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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
What's up, everybody. Welcome to the latest edition of The
Steph Nate Smith Show, coming at you at the very
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(00:56):
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have you. It's named after my book, just so you know.
Obviously it's my production company. So I really appreciate the
love and support y'all. Thank you so much. Let's get
(01:17):
started with the latest in Los Angeles, California, where tensions
are escalating to a fourth day after protest against immigration
and Customs enforcement better known as ICE. Demonstrators and police
faced off and scattered protests in downtown LA has. More
than one hundred people were arrested just last night. According
to Mayor Karen Bass, damage to the area appears to
(01:38):
be limited to a portion of downtown, while most of
the city has not been affected by the protest at all. Meanwhile,
President Trump has now deployed four thousand National guardsmen and
now marines to Los Angeles as well. All this while
Governor Gavin Newsom is suing the administration saying they unlawfully
trampled over California's sovereignty when they federalized the state National Guard. Meanwhile,
(02:03):
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went to Capitol Hill today to
address the overall cost of sending troops to southern California. However,
Hegseth repeatedly did not answer questions about the court or
what resources were being taken away in other areas to
send troops to LA. First things first, that's both. You
get some in the Capitol Hill. You're the Defense Secretary
(02:25):
of the United States of America. You're in front of
representatives who control our budget, the legislating body that controls
our budget. They ask you a damn question about what
it costs. You're supposed to have the answers, supposed to
have the answers. You're supposed to be willing to answer
those damned questions. That's BS. Let's get that out the way. Secondly,
I'm gonna have my man, Kevin Fraser on in just
(02:47):
a few minutes, who is a Los Angeles resident. He's
a host for entertainment tonight, and obviously he's been on
the ground on the scene throughout this ordeal because it's
right in his area. He lives there, so he would know.
Soh what's truth and what's falsehood as it pertains to
several things. Number one, was it really really necessary to
send two thousand National guardsmen initially. Was it really really
(03:09):
necessary to send an additional two thousand Was it really
necessary to send seven hundred marines? Is this all pomp
and circumstance or are things really really that bad that
we have to prioritize making sure federal properties, federal buildings, etc.
Are protected? And Donald Trump is doing the right thing
by taking this kind of stands. We have to look
(03:29):
at Democrats when it comes to the leadership, that of
Governor Gavin Newsom or Mayor Karen Bass. Less about Bass,
more about Newsom. Let's get the Bass first. It's Los Angeles.
You know, we've seen riots there before. We understand how
things can go down, and so engaging in preventative measures.
I don't know how awful that is for the Trump
administration to do. If they are honest and open about
(03:52):
that's why they're doing it, as opposed to giving a
picture that something is more egregious than it really really is.
It seems a bit of sensationalism and embellishment is entering
the equation, at least in some people's eyes. She's saying
that the LAPD did not need the help of the
federal government and did not need to help with the
President and did not need National guardsmen and Marines there.
(04:13):
All you're doing is exacerbating a situation. My response to
that would be fair enough, that's a reasonable conclusion. But
having Marines and a National Guard there shouldn't incite people
to engage in lawlessness. Even more so, it should be
a deterrent. And if it's not a deterrent, while the
(04:33):
Marines and the National guards are there, why are we
to believe that them not being there would be a deterrent.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
That doesn't make sense to me, mayor Baths. It just doesn't.
So I don't want to hear that it's exacerbating the situation.
Lawlessness is lawlessness.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
And if you have law enforcement officials, national guardsmen, US Marines,
federal participation in the mix, and they believe that this
is what they need to do, breaking the law doesn't
cut it. That doesn't mean everybody. That doesn't even mean
most people are not being peaceful peaceful protesters. But for
(05:11):
those who are not, who are throwing bricks and stuff
at the cops, nor arrest there as arrest them, You've
got no business doing something like that, not to National guardsmen,
not to US Marines, not to LAPD, not to any
law enforcement official, you engage your father. Protesting is one thing.
Peaceful protesting is one thing. Engaging in mayhem, contributing to mayhem,
(05:36):
Instigating Mayhem is another matter entirely.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
So I wanted to say that.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Let me get to Gavin Newsom, Sir.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
We kind of see what's going on.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You know that, right, you're challenging the borders, are Tom
Homan the arrest you. You're bringing up fourth grade children
being bothered and what have you. California is a sanctuary state,
(06:11):
which means there are laws in place for you to
defy the federal government, a president's order essentially federalizing the
state National Guard, which is what you're taking the Trump
administration to court over. Just like you have the right
to do that. Trump has the right, as President of
the United States to say I don't like what I'm
(06:32):
seeing and I feel this is necessary.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Do I believe that's as objective?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Of course, I don't.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
We heard the arguments over dollars being stripped from medicaid
and whether there was a debate going on as to
whether or not that was true or not. We saw
what was going on between Trump and Elon Musk over
the last week. We still see the war in Ukraine
with Russia going on, okay, tariffs, that situation hasn't been
(07:01):
totally resolved. So if you're Trump, with the midterms a
year away, and with you not necessarily being the most
popular individual in the polls, this being a subject that
you're tackling, which happens to be right in your wheelhouse,
where most Americans are siding with you in a Republican
party in this day and age. I mean, boo boo,
the fool can see why you would want to tackle
(07:23):
this issue.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It's a very winnable issue for the Trump administration.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Nobody's blind, except possibly Gavenouso. Because where it gets interesting
is that you being a governor of California, you knowing
about your budget deficits, You knowing about how homelessness in
the city, although it has decreased somewhat, is being depicted
(07:48):
over the national airways. You knowing that being a sanctuary state,
how many immigrants and undocumented immigrants have entered the state
of California and reside there even though they're taxpayers, even
though they're hard workers and what have you. And no,
most of them are not criminals. And the way they're
being depicted and talked about. Has been very, very egregious,
(08:11):
no doubt about it. But you exacerbating the situation, not
in terms of what you're saying, but how you're saying
it and how you're coming at the president. You're trying
to tell me that people are not looking at you
and they're not going to assume you're trying to politicize
all of this to your advantage, especially since you're due
(08:33):
to come out of office and you desperately want to
be a candidate for the election in twenty twenty eight.
All I'm saying about Gavin Newsom is that I don't
know how much this is going to work. Republican poster
with Airs in a Wall Street Journal says, as is
so often the case, Donald Trump's opponents are playing right
(08:58):
into his hands, exactly the kind of fight that Donald
Trump loves. With his opponents carrying Mexican flags past burning cars.
That's a Republican strategist, We know this. Democrats counted that
Trump's decision to initially send two thousand members of the
National Guard into the nation's second largest popular city over
(09:18):
the weekend only inflame the situation while raising legal issues
about states rights. The administration on Monday also deployed about
seven hundred marines to Los Angeles to protect federal property
and personnel and authorize an additional two thousand National Guard members.
What are they saying here, are Democratic strategist every day
that Donald Trump is talking about immigration and now talking
(09:41):
about kicking thirteen million people off insurance in Medicaid, he
knows he is winning. He wants to see people standing
on top of burning cars waiving the Mexican flag. That's
the exact imagery that can help him overperform in the
mid term elections. So, whether it's the democra A strategists
(10:01):
or it's a Republican strategist, they're essentially both saying the
same thing. This is a winning hand for Donald Trump.
So maybe, just maybe we need to be a bit
more judicious and more careful and our verbiage and our
temperament when we're attacking this issue. Because the next thing
(10:22):
is Republicans are gonna say is you know they're for lawlessness, right,
They're gonna show these images, They're gonna say they're for lawlessness.
Folks are gonna buy at hook line and Sinker and
their issues of safety is going to usurp any other
concerns they have.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
I'm talking about the voters, and before.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
You know it, them are gonna lose the midterms. They're
not gonna regate any seats in the House of the Senate,
and Trump will be able to operate with relative impunity.
To twenty twenty eight. I'm sitting here months after the election,
(11:03):
seeing what's transpiring in Los Angeles, still waiting for the Democrats,
in this case Gavin Newsom to show me a strategy
that's going to work. Still waiting, that's my opinion, But
obviously there are opinions that matter more than mine, And
in this case, it'll be my next guest, who happens
(11:25):
to be a Los Angelean. He lives there. He's been
right there in the streets, drove down to the riots,
the quote unquote riots last night. How do I notice
because I was on the phone with him right before
he decided to hop off the phone to get in
his car to go there. I'm talking about the host
for entertainment tonight, one of my best friends in the world.
(11:46):
I've known him many many years, and he's a contributor
to this show, the one and only Kevin Frazer for
entertainment tonight, he had to talk about what's going on?
Speaker 2 (11:54):
What's going on?
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Man? What is going on in Los Angeles, California. We
see CNN, we see msmb's, we see Fox News, we
hear political pundits on both sides of the op telling
us what's going on? What's really going on in Los Angeles?
Is it really as bad as it looks?
Speaker 3 (12:10):
That's been the disappointing thing watching national cable news and
watching the way they have inflated the situation at night.
Things are getting a little ugly with a few agitators
that are in a very small sliver of Los Angeles.
I have to understand, Los Angeles is a large, sprawling city.
Downtown is a small part of it, and in a
small part of downtown there are issues. And let me
(12:31):
put it to you this way. Last night I was
at the Peacock Theater for the BET Awards. Now you're
talking about big, major stars moving in and out and
around the city. There were no problems, there were no issues.
There was a convention going on in downtown Los Angeles,
and I was so disturbed by what I saw on
the national news that I drove up to where the
protests were going. I drove right up to the police
(12:54):
barricade and then I turned around.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
What I saw is a lot of youngsters walking around videoing.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
I saw people that had reraffeited all over the place.
The people who are doing the graffiti and causing any
damage at all need to go to jail, a sap
and they needed to put They need to be put
under the jail. But the narrative that is being sold,
the narrative that is being pushed out there that La
is in chaos, that the city is burning, that it
would have burned down if it wasn't for the President
(13:21):
sending in troops is a false narrative. And I'm telling
you that because I've seen it with my own eyes,
and so it's very bothersome that La.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Is functioning as normal.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
But I see the national news and on both sides,
I'm not saying that it's one and not the other.
On both sides are inflating this situation. And that has
been horrible.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
And that's the thing that's been driving me crazy about it,
because I saw Fox News, and you know, naturally, two
thousand National Truth National Guards have been sent by Trump.
