Former ESPN star Jemele Hill defended journalist Matt Calkins after he resigned from The Seattle Times over a spiked column linked to the Sophie Cunningham trans athlete debate.
While Hill sharply criticized Calkins’ views, she supported his right to publish the piece he wrote after fans rallied behind the Indiana Fever guard’s outspoken stance on women’s sports.
Ex-ESPN Star Defends Columnist Who Quit Over Spiked Article Connected to Sophie Cunningham Debate
When Cunningham spoke out about keeping biological men out of women’s sports last month, she ignited a national debate. But her message was straightforward. She wanted to advocate that female-only sports aren’t about being anti-trans or hating anyone; it’s strictly about protecting fair competition for women.
Still, her stance sparked demonstrations outside and inside WNBA stadiums, including a major one outside Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena. Seeing the crowd, Calkins, a longtime Seattle Times sports columnist, decided to get the young women’s perspectives on the ground.
He interviewed two student athletes. Firstly, 16-year-old runner Ahnaleigh Wilson, who lost a track race to a biological male in middle school, and secondly, a basketball player, Frances Staudt, who “faced daily verbal abuse” after refusing to play against one.
Just like Cunningham, both girls emphasized that they harbored no hate toward trans people; they just wanted a fair shot in their own sports categories. Moved by their stories, Calkins wrote a column centered on a basic premise that supporting sex-segregated athletics doesn’t automatically make someone transphobic.
However, after he submitted the piece, his editors sat on it for several days before spiking it entirely. Their excuse? Calkins hadn’t given them “advance notice” about the topic. After 11 years at the paper, Calkins knew it was time to leave.
He resigned, took his work to Substack, and called out the newsroom on X. The resignation quickly blew up across sports media, catching the eye of former ESPN star Jemele Hill. Though Hill made it clear she rejected his stance, she firmly defended his right to publish it, writing:
“It’s not the first column of his to be spiked, and while I strongly disagree with all of the columns the Times didn’t run, they should have published them. Unless these columns were factually inaccurate or not meeting journalistic standards, run it and deal with the fallout.”
“If people get [expletive], so be it. Let him have to defend his [expletive] opinions in the public square. I totally get why he resigned,” Hill added.
It’s not the first column of his to be spiked and while I strongly disagree with all of the columns the Times didn’t run, they should have published them. Unless these columns were factually inaccurate or not meeting journalistic standards, run it and deal with the fallout.
If… https://t.co/65BAK6Vll3
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) August 20, 2026
Hill was far from alone in calling out the paper, as many WNBA fans slammed The Seattle Times.
Ultimately, Calkins’ exit reveals how hard it has become for old-school media companies to handle complex cultural debates. However, when these newspapers censor authentic on-the-ground voices to possibly avoid backlash, they arguably fail their readers and destroy the very core of journalism.
