MSNBC’s Monday edition of The 11th Hour could not hide their displeasure that Republicans were forcing them to talk about the competitive integrity of women’s sports. Host Stephanie Ruhle claimed that conservative concerns don’t “have any evidence,” and The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser claimed it was “very painful” to have to spend time discussing the issue.
After a clip of Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Ruhle quickly grew impatient, “This is not a topic we cover much here, but it's an important fact-check because Senator Tuberville has made this claim before. Last month he said it while championing his bill to ban trans athletes from women's sports. An Alabama news outlet reached out to his office for evidence that there are teams comprised only of trans girls and they didn't have any evidence.”
Ruhle then sought to provide context but only ended up making an unrelated point, “When pressed, they said that Tuberville was referring to the fact that he had heard stories. He just heard them out there in the ether about women who have lost trophies and scholarships to trans athletes. So, I just want to set something for the record: in December, the president of the NCAA told a Senate panel that he knew of fewer than ten, fewer than ten transgender athletes in all of college sports, and to Tuberville's claim that women's sports are going extinct.”
To fact-check Ruhle’s fact-check: it does not matter if “fewer than ten” such athletes exist. When their best umpire recently got caught up in a betting-related scandal, Major League Baseball didn’t downplay it by saying, “He’s just one umpire.” Furthermore, the world of women’s sports is bigger than the NCAA. The organization Women’s Sports Policy found 578 male victories in women’s sports in a nine-month span. Other studies showed 28 males winning girls’ or women’s championships from 2003 through 2022.
Nevertheless, an exasperated Ruhle kicked the conversation over to Glasser, “Let me remind you: 2024 was one of the biggest years in women's sports we have ever seen. Led, of course, by record TV ratings for women's basketball and women's soccer. Susan, why are we even still talking about this?”
Glasser began by lauding Ruhle’s so-called fact-check, “Well, Steph, that's a powerful fact check. And, you know, to be honest, I think we know why we're talking about it. It's become a really successful political talking point in the culture war for Republicans.”
She continued, “And it's very painful to see many, you know, vulnerable people in our society targeted like this. And I, you know, it makes me deeply uncomfortable because I think that's the point, is to beat up on people who can't really speak for themselves and to distort a painful issue. That seems to me that it should be best left to families and their communities and their doctors and, you know, not the stuff that we talk about on the news.”
Ruhle then reiterated that, “It's a super powerful talking point, and I just want our audience to know that it's not true.”
That is half right. It is a super powerful talking point, but it is because it is true.
Here is a transcript for the March 3 show:
MSNBC The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
3/3/2025
11:17 PM ET
STEPHANIE RUHLE: All right. This is not a topic we cover much here, but it's an important fact-check because Senator Tuberville has made this claim before. Last month he said it while championing his bill to ban trans athletes from women's sports. An Alabama news outlet reached out to his office for evidence that there are teams comprised only of trans girls and they didn't have any evidence.
When pressed, they said that Tuberville was referring to the fact that he had heard stories. He just heard them out there in the ether about women who have lost trophies and scholarships to trans athletes. So, I just want to set something for the record: in December, the president of the NCAA told a Senate panel that he knew of fewer than ten, fewer than ten transgender athletes in all of college sports, and to Tuberville's claim that women's sports are going extinct.
Let me remind you: 2024 was one of the biggest years in women's sports we have ever seen. Led, of course, by record TV ratings for women's basketball and women's soccer.
Susan, why are we even still talking about this?
SUSAN GLASSER: Well, Steph, that's a powerful fact check. And, you know, to be honest, I think we know why we're talking about it. It's become a really successful political talking point in the culture war for Republicans. And it's very painful to see many, you know, vulnerable people in our society targeted like this. And I, you know, it makes me deeply uncomfortable because I think that's the point, is to beat up on people who can't really speak for themselves and to distort a painful issue. That seems to me that it should be best left to families and their communities and their doctors and, you know, not the stuff that we talk about on the news.
RUHLE: It's a super powerful talking point and I just want our audience to know that it's not true.