Seven hundred United States Marines have been sent by Trump,
and so you think it has twenty seven hundred plus,
they're say an additional guard guardsmen are going to be
sent to protect federal property. You see that onslaught of
(14:07):
troops coming into a major city in the United States
of America, It would certainly give that impression. And Fox
News didn't hesitate to do that. But then I look
around and I see Aaron Burnett and others from CNN
in their own way doing somewhat the same thing. Why
are people doing that in your estimation, Kevin, if that's
not truly what's going on in the.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
City of Los Angeles, Hyeball Steven And if you're watching
our good friend Stephanie Elam this morning on CNN, she
has really done a great job of second setting the
record straight. She was down near the damage. She talked
about the incredible cleanup that has gone on in Los
Angeles today in the areas that were affected, how graffiti
(14:45):
is being wiped away. The biggest problem right now is graffiti,
and there are agitators out there. They can be arrested.
I will tell you last night, as I drove around
at ten thirty pm, there was a large police presence,
especially around the downtown police station. There was no one
interacting with those police. There's just a large police presence.
(15:08):
The police force in Los Angeles is one of the
nation's largest. They have this situation under control. We heard
the head of the LA Police Department say that he
wouldn't have sent in if it was up to him,
He wouldn't have sent in the National Guard because he
knows he has more than enough resources. So what is
happening is is that and you've seen this before, Say
(15:31):
somewhere floods and the people go to the flood. In
one neighbor, their house is underwater. A block over they're dry.
You stand by the house that is underwater. And so
a small sliver of Los Angeles, and I will say
this again, a very tiny sliver of Los Angeles a
three block radius.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
There were issues, but during.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
The daytime there was a peaceful protest in Grant Park
with many people there.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
But is it possible that it wasn't as big of
an issue as it's being made out to be because
of the presence of the National Guard and Marines and
as a result people Is that possible?
Speaker 3 (16:09):
No, no, no, Before they got there, Before they got there,
things are tampered off. You have to go back and
look at you know, when you see these shots of
chaos and a car burning or something like that, if
you notice they are interestingly framed shots. Here's all I'm saying.
Where cars set on fire, was concrete thrown at police
(16:32):
and other things.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Horrible. Arrest those people immediately.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
I posted earlier today from the celebrations after the Super
Bowl in Philadelphia where they took a furniture where they
took a laundry truck and they stopped it.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
They pulled all of the towels.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
And everything out, and they set it on fire in
the middle of the street in Philadelphia. It looked like chaos.
The same thing after Yukon won the men's National championship.
They were tearing down street lamps and other things. They
set furniture on fire on the campus. It looks like chaos.
What we need, and all I'm asking from journalists is
(17:07):
to give us a clear and honest picture of what's
going on. If I can walk around there, if I
can go and get a juice from the juice bar,
then everything's okay.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
It's we have to stop the graffiti.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
We have to stop the craziness and the agitators that
are going out at night, but the citizens of LA
are going about their business everywhere else, So that's all
they're inflaming the situations.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I'm gonna ask how Los Angeleans feel about their leadership,
from Governor Gavin Newsom down to Mayor Karen Bass, because
Karen Bass was on MSNBC. I saw her last night.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Saying it's overblown.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
We do not need all of this. But Gavin Newsom
basically threatened and borders Tom Holman to come and arrest
them going off about Trump the way that he has.
Some people believe is political grandstanding. Other people believe it's sincere.
I would say this keV. As overblown as it may be,
(18:09):
the reality is that it is not a look.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
It is not a good look.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
If you see folks in Los Angeles walking around with
flags that ain't American, whether it's Mexican or something else,
passing by burning cars, you know that's going to be
something that's utilized by the right. Because Trump has us
talking about this instead of other issues that we should
and could have been talking about, seems to be working.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
To his advantage.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Let me say this, Okay, first of all, there's a
lot of theatrics in grand standing going on, and can
the situation get under control, of course, but to villainize
people because they are carrying a flag of another nation,
let's think about that.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Now.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
We don't villainize the police in New York during the
Saint Patrick's Day Parade if someone is carrying an Irish flag.
We don't villainize the people at the Puerto Rico Day
Parade when it is one of New York's great moments.
And we can't villainize the people who carry around Mexican flags.
All that is is celebrating your heritage. And that's one
of the things that America is about, celebrating your heritage.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
So to say the.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Flags or a problem or other things like that, that's
crazy talk. Remember where Los Angeles is. Remember that the
state of California was once let's it go, And so
to villainize the people.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
Who celebrate their heritage is ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Now to be upset with the people who are causing
damage and destruction, one arrest them tonight, put them under
the jail. I have no problem with that. These are
the wrong people. These are agitators who are coming out
(19:49):
for different reasons. Besides what the people who are joining
the peaceful protests are out there for us. And so
let's not conflate or confuse the two things.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Got it the city of Los Angeles and your estimation
standing with Governor Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass or are
there an abundance of folks that are siding with Trump
and his position and that of his administration and with
their stances, how would you say things are looking in
that regard amongst Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
I'll say this. I'm not a polster, but i will
tell you this.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
The city of Los Angeles is based on working people.
This city works because there are working people of all nationalities,
and many of them Latino that.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
Help keep this city moving.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
When you make those people afraid to go there to
send their kids to school, afraid to go to work,
afraid to go and do the essential jobs that they have,
and that's a problem.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
Because you are crippling the city.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
We are seeing this with farmers all over the country
who are losing their workers, construction sites who are losing
their workers. And when people applaud that in American productivity plummets.
And that's a problem because you're working against our own
best entry. So look violent criminals, get him out of here.
People who are doing bad things, get him out of here.
But there are lots of people who are violent of
(21:08):
all race, creeds, and color, and so let's just keep
that in mind before we single out certain people. Is
President Trump doing what he said he was going to do.
He is, And I'm not mad at him for doing
what he said he was going to do. If we
had a problem with it, we should have gone to
the polls and.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Taken care of that.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
And now everyone has to get ready for the midterm elections.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
There you go, Kevin, I will say this, Stephen voted.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
No one voted.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
I don't think anyone voted for him to usurp the Constitution.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
And is that what is believed he's doing.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
The Constitution is there for a reason, and I believe
that if you are creating laws and things that allow
you to work around it, through it, or push it
to a side, then that's a problem because that's the
most un American thing there is. You know a lot
of people were upset before and when they were saying
unconstitutional things were being done on both sides. And if
(22:11):
you are if you are not following the constitution of
the law of this land. I have a problem with you.
I don't care what party you are from. And by
the way, just like you, I'm disgusted by the way
the Democratic Party has conducted itself.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
It's been horrible. What they have done to this nation
is horrible.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
I am disgusted by some of the things that the
Republican Party is doing right now. What we need is
we need people who actually care about the people in
this country and are not putting their self interest first.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
See, I'm gonna stop you right there. We gonna end
this interview because then the next thing you're gonna say,
you're gonna try to get me to run agains. See,
people don't know behind the scenes, even trying to get
me to run for office, it ain't happening.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
How it talks about Steve.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
We've got a lot of talks about this and we
and I have said that there has to be a change.
There has to be a voice that is coming from
the mall and can see both sides. We can't be
afraid of each other, or we can't be afraid to
talk to each other. And one of the things I
love about this show, and you know why we are
so close, is because it's about bringing everybody on to
(23:12):
speak their mind and let them speak their peace. I'm
not gonna interrupt you. I'm not gonna argue. I'm gonna
let you speak your piece, and that's what it's about.
You have to hear the other side to know what
they're thinking. So in that way, I do think that
there are things that we are discussing and you need
to think about, and we'll get into that later.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
There's more of that.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Maybe I'll be lucky enough to get Gavin Newsom to
stop running and come on the show. Maybe that'll happen,
but we'll talk about that.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
I don't think he's running, Steve. I don't think he's running.
I don't think it's okay.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Though I understand Kevin Frazer, appreciate you. Man, stay safe
out there, even though it's not as bad as it's
trying to be.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Paid it out to be.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Y'all spoke to you last night while all of this
stuff was all over the news. You're like, I'm right
here in near downtown. I'm absolutely fine. That's what you're saying.
That's why I had to have you on the day.
Thanks a lot man be Et Awards.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Do you think Mariah Carey is gonna come into a
riot to accept an award.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
That's true, That's true. Appreciate you, bro, thanks a lot, man.
We'll only give them phrase you right here in the
House of stephen A. Smith Show. Coming up, the NBA
Finals head to Endy for Game three with the Pacers
and Thunders splitting the first two games, which squad has
the advantage in the series so far. I'll get into that,
but first some more bars and Roley Gaines get into
a ward words over the inclusion of transgender athletes in
(24:24):
women's sports. Rodley Gaines joins me next on the show
with her side of the story. Stick around. It's boy,
stephen A in the house. Why would you go any
All right, everybody listen up. We're all the big tom
sports action is happening.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Each and every day.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
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Prospects.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Hey, Hey, run your game. Welcome back to the Steven A.
Smith Show. My next guest is a former NCAA All
American swimmer turned conservative pundit who now hosts the Games
for Girls podcast on OutKick dot com that focuses on
current events, social issues, and topics related to women's rights
(25:46):
and gender equity. Please welcome to The Steven A. Smith Show.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Miss Riley Gaines, Riley Howard you, how's everything?
Speaker 5 (25:52):
I am fantastic, super excited to be on with you today,
So thanks for the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Please my pleasure, thank you for coming on. Let me
give the audience some background on the story. Last week,
a transgender softball pitch in Minnesota named Marissa Rothenberger led
Champlain Park High School to a state championship. This athlete's
participation in the girls' softball season was in defiance of
President Donald Trump's executive order of keeping biological men out
(26:18):
of women's sports. The high school league removed comments from
a post showing the winners of a softball state championship.
So I know you reacted to that. I want to
know what was your reaction when you saw all of that.
Could you remind how audience of what it was?
Speaker 6 (26:34):
Absolutely? Well, this was about two weeks ago at this point.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
Understand that week we saw in five different states California, Washington, Oregon, Maine,
and Minnesota, boys take qualifying spots, state championships or podium
spots from deserving girls. This case of Minnesota that you're
referring to, this was a boy who pitched five games straight,
thirty five consecutive innings, only two runs. Of those thirty
(27:01):
five innings, I think he pitched twenty one shutout innings.
They won the state championship. It was his team's first
time ever even making the state tournament.
Speaker 6 (27:09):
Of course, they went on to win.
