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Riley Gaines Puts the Final Nail on Lia Thomas Controversy as Joe Rogan Destroys Keith Olbermann’s Ridiculous Take on Swimmer

Published 01/04/2024, 4:06 AM EST

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The inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports has sparked controversy for several reasons, with ongoing cases fueling the debate. Recently, Joe Rogan took a stance against Keith Olbermann’s cont͏roversial comments on former college swimmer Riley Gaines. Rogan strongly criticized Olbermann’s remarks.

Keith Olbermann took to his social media to criticize Gaines, labeling her as an unsuccessful individual. His exact words were “second-team all-conference. Happily for nasty, stupid, unsuccessful transphobe @Riley_Gaines_ she has no reputation to ruin” Gaines had to deliver a robust response to Olbermann, showcasing her accomplishments effectively.

Riley Gaines responds to Joe Rogan’s comments on Olbermann

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Riley Gaines gained notoriety for expressing criticism of an NCAA decision. The decision permitted Lia Thomas, a transgender individual, to compete against Gaines in a women’s championship race. Gaines competed against Thomas at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in March 2022 and they tied. This resulted in Gaines putting the NCAA under flak and initiating their bad blood.

During a conversation with fellow comedian Tony Hinchcliffe on “JRE” #2081, Rogan brought up a post from August by Olbermann that caught his attention. In the post, Olbermann criticized Gaines, suggesting that she wasn’t proficient in swimming.” Keith Olbermann said some ridiculous sh*t about she doesn’t have any athletic accomplishments,” said Rogan.

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He further added, “So she makes a video in response showing all the awards that she’s won. She’s like a serious f*cking accomplished athlete. She’s an amazing athlete. But for this insane f*ck to say this…you got to see the video because it’s pretty amazing.”

Gaines took to her X (Formerly Twitter) to respond to Rogan “Olbermann needs to be institutionalized asap & btw @joerogan, I didn’t get beat by the 6’4″ man posing as a woman. We tied. Which is even more embarrassing for him.” The debate about letting transgender athletes compete in the women’s division is still going on and this is not the first time that Rogan has commented against Thomas.

The time when Rogan commented against Lia Thomas

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The controversy surrounding Lia Thomas has ignited intense discussions in recent times. She achieved a significant milestone ͏by becoming the first transgender athlete to secure a Division One͏ NCAA championship. Various individuals have criticized the organization for letting that happen and Rogan was one such individual.

“What it is now is not good. What it is now is an assault on women’s sports, and the idea that anybody would think it’s fair that someone who was number 462 as a man, 462 in the nation is number one as a woman a year later, and that’s fair,” said Rogan in one of his ‘JRE’ episodes.

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Rogan further emphasized that this move is a serious violation of women in sports. The podcaster has been very vocal about his stance in the debate. Regardless, what’s your opinion on this matter? Tell us in the comment below.

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Written by:

Suryakant Das

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I'm Suryakant Das, an avid sports enthusiast from a family that cherishes the world of sports. I still vividly recall the day my father took me to watch Indian wrestling, sparking my fascination with the discipline and the aura of those warriors. Over time, my love for combat sports grew, and now, I'm a UFC writer at EssentiallySports.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das