaines took aim at Simone Biles, referring to one of her 2017 posts, and said, “…don’t you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?” In the face of sharp criticism, Biles also received firm support.

On June 7, University of Illinois standout gymnast Sam Philips took to X with a passionate defense of Biles. He declared, “This whole fight between Riley and Simone is NULL & VOID because the basis of the right’s attack is that she would lose medals in the men’s gym category when in reality, she would actually STEAL GOLDS from LOTS of the best Male floor and vault workers. So their base is FLAWED…” Philips didn’t hold back, directly challenging Riley’s narrative and calling out what he saw as the flaws in her argument. He further called Riley an ” unreliable, misinformed, hateful person.” And the support did not end here…

Simone Biles’s husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, backed her. On June 10, he reshared her apology note on his Instagram story, simply adding three white heart emojis—a small but meaningful gesture of solidarity. But the conversation didn’t stop with athletes. The debate ignited a fire across the broader sports world, drawing in analysts, commentators, and fans alike. 

The sports analysts jumped into the Simone Biles-Riley Gaines controversy 

The Simone Biles vs. Riley Gaines debate didn’t just stir athletes—it sent ripples through the sports analyst world, drawing opinions from all sides. Among those who threw their weight behind Biles was Katherine Keirns, a gym podcaster, who tweeted on June 8, “Gymnastics is a sport where men and women do different events and there is absolutely no actual concern about men competing the women’s events dominating.” Her take resonated with many defending Biles, framing the controversy as misdirected outrage.

But Riley Gaines wasn’t without her own supporters. Former ESPN SportsCenter co-host Sage Steele stepped in with a fiery defense. In a pointed tweet, Steele wrote, “Easy to say this @Simone_Biles when you only had to compete against fellow women. Every one of your Olympic medals came competing against fellow women…. Shocked and disappointed that you’d attack another woman who has done nothing but uplift other women.” With respected voices like Keirns and Steele entering the discussion, the debate quickly evolved beyond two athletes, becoming a nationwide conversation about fairness, inclusion, and the future of women’s sports.

Where do you stand on the Simone Biles vs. Riley Gaines clash? Let us know in the comments down below!