Speaker 5 (27:11):
He led his team in a way that I would
describe not very valiantly. Nonetheless, to be very clear, this
boy is following the rules that were in place by
local leadership, state leadership, of course, at the interscholastic level.
But nonetheless it violated federal law. That federal law being
Title ninth. So I was quick to call this out,
as I have done for years after experiencing personally the
(27:35):
effects of competing against a man. So that's a little
backstory here. The issue is still happening. It continues to
persist with full steam ahead and no signs of slowing down.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
And how long have you maintained I don't want to
say this is new to you, because, like you said,
you've been speaking on this for quite some time. I'm
assuming when you talked about having personally experienced competing against
the man as a swimmer, I'm assuming you alluding to
Leah Thomas. I want you to talk about the origins
of your feelings and how outspoken you have been about
this particular issue in the past.
Speaker 6 (28:06):
Yeah, yeah, I'll give you the thirty thousand foot overview.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
Swimming University of Kentucky did some great things in my career,
twelve time All American, five time SEC champion, the SEC
record holder in the two hundred butterfly, making me one
of the fastest Americans of all time, two time Olympic
Trial qualifier. The list goes on, but really, just to reiterate,
it's a lifelong journey to be able to compete and succeed,
really at the highest level. Senior year NCAA's we're geared up,
(28:33):
ready to go. This is the meat you work all year,
really all your life for championship final of the women's
two hundred freestyle, meaning top eight women in the entire country.
And I look over at the lane a couple lanes
over for me, and there's a six foot four man
standing there, his size fifteen feet taking up the entire
diving block visible from his side profile is not only
(28:55):
his Adam's apple, but to be pretty explicit here and
again just describing what we saw and his women swim suit.
I recognize this to be wrong, as did ninety nine
percent of athletes on that pool deck, but everyone was
terrified to say it. Jumped in the water, We swam
eight laps of freestyle, touched a wall at the end,
and almost impossibly enough, Steven, we went the exact same time,
(29:17):
meaning tied down.
Speaker 6 (29:18):
To the hundred of a second, which is really rare
in our sport. We get out of the water, we.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Go behind the awards podium where the nc DOUBA official
looks at both Thomas and myself, Thomas towering over me,
eight nine inches taller than me, and the official says,
great job, you tube butt.
Speaker 6 (29:33):
You tied. We don't account for ties. We only have
one trophy and we're going to give that trophy to.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
Leah wo And when I asked the dread question of why,
the question that they weren't prepared to answer.
Speaker 6 (29:44):
They weren't given a script.
Speaker 5 (29:45):
Of what to say when asked this question, he stumbled
on his words, but ultimately was honest and said, look,
we've been advised as an organization, as the NC DOUBLEA,
that when photos are being taken, it's crucial that the
trophy is in Leah's hands. And I'll tell you what.
That's when I made my mind up that I would
say something again. We all recognized it. My coaches, the athletes,
athletic directors, the officials at the meet, they all knew
(30:07):
it to be wrong, but everyone was terrified.
Speaker 6 (30:09):
To say something.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
So that was the competition piece on top of the
locker room, which is again a totally violating experience, on
top of the silencing that we faced. All those were
contributing factors, and ultimately the stance that I've taken a
little over three years ago at this point.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
How much resistance have you experienced since you've taken those stance.
Speaker 5 (30:30):
Man, I think back to twenty twenty two, where it
was certainly not as favorable as it is now to
say the controversial thing that men and women are different.
I mean, I've been in situations where my well being, my.
Speaker 6 (30:46):
Safety is at risk. I've been held captive.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
For over five hours, four and a half hours is
actually in San Francisco, where a mob of protesters demanded
that I had to pay them money if I wanted
to make it back home to see my family safely. Again,
I mean, even just a month ago, not even a
month ago, in Seattle, I had human feces thrown at me.
In Portland, there were about five people arrested for trying
(31:11):
to terminate my life. And again, Stephen, like, I think
my take is just about the least controversial take on
the entire planet. It's described as an eighty twenty issue.
I think it's more drastic than that. I think it's
a ninety ten issue, if not even more than that.
Ninety percent of Americans of course believing that men don't
(31:33):
belong in women's sports, but for saying that out loud,
publicly and unapologetically, you're really met with some of the
most hostile and oftentimes violent encounters that you could possibly imagine.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Now See, I'm liberal when it comes to living and
let living. Okay, that's my general stance. Well, when you're
talking about women competing in sports against transgender women, men
transitioning the women, I side with you one thousand percent.
I have no problem with your position whatsoever, and I'm
not scared to say it, and I've never been scared
to say it. I think that's absolutely the right thing
(32:09):
to do. Women should be competing against women, men should
be competing against men, and transgenders should be competing against transgenders.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
I have no problem with it whatsoever.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
I don't know why that's controversial, But when you think
about what you've been exposed to, on what you've had
to deal with, it brings us to Simon Biles, which
is why this is a subject that we had to
tackle because your stance and your position recently when you
spoke about the person from Minnesota that prompted Simone Biles
to post this about you quote.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
This is her quote about you.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
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 people
feel safe in sports. Instead you bully them. One thing's
for sure is no one in sports is safe with
(32:59):
you you around end quote. What was your immediate reaction
when you saw what Simone Biles had to say about you?
The great Olympian that she is because nobody could question
her gridentchus And now that you've had an opportunity to
reflect even further on what she has said, what is
your reaction now when.
Speaker 6 (33:16):
I first got this notification on my phone.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Of course, as you just said, Simone her illustrious career,
what she's done for the sport of gymnastics, what she's
done for women's sports in general, much broader than gymnastics.
I have looked up to her and admired her. I mean,
I watched her compete in twenty sixteen, twenty twenty twenty four,
the past eight ish, I guess nine years.
Speaker 6 (33:34):
At this point, I've admired Simone Biles.
Speaker 5 (33:36):
So when I got this notification on my phone that
I had been tagged in something on X from Simone,
I was like overwhelmed with excitement and starstruck. And I
click on it and I read what you just said
out loud, and I read it again and again, and
I clicked the profile, and then I went back and
I clicked the profile again to make sure it was
it was really Simone Viles, This wasn't a fake account,
(33:57):
and it really was Simone Biles. And I was heartbroken.
And I'll tell you what. I wasn't heartbroken because of
the personal attacks, because of her calling me a bully
or saying that I'm disgusting or truly sick or whatever
she said. It wasn't that that hurt my feelings because
I'm a very secure person. I'm secure with myself, I'm
secure with the side of history that I'm on, very
(34:18):
happily married for three plus years. None of those personal
attacks bothered me. But what did bother me is knowing
the platform that she has, and how she was so
quick in such a venomous way to sell out young
girls like my little sister. My little sister's sixteen years old.
She's an elite level gymnast. She's I come from a
(34:39):
family of athletes like my dad played professional ball SEC
Hall of Famer. My brother played football in college, of course,
went to University of Kentucky. My mom was a Division
one softball player. My oldest sister went to Ole Miss
she played softball. My youngest sister is the best athlete
out of all of us. She will go on to
do incredible things whatever she does in college. And beyond
(35:00):
why my heart broke in that moment, I'm sure you'll
you'll continue to read the next tweet that Simone put out,
which we can discuss, But in that moment, I was
so just disappointed and disheartened to know a woman who
has done so much for the sport was so quick
to pull up the ladder behind her. Is how I
would describe it.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
In your response to Bills, you brought up Larry Nasser,
and that's where that's the only thing that you said
where I took issue. I took Umbradguge with you said,
because you brought him up. This is the former national
team doctor who sexually abused multiple US gymnasts, including Biles,
under the guise of quote unquote medical treatment. You wrote
quote all the horrific sexual abuse Simone Biles witness and
(35:44):
spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women
should be forced to strip naked in front of men
to validate the man's feelings. You know how many gold
medals you'd have if your inclusive dream came true? Zero?
I want I that was the only thing that I
criticized as you fought, because I thought that was really
really below the bell, considering how heinous of an individual,
(36:06):
how despicable Larry Nassa was, and what some o Biles
was subjected to because of that man. Any regrets at
all about saying that bringing out Larry Nassa is what
I'm asking.
Speaker 6 (36:17):
I stammer what I said, but let me provide a
little context.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Okay, First of all.
Speaker 5 (36:21):
For clarity, I believe Larry Nasser is a monster and
who should spend every single waking second for the rest
of his life miserable and rotting away in prison. There's
no me and Simone certainly agree there contexts here.
Speaker 6 (36:35):
For the situation. Again that my own personal.
Speaker 5 (36:37):
Experience that I can speak to. I don't know if
you've ever been inside of a.
Speaker 6 (36:41):
Locker room, specifically a locker room on.
Speaker 5 (36:43):
A pool deck. Right, it's an open space. It's basically
like a large square. There is no stalls beyond the
stalls that you use the restaurman, but you're not putting
your suit on or of course showering in those stalls.
Does it get more perverted than being in a shower,
which is typical for a swimming locker room, especially you're
in the chlorine, you get out, you're in the pool
(37:04):
five times a day, you rinse off. Does it get
more perverted than standing in the shower totally undressed when
a six six foot four man approaches you, stands in
the shower head next to you, undresses himself fully naked,
fully intact, and watches you shower. That's the context I
was drawing, and to me, that is sexual abuse. What
(37:25):
me and my teammates had to go through was certainly
sexual abuse. Again, for clarity, I think what simone her
teammates went through is condemnable and punishable beyond what we face.
Speaker 6 (37:36):
Again, there's no doubt in my.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
Mind there but to try to normalize this, or, in
Simone's case, attempt to silence those who speak out about this.
That's the conclusion I was drawing here. No girl should
have to go through this, whether it is rape, whether
it's unwanted touching, whether it's voyeurism, whether it's indecent exposure.
And no woman should ever ever be shamed for pointing
(37:59):
out when men are abusing women. I found a video
of Simone testifying before Congress the same seat I have
found myself in. I've testified before Congress in the Senate
many many times, and I listened to the part of
her testimony.
Speaker 6 (38:13):
I posted a video of it, a little.
Speaker 5 (38:14):
Clip of it, where she's of course speaking to the abuse,
speaking to how horrific, speaking to how no woman should
have to go through this again. And our messages sounded
the exact same when I sat in that seat. She
got emotional in her testimony. I got emotional in my
testimony describing this. That's the conclusion I was drawing here. Again,
it is easy to condemn Larry Nasser, but I believe
(38:37):
it should be just as easy to condemn those who
attempt to normalize or think it's not on a scale
of gross sexual offense against women and girls to have
men undressing and showering next to women.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Riley, I can push back, but I won't even try.
