NBA legend and TNT sports analyst Charles Barkley isn’t known for toeing anyone’s political line, but in an interview Thursday on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me” with Dan Dakich, he made his stance crystal clear on one of the most contentious issues in sports today: biological men competing in women’s sports.
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“I’m gonna make this very simple for you, Dan,” Barkley began. “Men should not play sports against women.”
In an era where even questioning the fairness of male-born athletes competing in female divisions is treated as if it were heresy in elite coast circles, Barkley didn’t flinch. He made it clear that his position is simply rooted in common sense.
“I’m not going to get into all the bulls—t that’s going on out here in the world today. If anybody think that, I think they’re stupid,” he said bluntly.
Barkley, who has long voiced his support for the gay and transgender communities, emphasized that his view doesn’t come from a place of bigotry. “I support the gay community 100%. I support the transgender community 100%,” he stated. “But I do not, under any circumstances, under… zero, think that men should play sports against women.”
And in a rare show of backbone from someone in the sports media establishment, Barkley added, “If anybody have a problem with that, they gonna have to get over it, because I’m not going to change.”
Unlike many public figures who cave the moment social media turns hostile, Barkley stood firm and unapologetic. “I just think it’s wrong, period. If people disagree with me, I’m good with that. Hey, we disagree.”
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To his credit, Barkley also modeled how to disagree without descending into the name-calling that dominates so much of the debate today. “I’m not mad at you. I don’t hate you. I’m not going to call you names, ’cause that’s just silly and stupid,” he said.
“But I’m never gonna think it’s all right for men to play sports against women,” he added.
What makes Barkley’s stance even more impactful is that he doesn’t consider it radical at all—just common sense. “I don’t even think that’s controversial. That’s the thing that’s funny,” he noted.
“Like when you see these debates on television, like, ‘Yeah, men shouldn’t play sports against women.’ I’m done. I don’t want to hear you try to explain it to me,” Barkley said, before doubling down again: “No, no. Uh, no, no, no. I don’t want to hear it. I’m not going to argue with you. Men shouldn’t play sports against women. I’m done. There’s a lot s—t we can argue over. That ain’t one of them.”
“I do not under any circumstances, zero, think that men should play sports against women…I’m done. I don’t wanna hear you try to explain it to me.”
Charles Barkley had some STRONG words for people who think that MEN playing in WOMENS sports is ok 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jnQ0y1FIXY
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 9, 2025
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It’s a sign of the times that simply stating the obvious qualifies as headline news—but here we are. Charles Barkley isn’t a conservative by any stretch, yet he has the plain old commonsense to recognize that biological men shouldn’t be competing against women in sports. Most Americans agree—this isn’t some fringe opinion; it’s an 80-20 issue. But we live in an era where even mild dissent from gender orthodoxy can get you canceled. That’s what makes Barkley’s blunt honesty not just refreshing, but genuinely courageous. He said what most people believe but are too afraid to say.
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