Olympic Stars Comments At Awards Event Stirs Debate
The 2024 ESPY Awards took place Wednesday night in Los Angeles, once again doubling as a celebration of athletic excellence and a showcase of ESPN’s increasingly politicized programming. While the event is intended to honor the year’s top sports achievements, it quickly veered into controversy — particularly when gymnast Simone Biles took the stage to accept her award for “Best Championship Performance” following her all-around gold medal win at the 2024 Olympics.
Biles, an 11-time Olympic medalist, opened her remarks with a quip: “That was very unexpected, especially in a category of all men. So thank you guys so much.” While delivered with a laugh, the comment immediately drew attention for its not-so-subtle undertone — interpreted by many as a jab at advocates fighting to preserve fairness in women’s sports, including former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines.
Simone Biles is HER ⭐ pic.twitter.com/UlxxGdSryf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 17, 2025
Biles’ comment comes just weeks after she publicly criticized Gaines on social media. Gaines has become a prominent voice against allowing biological males to compete in female athletics, citing firsthand experience competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. Gaines has consistently framed the issue as one of fairness and safety, a position that has drawn both support and hostility in the national discourse.
Unlike Gaines, Biles has never competed against male athletes in women’s events. Her ESPY award was the result of a public vote, not direct competition with male counterparts. The implication that she “beat the men” conflates an entertainment accolade with athletic parity — a misleading comparison in an already polarizing debate.
@Riley_Gaines_ 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 feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender… https://t.co/pjpzuZ0AlO
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025
Also present at the ceremony was Biles’ husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens, whose physical stature underscored the biological differences that are central to the issue. The question posed by critics is pointed: would Biles — or any elite female gymnast — be able to compete against male athletes in direct, regulated Olympic events? The answer is self-evident.
While comedian Shane Gillis used his time on stage to take aim at political correctness through humor — as expected of a comic — Biles occupies a very different role. As a decorated Olympian and global role model, her public statements carry added weight, particularly when they appear to dismiss concerns shared by female athletes across the country.
Our words can defend girls.
Or erase them. @Simone_Biles is choosing to erase them.
At @xx_xyathletics we are part of the cavalry standing up for them and amplifying their voices.
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) June 7, 2025