And the reason why I won't even try is because
you make a very very valid point. First of all,
your personally experiences. Secondly, you're a lady. I am not,
and so when you talk about what's offensive to you.
One of the things that I have a problem with,
particularly with people on Capitol Hill, is when men are
trying to tell women how they should feel about their experiences,
(39:12):
as if they know. It's one thing for you to
have an opinion, but it's another thing for you to
come across as if you know something, it's impossible for
you to know. I can never know what Riley Gains
just alluded to other than how you explained it. So
I really appreciate that point, and I thank you for it.
I got to ask you this question, is there a
resolution when we think about the whole trans issue in sports.
(39:36):
I don't have any problems with anybody from the LGBTQ
plus community. Live your life, do what you do. I'm
not trying to be invasive in that regard. But when
we talk about transgender issues in the world of sports,
it seems to me, from a society perspective, we're being
a bit hypocritical because we go out of our way
to talk about the protection that women need in terms
of Title nine fair and equitable treatment under the laws
(39:58):
of our land. But somehow, in a way, something like
this comes up and we forget those very things with
somebody like you essentially was reminding us we have forgotten
about that, but you did it. So that's a testament
to you. But when we talk about an equitable solution
to the issue of trans athletes, is there a solution
that you think exists out there, because it doesn't seem
(40:18):
like there is one.
Speaker 5 (40:20):
It's a good point you bring up, and it's simone
mentioned in her initial tweet, right creating a third category
almost I'll tell you I initially supported this idea.
Speaker 6 (40:29):
I believe this was a way to prioritize inclusion, but
not at the expense of safety.
Speaker 5 (40:35):
Number one in fairness number two. But I'll tell you
when I changed my mind. This was done. FINA, the
international governing body of swimming, created a third category at
the international level, like a very high level of competition
for people like Leah Thomas or those who are identify
as trands, gender, nonconforming, non binary, whatever. It is a
(40:56):
separate category for that no one can pete in it. Actually,
Thomas went on to sue World Aquatics for this new rule,
ultimately making the point that he doesn't want to compete
if he can't trample on women in the process. Here
then I began to really think about it. It is
antithetical to sports to have a category based on identity.
(41:20):
We don't have a category based on identity any other identity, right.
We don't have a category based on race, and we
absolutely shouldn't. We don't have a category based on religion,
and we absolutely shouldn't. Sports aren't about your feelings ultimately,
at the end of the day, they're just not.
Speaker 6 (41:33):
You can make the argument.
Speaker 5 (41:34):
About, of course pee wee leagues or twelve and under
or whatever you know division that is, I think, especially
before puberty, but you reach a certain point and sports
are about winning.
Speaker 6 (41:45):
It's about success.
Speaker 5 (41:46):
And I don't know if you saw, even just this afternoon,
some own biles issued an apology to me. I think
it was a bit of damage control personally, but nonetheless
I fully fully accepted her apoontology, but in her apology
she mentions, you know, we need to be striving for
inclusivity and competitive equity.
Speaker 6 (42:07):
The idea of.
Speaker 5 (42:08):
Sports inherently are inclusive, Stephen. Anyone can play sports. That's
the beauty of sports. That's why I love them. It's
really this unifying experience that again I got to be
a part of, that I got to benefit from. But
on the other hand, competition by definition is exclusive. So
the idea of competitive equity is totally nonsensical. I believe
(42:30):
the solution is what is at least has been in
front of us the past, actually this month, it'll be
in the past fifty three years since Title nine was implemented.
You have a men's category and you have a women's
category that allows for everyone under the sign to be.
Speaker 6 (42:44):
Able to compete.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
You know, that's a compelling argument.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
I would tell you that when you think about the
Paralympics and other things, I mean, you see people with
disabilities and what have you competing against people with disabilities.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
So that's where my idea came from.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
In terms of women, women, men, men trans in other words,
compete against your own If you're a man, transitioning into
being a woman then compete against other men transitioning into
being a woman, and vice versa. It shouldn't be you
infiltrating women's sports in that way. I've always agreed with
that position. I'm not about the city and be a phony.
A disagree with you now, Riley Gaines. I really really
(43:18):
appreciate your time. Thank you very very much. Arguments with
very reliquent. I got very little pushback to provide you
new the one pushback that I had, but you explain
that thoroughly, and I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
Are you hoping to speak to Simone Biles soon?
Speaker 1 (43:31):
Look?
Speaker 6 (43:31):
I would love it.
Speaker 5 (43:32):
In my response to her apology today, I conclude it
by saying, look, I welcome you to the fight to
support fair sports and a future for female athletes. I
would love to have a discussion to further elaborate again
in the position that I have taken, the line that
I have drawn in the sand, why I will never
back down from that.
Speaker 6 (43:51):
I would love the opportunity to do so.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
Okay, well, there's always a place here for you anytime
you want to discuss these issues. I'm not running or
hiding from it. Really, thank you. For your time. Thank
you so much for coming on and explaining your position.
I really appreciate it. And good luck with your show.
Good luck with your podcast. I mean you're doing good
things with it. Keep it going.
Speaker 6 (44:08):
Thank you, thank you. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (44:10):
Okay, one of the only Riley Gaines right here on the
steven A. Smith Show.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Coming up, the NBA Finals heads to Indy with the
Pacers and Thunders splitting the first two games. So who
has the edge heading into Game three? I'll get into
that next right here on the stephen A. Smith Show.
Don't go away, Welcome back to the Steven A. Smith Show.
Now let's get to the NBA Finals, where the series
(44:33):
shifts to Indy and the Pacers holding home court advantage.
After stealing Game one from the Thunder on the road,
Oklahoma City bounced back with an emphatic Game two win
on Sunday night to even the series. It's not over.
This is still a highly competitive series, and I give
Indiana a lot of credit for that because I never
anticipated that they would win Game one the way that
they did, to be down fifteen, to come back, to
(44:54):
be down fifteen with over nine minutes left, and to
come back and to win that game. Gotta give a
lot of credit that particular game. Nie Nie Smith, them
Hard Miles turn Up, Pascal Siakam, all of them showed
up with big buckets down the stretch, set in the
stage for Tyrese Halliburton to hit his winner with zero
point three seconds left in regulation. Deserves a lot of
(45:16):
credit in that span this postseason, this brother, Tyrese Halliburton
in fifteen seconds or left left in regulation or over time. Okay,
this brother has gone five for five from the field,
while the rest of the NBA in the postseason has
gone four of twenty six. You can't say enough about
(45:37):
that from Tyrese Halliburton and his performance in Game one,
meaning that big time shot. But for the most part
he's been relatively neutralized because the star of this series,
made no mistake about it, has been Shaye Butter as
in Shae Gil just Alexander as in the reigning league
MVP just finished averaging thirty two point seven a game.
He's averaged at least thirty over the left three seasons.
(46:01):
He's twenty six years of age, Ladies and gentlemen, doesn't
even shoot that many threes. But the brothers mister mid range.
He's got a nasty handle, he can create his own shot,
and he can get to the rim anytime he wants to.
And the reason I'm bringing that up is because if
you're Halliburton, who everybody's been talking about, is this young
superstar and I said, no, he's not a superstar, not
there yet. The brother can play. He's not overrated, he's
(46:22):
not a scrub, but he's not a superstar. That would
be Shay gil Just Alexander. Here's the flip side to
all of that. Shay Gilgers Alexander is not only a star,
a superstar, but he plays the same position as Tyre's Halliburton.
They're damn near the same height. For crying out loud,
You've got to step up and handle your business. This brother,
Shay gilg Just Alexander dropped thirty eight in game one,
(46:43):
drop thirty four in game two, averaging thirty six on
the series.
Speaker 2 (46:47):
You got to answer that call.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
You can't be at averaging eleven points or fifteen points,
rather shoot thirty three percent from the field. You can't
go the first forty minutes of the game with just
five points and you score twelve points in the fourth quarter.
When the game is out of reach, that ain't good enough.
So Halliburton's got to do more. Pascal Siakam, you can't
be held to three four eleven shooting with Alex Caruso
(47:11):
guard and you have the Tom. You gotta take advantage.
You gotta find a way. Because Indiana, as potent as
they can be, Oklahoma City is a different beast. This
defense is elite. Lou Dort is an elite defender, Alex
Caruso is an elite defender. Cason Wallace can defend. And
then when you take into account that Shay Gilgers and
Jalen Williams also do defend as well, and a Jalen Williams,
(47:35):
your second best offensive player is a cat, only two,
one of two in the entire NBA. Him and Evan
Mobley are the Cleveland Cavaliers who will All NBA, All NBA,
on an All NBA team, but also on an All
NBA defensive team. Only two players did that this year,
Evan Mobley and Jenden Williams. So there's no drop off
(47:56):
with OKC.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Everybody defense, everybody defense.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
And then when you got this cat Wiggins coming off
the bench and he gives you eighteen points on five threes,
and Caruso is opening a corner three or four times
for his corner threes and he's given you twenty and
not a single Indiana pacer has scored twenty points in
games one and two of this series. Indiana has to
show up. Game three is pivotal for them. They must
(48:24):
at least split or it's over in five. Five, they
gotta split or it's over in five. So you gotta
wins game three or four. And I think they are
better chances to win Game three as opposed to Game four.
They gotta show up, will they?
Speaker 2 (48:42):
That remains the question.
Speaker 1 (48:44):
It's an intriguing one though, because Indiana can score, and
because they can score, who knows how interesting they may
make this. Oklahoma City is clearly the better team. That
does not mean Indiana can't win. Keep that in mind.
I'm still with those O, KC and six, but Indiana
better win one of these games or they ain't going six.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
That's it for this edition of The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Speaker 1 (49:11):
Hope you like it. I got a head to the
NBA Finals, But I'll holler at y'all in a couple
of days and tell.
Speaker 2 (49:15):
Them, ladies and gentlemen, the peace of love. I'm not
What's up, everybody. Welcome to the latest edition of The
Steph Nate Smith Show, coming at you at the very
least three times a week over the digital airways and
YouTube and of course our Heart Radio. As always, I
like to pause and take a moment to thank my
subscribers and followers for the continuing to support the show.
We really really appreciate the love. The millions of downloads
we receive courtesy of iHeart Radio over the last few months
to one point twenty three million, and subscribers we've now
(00:34):
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To continue to like and follow the show, just click
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Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes, now in paperback.
(00:56):
Just go straight shoot book dot com and get yourself
a copy. Once again, that straight shoot Book dot Com
and get yourself a copy as usual. You see over
my right shoulder, Straight Shooter Media. That is the name
of my media company that controls this operation and what
have you. It's named after my book, just so you know.
Obviously it's my production company. So I really appreciate the
love and support y'all. Thank you so much. Let's get
(01:17):
started with the latest in Los Angeles, California, where tensions
are escalating to a fourth day after protest against immigration
and Customs enforcement better known as ICE. Demonstrators and police
faced off and scattered protests in downtown LA has. More
than one hundred people were arrested just last night. According
to Mayor Karen Bass, damage to the area appears to
(01:38):
be limited to a portion of downtown, while most of
the city has not been affected by the protest at all. Meanwhile,
President Trump has now deployed four thousand National guardsmen and
now marines to Los Angeles as well. All this while
Governor Gavin Newsom is suing the administration saying they unlawfully
trampled over California's sovereignty when they federalized the state National Guard. Meanwhile,
(02:03):
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went to Capitol Hill today to
address the overall cost of sending troops to southern California. However,
Hegseth repeatedly did not answer questions about the court or
what resources were being taken away in other areas to
send troops to LA. First things first, that's both. You
get some in the Capitol Hill. You're the Defense Secretary
(02:25):
of the United States of America. You're in front of
representatives who control our budget, the legislating body that controls
our budget. They ask you a damn question about what
it costs. You're supposed to have the answers, supposed to
have the answers. You're supposed to be willing to answer
those damned questions. That's BS. Let's get that out the way. Secondly,
I'm gonna have my man, Kevin Fraser on in just
(02:47):
a few minutes, who is a Los Angeles resident. He's
a host for entertainment tonight, and obviously he's been on
the ground on the scene throughout this ordeal because it's
right in his area. He lives there, so he would know.
Soh what's truth and what's falsehood as it pertains to
several things. Number one, was it really really necessary to
send two thousand National guardsmen initially. Was it really really
(03:09):
necessary to send an additional two thousand Was it really
necessary to send seven hundred marines? Is this all pomp
and circumstance or are things really really that bad that
we have to prioritize making sure federal properties, federal buildings, etc.
Are protected? And Donald Trump is doing the right thing
by taking this kind of stands. We have to look
(03:29):
at Democrats when it comes to the leadership, that of
Governor Gavin Newsom or Mayor Karen Bass. Less about Bass,
more about Newsom. Let's get the Bass first. It's Los Angeles.
You know, we've seen riots there before. We understand how
things can go down, and so engaging in preventative measures.
I don't know how awful that is for the Trump
administration to do. If they are honest and open about
(03:52):
that's why they're doing it, as opposed to giving a
picture that something is more egregious than it really really is.
It seems a bit of sensationalism and embellishment is entering
the equation, at least in some people's eyes. She's saying
that the LAPD did not need the help of the
federal government and did not need to help with the
President and did not need National guardsmen and Marines there.
(04:13):
All you're doing is exacerbating a situation. My response to
that would be fair enough, that's a reasonable conclusion. But
having Marines and a National Guard there shouldn't incite people
to engage in lawlessness. Even more so, it should be
a deterrent. And if it's not a deterrent, while the
(04:33):
Marines and the National guards are there, why are we
to believe that them not being there would be a deterrent.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
That doesn't make sense to me, mayor Baths. It just doesn't.
So I don't want to hear that it's exacerbating the situation.
Lawlessness is lawlessness.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
And if you have law enforcement officials, national guardsmen, US Marines,
federal participation in the mix, and they believe that this
is what they need to do, breaking the law doesn't
cut it. That doesn't mean everybody. That doesn't even mean
most people are not being peaceful peaceful protesters. But for
(05:11):
those who are not, who are throwing bricks and stuff
at the cops, nor arrest there as arrest them, You've
got no business doing something like that, not to National guardsmen,
not to US Marines, not to LAPD, not to any
law enforcement official, you engage your father. Protesting is one thing.
Peaceful protesting is one thing. Engaging in mayhem, contributing to mayhem,
(05:36):
Instigating Mayhem is another matter entirely.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
So I wanted to say that.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Let me get to Gavin Newsom, Sir.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
We kind of see what's going on.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You know that, right, you're challenging the borders, are Tom
Homan the arrest you. You're bringing up fourth grade children
being bothered and what have you. California is a sanctuary state,
(06:11):
which means there are laws in place for you to
defy the federal government, a president's order essentially federalizing the
state National Guard, which is what you're taking the Trump
administration to court over. Just like you have the right
to do that. Trump has the right, as President of
the United States to say I don't like what I'm
(06:32):
seeing and I feel this is necessary.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Do I believe that's as objective?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Of course, I don't.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
We heard the arguments over dollars being stripped from medicaid
and whether there was a debate going on as to
whether or not that was true or not. We saw
what was going on between Trump and Elon Musk over
the last week. We still see the war in Ukraine
with Russia going on, okay, tariffs, that situation hasn't been
(07:01):
totally resolved. So if you're Trump, with the midterms a
year away, and with you not necessarily being the most
popular individual in the polls, this being a subject that
you're tackling, which happens to be right in your wheelhouse,
where most Americans are siding with you in a Republican
party in this day and age. I mean, boo boo,
the fool can see why you would want to tackle
(07:23):
this issue.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It's a very winnable issue for the Trump administration.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Nobody's blind, except possibly Gavenouso. Because where it gets interesting
is that you being a governor of California, you knowing
about your budget deficits, You knowing about how homelessness in
the city, although it has decreased somewhat, is being depicted
(07:48):
over the national airways. You knowing that being a sanctuary state,
how many immigrants and undocumented immigrants have entered the state
of California and reside there even though they're taxpayers, even
though they're hard workers and what have you. And no,
most of them are not criminals. And the way they're
being depicted and talked about. Has been very, very egregious,
(08:11):
no doubt about it. But you exacerbating the situation, not
in terms of what you're saying, but how you're saying
it and how you're coming at the president. You're trying
to tell me that people are not looking at you
and they're not going to assume you're trying to politicize
all of this to your advantage, especially since you're due
(08:33):
to come out of office and you desperately want to
be a candidate for the election in twenty twenty eight.
All I'm saying about Gavin Newsom is that I don't
know how much this is going to work. Republican poster
with Airs in a Wall Street Journal says, as is
so often the case, Donald Trump's opponents are playing right
(08:58):
into his hands, exactly the kind of fight that Donald
Trump loves. With his opponents carrying Mexican flags past burning cars.
That's a Republican strategist, We know this. Democrats counted that
Trump's decision to initially send two thousand members of the
National Guard into the nation's second largest popular city over
(09:18):
the weekend only inflame the situation while raising legal issues
about states rights. The administration on Monday also deployed about
seven hundred marines to Los Angeles to protect federal property
and personnel and authorize an additional two thousand National Guard members.
What are they saying here, are Democratic strategist every day
that Donald Trump is talking about immigration and now talking
(09:41):
about kicking thirteen million people off insurance in Medicaid, he
knows he is winning. He wants to see people standing
on top of burning cars waiving the Mexican flag. That's
the exact imagery that can help him overperform in the
mid term elections. So, whether it's the democra A strategists
(10:01):
or it's a Republican strategist, they're essentially both saying the
same thing. This is a winning hand for Donald Trump.
So maybe, just maybe we need to be a bit
more judicious and more careful and our verbiage and our
temperament when we're attacking this issue. Because the next thing
(10:22):
is Republicans are gonna say is you know they're for lawlessness, right,
They're gonna show these images, They're gonna say they're for lawlessness.
Folks are gonna buy at hook line and Sinker and
their issues of safety is going to usurp any other
concerns they have.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
I'm talking about the voters, and before.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
You know it, them are gonna lose the midterms. They're
not gonna regate any seats in the House of the Senate,
and Trump will be able to operate with relative impunity.
To twenty twenty eight. I'm sitting here months after the election,
(11:03):
seeing what's transpiring in Los Angeles, still waiting for the Democrats,
in this case Gavin Newsom to show me a strategy
that's going to work. Still waiting, that's my opinion, But
obviously there are opinions that matter more than mine, And
in this case, it'll be my next guest, who happens
(11:25):
to be a Los Angelean. He lives there. He's been
right there in the streets, drove down to the riots,
the quote unquote riots last night. How do I notice
because I was on the phone with him right before
he decided to hop off the phone to get in
his car to go there. I'm talking about the host
for entertainment tonight, one of my best friends in the world.
(11:46):
I've known him many many years, and he's a contributor
to this show, the one and only Kevin Frazer for
entertainment tonight, he had to talk about what's going on?
Speaker 2 (11:54):
What's going on?
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Man? What is going on in Los Angeles, California. We
see CNN, we see msmb's, we see Fox News, we
hear political pundits on both sides of the op telling
us what's going on? What's really going on in Los Angeles?
Is it really as bad as it looks?
Speaker 3 (12:10):
That's been the disappointing thing watching national cable news and
watching the way they have inflated the situation at night.
Things are getting a little ugly with a few agitators
that are in a very small sliver of Los Angeles.
I have to understand, Los Angeles is a large, sprawling city.
Downtown is a small part of it, and in a
small part of downtown there are issues. And let me
(12:31):
put it to you this way. Last night I was
at the Peacock Theater for the BET Awards. Now you're
talking about big, major stars moving in and out and
around the city. There were no problems, there were no issues.
There was a convention going on in downtown Los Angeles,
and I was so disturbed by what I saw on
the national news that I drove up to where the
protests were going. I drove right up to the police
(12:54):
barricade and then I turned around.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
What I saw is a lot of youngsters walking around videoing.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
I saw people that had reraffeited all over the place.
The people who are doing the graffiti and causing any
damage at all need to go to jail, a sap
and they needed to put They need to be put
under the jail. But the narrative that is being sold,
the narrative that is being pushed out there that La
is in chaos, that the city is burning, that it
would have burned down if it wasn't for the President
(13:21):
sending in troops is a false narrative. And I'm telling
you that because I've seen it with my own eyes,
and so it's very bothersome that La.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Is functioning as normal.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
But I see the national news and on both sides,
I'm not saying that it's one and not the other.
On both sides are inflating this situation. And that has
been horrible.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
And that's the thing that's been driving me crazy about it,
because I saw Fox News, and you know, naturally, two
thousand National Truth National Guards have been sent by Trump.
Seven hundred United States Marines have been sent by Trump,
and so you think it has twenty seven hundred plus,
they're say an additional guard guardsmen are going to be
sent to protect federal property. You see that onslaught of
(14:07):
troops coming into a major city in the United States
of America, It would certainly give that impression. And Fox
News didn't hesitate to do that. But then I look
around and I see Aaron Burnett and others from CNN
in their own way doing somewhat the same thing. Why
are people doing that in your estimation, Kevin, if that's
not truly what's going on in the.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
City of Los Angeles, Hyeball Steven And if you're watching
our good friend Stephanie Elam this morning on CNN, she
has really done a great job of second setting the
record straight. She was down near the damage. She talked
about the incredible cleanup that has gone on in Los
Angeles today in the areas that were affected, how graffiti
(14:45):
is being wiped away. The biggest problem right now is graffiti,
and there are agitators out there. They can be arrested.
I will tell you last night, as I drove around
at ten thirty pm, there was a large police presence,
especially around the downtown police station. There was no one
interacting with those police. There's just a large police presence.
(15:08):
The police force in Los Angeles is one of the
nation's largest. They have this situation under control. We heard
the head of the LA Police Department say that he
wouldn't have sent in if it was up to him,
He wouldn't have sent in the National Guard because he
knows he has more than enough resources. So what is
happening is is that and you've seen this before, Say
(15:31):
somewhere floods and the people go to the flood. In
one neighbor, their house is underwater. A block over they're dry.
You stand by the house that is underwater. And so
a small sliver of Los Angeles, and I will say
this again, a very tiny sliver of Los Angeles a
three block radius.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
There were issues, but during.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
The daytime there was a peaceful protest in Grant Park
with many people there.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
But is it possible that it wasn't as big of
an issue as it's being made out to be because
of the presence of the National Guard and Marines and
as a result people Is that possible?
Speaker 3 (16:09):
No, no, no, Before they got there, Before they got there,
things are tampered off. You have to go back and
look at you know, when you see these shots of
chaos and a car burning or something like that, if
you notice they are interestingly framed shots. Here's all I'm saying.
Where cars set on fire, was concrete thrown at police
(16:32):
and other things.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Horrible. Arrest those people immediately.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
I posted earlier today from the celebrations after the Super
Bowl in Philadelphia where they took a furniture where they
took a laundry truck and they stopped it.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
They pulled all of the towels.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
And everything out, and they set it on fire in
the middle of the street in Philadelphia. It looked like chaos.
The same thing after Yukon won the men's National championship.
They were tearing down street lamps and other things. They
set furniture on fire on the campus. It looks like chaos.
What we need, and all I'm asking from journalists is
(17:07):
to give us a clear and honest picture of what's
going on. If I can walk around there, if I
can go and get a juice from the juice bar,
then everything's okay.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
It's we have to stop the graffiti.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
We have to stop the craziness and the agitators that
are going out at night, but the citizens of LA
are going about their business everywhere else, So that's all
they're inflaming the situations.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I'm gonna ask how Los Angeleans feel about their leadership,
from Governor Gavin Newsom down to Mayor Karen Bass, because
Karen Bass was on MSNBC. I saw her last night.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Saying it's overblown.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
We do not need all of this. But Gavin Newsom
basically threatened and borders Tom Holman to come and arrest
them going off about Trump the way that he has.
Some people believe is political grandstanding. Other people believe it's sincere.
I would say this keV. As overblown as it may be,
(18:09):
the reality is that it is not a look.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
It is not a good look.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
If you see folks in Los Angeles walking around with
flags that ain't American, whether it's Mexican or something else,
passing by burning cars, you know that's going to be
something that's utilized by the right. Because Trump has us
talking about this instead of other issues that we should
and could have been talking about, seems to be working.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
To his advantage.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Let me say this, Okay, first of all, there's a
lot of theatrics in grand standing going on, and can
the situation get under control, of course, but to villainize
people because they are carrying a flag of another nation,
let's think about that.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Now.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
We don't villainize the police in New York during the
Saint Patrick's Day Parade if someone is carrying an Irish flag.
We don't villainize the people at the Puerto Rico Day
Parade when it is one of New York's great moments.
And we can't villainize the people who carry around Mexican flags.
All that is is celebrating your heritage. And that's one
of the things that America is about, celebrating your heritage.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
So to say the.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
Flags or a problem or other things like that, that's
crazy talk. Remember where Los Angeles is. Remember that the
state of California was once let's it go, And so
to villainize the people.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
Who celebrate their heritage is ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Now to be upset with the people who are causing
damage and destruction, one arrest them tonight, put them under
the jail. I have no problem with that. These are
the wrong people. These are agitators who are coming out
(19:49):
for different reasons. Besides what the people who are joining
the peaceful protests are out there for us. And so
let's not conflate or confuse the two things.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Got it the city of Los Angeles and your estimation
standing with Governor Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass or are
there an abundance of folks that are siding with Trump
and his position and that of his administration and with
their stances, how would you say things are looking in
that regard amongst Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
I'll say this. I'm not a polster, but i will
tell you this.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
The city of Los Angeles is based on working people.
This city works because there are working people of all nationalities,
and many of them Latino that.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
Help keep this city moving.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
When you make those people afraid to go there to
send their kids to school, afraid to go to work,
afraid to go and do the essential jobs that they have,
and that's a problem.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
Because you are crippling the city.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
We are seeing this with farmers all over the country
who are losing their workers, construction sites who are losing
their workers. And when people applaud that in American productivity plummets.
And that's a problem because you're working against our own
best entry. So look violent criminals, get him out of here.
People who are doing bad things, get him out of here.
But there are lots of people who are violent of
(21:08):
all race, creeds, and color, and so let's just keep
that in mind before we single out certain people. Is
President Trump doing what he said he was going to do.
He is, And I'm not mad at him for doing
what he said he was going to do. If we
had a problem with it, we should have gone to
the polls and.
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Taken care of that.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
And now everyone has to get ready for the midterm elections.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
There you go, Kevin, I will say this, Stephen voted.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
No one voted.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
I don't think anyone voted for him to usurp the Constitution.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
And is that what is believed he's doing.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
The Constitution is there for a reason, and I believe
that if you are creating laws and things that allow
you to work around it, through it, or push it
to a side, then that's a problem because that's the
most un American thing there is. You know a lot
of people were upset before and when they were saying
unconstitutional things were being done on both sides. And if
(22:11):
you are if you are not following the constitution of
the law of this land. I have a problem with you.
I don't care what party you are from. And by
the way, just like you, I'm disgusted by the way
the Democratic Party has conducted itself.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
It's been horrible. What they have done to this nation
is horrible.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
I am disgusted by some of the things that the
Republican Party is doing right now. What we need is
we need people who actually care about the people in
this country and are not putting their self interest first.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
See, I'm gonna stop you right there. We gonna end
this interview because then the next thing you're gonna say,
you're gonna try to get me to run agains. See,
people don't know behind the scenes, even trying to get
me to run for office, it ain't happening.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
How it talks about Steve.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
We've got a lot of talks about this and we
and I have said that there has to be a change.
There has to be a voice that is coming from
the mall and can see both sides. We can't be
afraid of each other, or we can't be afraid to
talk to each other. And one of the things I
love about this show, and you know why we are
so close, is because it's about bringing everybody on to
(23:12):
speak their mind and let them speak their peace. I'm
not gonna interrupt you. I'm not gonna argue. I'm gonna
let you speak your piece, and that's what it's about.
You have to hear the other side to know what
they're thinking. So in that way, I do think that
there are things that we are discussing and you need
to think about, and we'll get into that later.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
There's more of that.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Maybe I'll be lucky enough to get Gavin Newsom to
stop running and come on the show. Maybe that'll happen,
but we'll talk about that.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
I don't think he's running, Steve. I don't think he's running.
I don't think it's okay.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Though I understand Kevin Frazer, appreciate you. Man, stay safe
out there, even though it's not as bad as it's
trying to be.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Paid it out to be.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Y'all spoke to you last night while all of this
stuff was all over the news. You're like, I'm right
here in near downtown. I'm absolutely fine. That's what you're saying.
That's why I had to have you on the day.
Thanks a lot man be Et Awards.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Do you think Mariah Carey is gonna come into a
riot to accept an award.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
That's true, That's true. Appreciate you, bro, thanks a lot, man.
We'll only give them phrase you right here in the
House of stephen A. Smith Show. Coming up, the NBA
Finals head to Endy for Game three with the Pacers
and Thunders splitting the first two games, which squad has
the advantage in the series so far. I'll get into that,
but first some more bars and Roley Gaines get into
a ward words over the inclusion of transgender athletes in
(24:24):
women's sports. Rodley Gaines joins me next on the show
with her side of the story. Stick around. It's boy,
stephen A in the house. Why would you go any
All right, everybody listen up. We're all the big tom
sports action is happening.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Each and every day.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
The Steven A. Smith Show wants to make sure you
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Prospects.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Hey, Hey, run your game. Welcome back to the Steven A.
Smith Show. My next guest is a former NCAA All
American swimmer turned conservative pundit who now hosts the Games
for Girls podcast on OutKick dot com that focuses on
current events, social issues, and topics related to women's rights
(25:46):
and gender equity. Please welcome to The Steven A. Smith Show.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Miss Riley Gaines, Riley Howard you, how's everything?
Speaker 5 (25:52):
I am fantastic, super excited to be on with you today,
So thanks for the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Please my pleasure, thank you for coming on. Let me
give the audience some background on the story. Last week,
a transgender softball pitch in Minnesota named Marissa Rothenberger led
Champlain Park High School to a state championship. This athlete's
participation in the girls' softball season was in defiance of
President Donald Trump's executive order of keeping biological men out
(26:18):
of women's sports. The high school league removed comments from
a post showing the winners of a softball state championship.
So I know you reacted to that. I want to
know what was your reaction when you saw all of that.
Could you remind how audience of what it was?
Speaker 6 (26:34):
Absolutely? Well, this was about two weeks ago at this point.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
Understand that week we saw in five different states California, Washington, Oregon, Maine,
and Minnesota, boys take qualifying spots, state championships or podium
spots from deserving girls. This case of Minnesota that you're
referring to, this was a boy who pitched five games straight,
thirty five consecutive innings, only two runs. Of those thirty
(27:01):
five innings, I think he pitched twenty one shutout innings.
They won the state championship. It was his team's first
time ever even making the state tournament.
Speaker 6 (27:09):
Of course, they went on to win.
Speaker 5 (27:11):
He led his team in a way that I would
describe not very valiantly. Nonetheless, to be very clear, this
boy is following the rules that were in place by
local leadership, state leadership, of course, at the interscholastic level.
But nonetheless it violated federal law. That federal law being
Title ninth. So I was quick to call this out,
as I have done for years after experiencing personally the
(27:35):
effects of competing against a man. So that's a little
backstory here. The issue is still happening. It continues to
persist with full steam ahead and no signs of slowing down.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
And how long have you maintained I don't want to
say this is new to you, because, like you said,
you've been speaking on this for quite some time. I'm
assuming when you talked about having personally experienced competing against
the man as a swimmer, I'm assuming you alluding to
Leah Thomas. I want you to talk about the origins
of your feelings and how outspoken you have been about
this particular issue in the past.
Speaker 6 (28:06):
Yeah, yeah, I'll give you the thirty thousand foot overview.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
Swimming University of Kentucky did some great things in my career,
twelve time All American, five time SEC champion, the SEC
record holder in the two hundred butterfly, making me one
of the fastest Americans of all time, two time Olympic
Trial qualifier. The list goes on, but really, just to reiterate,
it's a lifelong journey to be able to compete and succeed,
really at the highest level. Senior year NCAA's we're geared up,
(28:33):
ready to go. This is the meat you work all year,
really all your life for championship final of the women's
two hundred freestyle, meaning top eight women in the entire country.
And I look over at the lane a couple lanes
over for me, and there's a six foot four man
standing there, his size fifteen feet taking up the entire
diving block visible from his side profile is not only
(28:55):
his Adam's apple, but to be pretty explicit here and
again just describing what we saw and his women swim suit.
I recognize this to be wrong, as did ninety nine
percent of athletes on that pool deck, but everyone was
terrified to say it. Jumped in the water, We swam
eight laps of freestyle, touched a wall at the end,
and almost impossibly enough, Steven, we went the exact same time,
(29:17):
meaning tied down.
Speaker 6 (29:18):
To the hundred of a second, which is really rare
in our sport. We get out of the water, we.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
Go behind the awards podium where the nc DOUBA official
looks at both Thomas and myself, Thomas towering over me,
eight nine inches taller than me, and the official says,
great job, you tube butt.
Speaker 6 (29:33):
You tied. We don't account for ties. We only have
one trophy and we're going to give that trophy to.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
Leah wo And when I asked the dread question of why,
the question that they weren't prepared to answer.
Speaker 6 (29:44):
They weren't given a script.
Speaker 5 (29:45):
Of what to say when asked this question, he stumbled
on his words, but ultimately was honest and said, look,
we've been advised as an organization, as the NC DOUBLEA,
that when photos are being taken, it's crucial that the
trophy is in Leah's hands. And I'll tell you what.
That's when I made my mind up that I would
say something again. We all recognized it. My coaches, the athletes,
athletic directors, the officials at the meet, they all knew
(30:07):
it to be wrong, but everyone was terrified.
Speaker 6 (30:09):
To say something.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
So that was the competition piece on top of the
locker room, which is again a totally violating experience, on
top of the silencing that we faced. All those were
contributing factors, and ultimately the stance that I've taken a
little over three years ago at this point.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
How much resistance have you experienced since you've taken those stance.
Speaker 5 (30:30):
Man, I think back to twenty twenty two, where it
was certainly not as favorable as it is now to
say the controversial thing that men and women are different.
I mean, I've been in situations where my well being, my.
Speaker 6 (30:46):
Safety is at risk. I've been held captive.
Speaker 5 (30:49):
For over five hours, four and a half hours is
actually in San Francisco, where a mob of protesters demanded
that I had to pay them money if I wanted
to make it back home to see my family safely. Again,
I mean, even just a month ago, not even a
month ago, in Seattle, I had human feces thrown at me.
In Portland, there were about five people arrested for trying
(31:11):
to terminate my life. And again, Stephen, like, I think
my take is just about the least controversial take on
the entire planet. It's described as an eighty twenty issue.
I think it's more drastic than that. I think it's
a ninety ten issue, if not even more than that.
Ninety percent of Americans of course believing that men don't
(31:33):
belong in women's sports, but for saying that out loud,
publicly and unapologetically, you're really met with some of the
most hostile and oftentimes violent encounters that you could possibly imagine.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Now See, I'm liberal when it comes to living and
let living. Okay, that's my general stance. Well, when you're
talking about women competing in sports against transgender women, men
transitioning the women, I side with you one thousand percent.
I have no problem with your position whatsoever, and I'm
not scared to say it, and I've never been scared
to say it. I think that's absolutely the right thing
(32:09):
to do. Women should be competing against women, men should
be competing against men, and transgenders should be competing against transgenders.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
I have no problem with it whatsoever.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
I don't know why that's controversial, But when you think
about what you've been exposed to, on what you've had
to deal with, it brings us to Simon Biles, which
is why this is a subject that we had to
tackle because your stance and your position recently when you
spoke about the person from Minnesota that prompted Simone Biles
to post this about you quote.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
This is her quote about you.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
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 people
feel safe in sports. Instead you bully them. One thing's
for sure is no one in sports is safe with
(32:59):
you you around end quote. What was your immediate reaction
when you saw what Simone Biles had to say about you?
The great Olympian that she is because nobody could question
her gridentchus And now that you've had an opportunity to
reflect even further on what she has said, what is
your reaction now when.
Speaker 6 (33:16):
I first got this notification on my phone.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Of course, as you just said, Simone her illustrious career,
what she's done for the sport of gymnastics, what she's
done for women's sports in general, much broader than gymnastics.
I have looked up to her and admired her. I mean,
I watched her compete in twenty sixteen, twenty twenty twenty four,
the past eight ish, I guess nine years.
Speaker 6 (33:34):
At this point, I've admired Simone Biles.
Speaker 5 (33:36):
So when I got this notification on my phone that
I had been tagged in something on X from Simone,
I was like overwhelmed with excitement and starstruck. And I
click on it and I read what you just said
out loud, and I read it again and again, and
I clicked the profile, and then I went back and
I clicked the profile again to make sure it was
it was really Simone Viles, This wasn't a fake account,
(33:57):
and it really was Simone Biles. And I was heartbroken.
And I'll tell you what. I wasn't heartbroken because of
the personal attacks, because of her calling me a bully
or saying that I'm disgusting or truly sick or whatever
she said. It wasn't that that hurt my feelings because
I'm a very secure person. I'm secure with myself, I'm
secure with the side of history that I'm on, very
(34:18):
happily married for three plus years. None of those personal
attacks bothered me. But what did bother me is knowing
the platform that she has, and how she was so
quick in such a venomous way to sell out young
girls like my little sister. My little sister's sixteen years old.
She's an elite level gymnast. She's I come from a
(34:39):
family of athletes like my dad played professional ball SEC
Hall of Famer. My brother played football in college, of course,
went to University of Kentucky. My mom was a Division
one softball player. My oldest sister went to Ole Miss
she played softball. My youngest sister is the best athlete
out of all of us. She will go on to
do incredible things whatever she does in college. And beyond
(35:00):
why my heart broke in that moment, I'm sure you'll
you'll continue to read the next tweet that Simone put out,
which we can discuss, But in that moment, I was
so just disappointed and disheartened to know a woman who
has done so much for the sport was so quick
to pull up the ladder behind her. Is how I
would describe it.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
In your response to Bills, you brought up Larry Nasser,
and that's where that's the only thing that you said
where I took issue. I took Umbradguge with you said,
because you brought him up. This is the former national
team doctor who sexually abused multiple US gymnasts, including Biles,
under the guise of quote unquote medical treatment. You wrote
quote all the horrific sexual abuse Simone Biles witness and
(35:44):
spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women
should be forced to strip naked in front of men
to validate the man's feelings. You know how many gold
medals you'd have if your inclusive dream came true? Zero?
I want I that was the only thing that I
criticized as you fought, because I thought that was really
really below the bell, considering how heinous of an individual,
(36:06):
how despicable Larry Nassa was, and what some o Biles
was subjected to because of that man. Any regrets at
all about saying that bringing out Larry Nassa is what
I'm asking.
Speaker 6 (36:17):
I stammer what I said, but let me provide a
little context.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Okay, First of all.
Speaker 5 (36:21):
For clarity, I believe Larry Nasser is a monster and
who should spend every single waking second for the rest
of his life miserable and rotting away in prison. There's
no me and Simone certainly agree there contexts here.
Speaker 6 (36:35):
For the situation. Again that my own personal.
Speaker 5 (36:37):
Experience that I can speak to. I don't know if
you've ever been inside of a.
Speaker 6 (36:41):
Locker room, specifically a locker room on.
Speaker 5 (36:43):
A pool deck. Right, it's an open space. It's basically
like a large square. There is no stalls beyond the
stalls that you use the restaurman, but you're not putting
your suit on or of course showering in those stalls.
Does it get more perverted than being in a shower,
which is typical for a swimming locker room, especially you're
in the chlorine, you get out, you're in the pool
(37:04):
five times a day, you rinse off. Does it get
more perverted than standing in the shower totally undressed when
a six six foot four man approaches you, stands in
the shower head next to you, undresses himself fully naked,
fully intact, and watches you shower. That's the context I
was drawing, and to me, that is sexual abuse. What
(37:25):
me and my teammates had to go through was certainly
sexual abuse. Again, for clarity, I think what simone her
teammates went through is condemnable and punishable beyond what we face.
Speaker 6 (37:36):
Again, there's no doubt in my.
Speaker 5 (37:38):
Mind there but to try to normalize this, or, in
Simone's case, attempt to silence those who speak out about this.
That's the conclusion I was drawing here. No girl should
have to go through this, whether it is rape, whether
it's unwanted touching, whether it's voyeurism, whether it's indecent exposure.
And no woman should ever ever be shamed for pointing
(37:59):
out when men are abusing women. I found a video
of Simone testifying before Congress the same seat I have
found myself in. I've testified before Congress in the Senate
many many times, and I listened to the part of
her testimony.
Speaker 6 (38:13):
I posted a video of it, a little.
Speaker 5 (38:14):
Clip of it, where she's of course speaking to the abuse,
speaking to how horrific, speaking to how no woman should
have to go through this again. And our messages sounded
the exact same when I sat in that seat. She
got emotional in her testimony. I got emotional in my
testimony describing this. That's the conclusion I was drawing here. Again,
it is easy to condemn Larry Nasser, but I believe
(38:37):
it should be just as easy to condemn those who
attempt to normalize or think it's not on a scale
of gross sexual offense against women and girls to have
men undressing and showering next to women.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Riley, I can push back, but I won't even try.
And the reason why I won't even try is because
you make a very very valid point. First of all,
your personally experiences. Secondly, you're a lady. I am not,
and so when you talk about what's offensive to you.
One of the things that I have a problem with,
particularly with people on Capitol Hill, is when men are
trying to tell women how they should feel about their experiences,
(39:12):
as if they know. It's one thing for you to
have an opinion, but it's another thing for you to
come across as if you know something, it's impossible for
you to know. I can never know what Riley Gains
just alluded to other than how you explained it. So
I really appreciate that point, and I thank you for it.
I got to ask you this question, is there a
resolution when we think about the whole trans issue in sports.
(39:36):
I don't have any problems with anybody from the LGBTQ
plus community. Live your life, do what you do. I'm
not trying to be invasive in that regard. But when
we talk about transgender issues in the world of sports,
it seems to me, from a society perspective, we're being
a bit hypocritical because we go out of our way
to talk about the protection that women need in terms
of Title nine fair and equitable treatment under the laws
(39:58):
of our land. But somehow, in a way, something like
this comes up and we forget those very things with
somebody like you essentially was reminding us we have forgotten
about that, but you did it. So that's a testament
to you. But when we talk about an equitable solution
to the issue of trans athletes, is there a solution
that you think exists out there, because it doesn't seem
(40:18):
like there is one.
Speaker 5 (40:20):
It's a good point you bring up, and it's simone
mentioned in her initial tweet, right creating a third category
almost I'll tell you I initially supported this idea.
Speaker 6 (40:29):
I believe this was a way to prioritize inclusion, but
not at the expense of safety.
Speaker 5 (40:35):
Number one in fairness number two. But I'll tell you
when I changed my mind. This was done. FINA, the
international governing body of swimming, created a third category at
the international level, like a very high level of competition
for people like Leah Thomas or those who are identify
as trands, gender, nonconforming, non binary, whatever. It is a
(40:56):
separate category for that no one can pete in it. Actually,
Thomas went on to sue World Aquatics for this new rule,
ultimately making the point that he doesn't want to compete
if he can't trample on women in the process. Here
then I began to really think about it. It is
antithetical to sports to have a category based on identity.
(41:20):
We don't have a category based on identity any other identity, right.
We don't have a category based on race, and we
absolutely shouldn't. We don't have a category based on religion,
and we absolutely shouldn't. Sports aren't about your feelings ultimately,
at the end of the day, they're just not.
Speaker 6 (41:33):
You can make the argument.
Speaker 5 (41:34):
About, of course pee wee leagues or twelve and under
or whatever you know division that is, I think, especially
before puberty, but you reach a certain point and sports
are about winning.
Speaker 6 (41:45):
It's about success.
Speaker 5 (41:46):
And I don't know if you saw, even just this afternoon,
some own biles issued an apology to me. I think
it was a bit of damage control personally, but nonetheless
I fully fully accepted her apoontology, but in her apology
she mentions, you know, we need to be striving for
inclusivity and competitive equity.
Speaker 6 (42:07):
The idea of.
Speaker 5 (42:08):
Sports inherently are inclusive, Stephen. Anyone can play sports. That's
the beauty of sports. That's why I love them. It's
really this unifying experience that again I got to be
a part of, that I got to benefit from. But
on the other hand, competition by definition is exclusive. So
the idea of competitive equity is totally nonsensical. I believe
(42:30):
the solution is what is at least has been in
front of us the past, actually this month, it'll be
in the past fifty three years since Title nine was implemented.
You have a men's category and you have a women's
category that allows for everyone under the sign to be.
Speaker 6 (42:44):
Able to compete.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
You know, that's a compelling argument.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
I would tell you that when you think about the
Paralympics and other things, I mean, you see people with
disabilities and what have you competing against people with disabilities.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
So that's where my idea came from.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
In terms of women, women, men, men trans in other words,
compete against your own If you're a man, transitioning into
being a woman then compete against other men transitioning into
being a woman, and vice versa. It shouldn't be you
infiltrating women's sports in that way. I've always agreed with
that position. I'm not about the city and be a phony.
A disagree with you now, Riley Gaines. I really really
(43:18):
appreciate your time. Thank you very very much. Arguments with
very reliquent. I got very little pushback to provide you
new the one pushback that I had, but you explain
that thoroughly, and I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
Are you hoping to speak to Simone Biles soon?
Speaker 1 (43:31):
Look?
Speaker 6 (43:31):
I would love it.
Speaker 5 (43:32):
In my response to her apology today, I conclude it
by saying, look, I welcome you to the fight to
support fair sports and a future for female athletes. I
would love to have a discussion to further elaborate again
in the position that I have taken, the line that
I have drawn in the sand, why I will never
back down from that.
Speaker 6 (43:51):
I would love the opportunity to do so.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
Okay, well, there's always a place here for you anytime
you want to discuss these issues. I'm not running or
hiding from it. Really, thank you. For your time. Thank
you so much for coming on and explaining your position.
I really appreciate it. And good luck with your show.
Good luck with your podcast. I mean you're doing good
things with it. Keep it going.
Speaker 6 (44:08):
Thank you, thank you. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (44:10):
Okay, one of the only Riley Gaines right here on the
steven A. Smith Show.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Coming up, the NBA Finals heads to Indy with the
Pacers and Thunders splitting the first two games. So who
has the edge heading into Game three? I'll get into
that next right here on the stephen A. Smith Show.
Don't go away, Welcome back to the Steven A. Smith Show.
Now let's get to the NBA Finals, where the series
(44:33):
shifts to Indy and the Pacers holding home court advantage.
After stealing Game one from the Thunder on the road,
Oklahoma City bounced back with an emphatic Game two win
on Sunday night to even the series. It's not over.
This is still a highly competitive series, and I give
Indiana a lot of credit for that because I never
anticipated that they would win Game one the way that
they did, to be down fifteen, to come back, to
(44:54):
be down fifteen with over nine minutes left, and to
come back and to win that game. Gotta give a
lot of credit that particular game. Nie Nie Smith, them
Hard Miles turn Up, Pascal Siakam, all of them showed
up with big buckets down the stretch, set in the
stage for Tyrese Halliburton to hit his winner with zero
point three seconds left in regulation. Deserves a lot of
(45:16):
credit in that span this postseason, this brother, Tyrese Halliburton
in fifteen seconds or left left in regulation or over time. Okay,
this brother has gone five for five from the field,
while the rest of the NBA in the postseason has
gone four of twenty six. You can't say enough about
(45:37):
that from Tyrese Halliburton and his performance in Game one,
meaning that big time shot. But for the most part
he's been relatively neutralized because the star of this series,
made no mistake about it, has been Shaye Butter as
in Shae Gil just Alexander as in the reigning league
MVP just finished averaging thirty two point seven a game.
He's averaged at least thirty over the left three seasons.
(46:01):
He's twenty six years of age, Ladies and gentlemen, doesn't
even shoot that many threes. But the brothers mister mid range.
He's got a nasty handle, he can create his own shot,
and he can get to the rim anytime he wants to.
And the reason I'm bringing that up is because if
you're Halliburton, who everybody's been talking about, is this young
superstar and I said, no, he's not a superstar, not
there yet. The brother can play. He's not overrated, he's
(46:22):
not a scrub, but he's not a superstar. That would
be Shay gil Just Alexander. Here's the flip side to
all of that. Shay Gilgers Alexander is not only a star,
a superstar, but he plays the same position as Tyre's Halliburton.
They're damn near the same height. For crying out loud,
You've got to step up and handle your business. This brother,
Shay gilg Just Alexander dropped thirty eight in game one,
(46:43):
drop thirty four in game two, averaging thirty six on
the series.
Speaker 2 (46:47):
You got to answer that call.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
You can't be at averaging eleven points or fifteen points,
rather shoot thirty three percent from the field. You can't
go the first forty minutes of the game with just
five points and you score twelve points in the fourth quarter.
When the game is out of reach, that ain't good enough.
So Halliburton's got to do more. Pascal Siakam, you can't
be held to three four eleven shooting with Alex Caruso
(47:11):
guard and you have the Tom. You gotta take advantage.
You gotta find a way. Because Indiana, as potent as
they can be, Oklahoma City is a different beast. This
defense is elite. Lou Dort is an elite defender, Alex
Caruso is an elite defender. Cason Wallace can defend. And
then when you take into account that Shay Gilgers and
Jalen Williams also do defend as well, and a Jalen Williams,
(47:35):
your second best offensive player is a cat, only two,
one of two in the entire NBA. Him and Evan
Mobley are the Cleveland Cavaliers who will All NBA, All NBA,
on an All NBA team, but also on an All
NBA defensive team. Only two players did that this year,
Evan Mobley and Jenden Williams. So there's no drop off
(47:56):
with OKC.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Everybody defense, everybody defense.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
And then when you got this cat Wiggins coming off
the bench and he gives you eighteen points on five threes,
and Caruso is opening a corner three or four times
for his corner threes and he's given you twenty and
not a single Indiana pacer has scored twenty points in
games one and two of this series. Indiana has to
show up. Game three is pivotal for them. They must
(48:24):
at least split or it's over in five. Five, they
gotta split or it's over in five. So you gotta
wins game three or four. And I think they are
better chances to win Game three as opposed to Game four.
They gotta show up, will they?
Speaker 2 (48:42):
That remains the question.
Speaker 1 (48:44):
It's an intriguing one though, because Indiana can score, and
because they can score, who knows how interesting they may
make this. Oklahoma City is clearly the better team. That
does not mean Indiana can't win. Keep that in mind.
I'm still with those O, KC and six, but Indiana
better win one of these games or they ain't going six.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
That's it for this edition of The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Speaker 1 (49:11):
Hope you like it. I got a head to the
NBA Finals, But I'll holler at y'all in a couple
of days and tell.
Speaker 2 (49:15):
Them, ladies and gentlemen, the peace of love. I'm not
Host
Stephen A. Smith
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