Simone Biles has decided to delete one of her social media accounts in the wake of her recent feud with former swimmer Riley Gaines.
Gaines, a former 12-time All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky, retired from competitive swimming in 2022 after she tied for fifth in an NCAA event with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. Gaines has since become a full-time political activist who advocates for keeping biological men out of women’s sports.
Biles and Gaines began feuding earlier this month when Gaines was outspoken about transgender softball pitcher Marissa Rothenberger leading Champlin Park High School in Minnesota to a state championship. Biles responded by calling Gaines a “straight up sore loser” in a social media post.
“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 category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!” Biles wrote on X, via Caitlin McCormack of the New York Post.
Fans then dug up a post from 2017 in which Biles mentioned how it is a good thing men do not compete in women’s gymnastics because men would take all the gold medals. Gaines highlighted the post, and Biles eventually issued an apology.
“I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport,” Biles wrote. “The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.”
US Olympian Simone Biles publicly apologies after advocating for Men to be allowed in Women’s sports.
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) June 11, 2025
The tide is turning. pic.twitter.com/ILqPmtiC4b
It seems as though the backlash toward Biles has continued, as she decided to deactivate her X account over the weekend. Gaines called attention to the decision and attributed it to the fallout from Biles delivering an “incredibly unpopular and morally indefensible take.”
– has an incredibly unpopular and morally indefensible take
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 23, 2025
– gets rightfully ridiculed for it
– issues a groveling public apology after unrelenting backlash
– deletes account to pretend it never happened
Sad to see such a phenom go down like this https://t.co/AiYir3kRG5
Biles has won 11 Olympic medals (7 gold) and 30 World Championship medals, which makes her the most decorated gymnast in history.
Following a disappointing showing at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, Biles dominated the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She won gold medals in the team, all-around and vault events, while capturing silver in the floor exercise.
Biles will be 31 at the time of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif., and she was recently asked whether she is planning to compete.
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Left-handed starting pitcher Blake Snell is in his tenth major-league season after making his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016. Snell spent time with the San Diego Padres, then signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants after the 2023 season, which he later opted out of to enter free agency in 2024. The 32-year-old veteran signed a five-year, $182 million contract this offseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers after an exceptional 2024 campaign. Snell earned such a lucrative contract thanks to his outstanding career to date, which includes two Cy Young Awards and an All-Star appearance. Over 213 career starts, he owns a 77–58 record, a 3.18 ERA and 1,372 strikeouts. Snell was placed on the injured list on April 6 (retroactive to April 3) with left shoulder inflammation after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session; he had made only two starts for the Dodgers before the injury. After four minor-league rehab outings, manager Dave Roberts announced on Sunday that Snell is expected to rejoin the rotation next week. With his return looming, the Dodgers have decided to shift to a six-man rotation but now face a decision on right-hander Dustin May’s roster status. May returned to a full-time starting role for the first time in two seasons and has struggled. On Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, May allowed four runs in five innings of work, and he entered the start with an ERA of 4.73. May’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, and he is a candidate to potentially be moved to the bullpen. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have plenty of suitors for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A new team has reportedly entered the market for his services. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have reached out regarding Suarez. While Lauber did not provide any indication as to whether or not those talks have gained traction, the Phillies are an intriguing suitor for the Diamondbacks' third baseman. The Phillies' interest may be a recent development. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated on Friday that the Phillies could emerge as a suitor in the wake of third baseman Alec Bohm landing on the injured list with a fractured left rib. Suarez is in the midst of what is arguably his best season thus far. He has produced a .249/.321/.587 batting line in 421 plate appearances entering Saturday with 36 homers and a major league-leading 87 RBI. Suarez would be more than just another powerful bat in the lineup. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper are both left-handed hitters — adding Suarez would provide more balance in the batting order. He would also provide a counter against opposing managers bringing in a lefty reliever to face Schwarber and Harper. The biggest question would be how the Phillies would handle an eventual logjam on the roster. Bohm is expected to return from the IL in mid-August and would not have a clear path to regular at-bats if Suarez were acquired. Schwarber could theoretically return to left field to open up playing time at the DH spot, but his outfield defense is mediocre at best. However, as the Phillies are also looking to upgrade the outfield, where Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have been disappointments, adding Suarez could solve several problems in one fell swoop.
The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback and former Iowa State star Brock Purdy is gaining more chemistry with his tight end, George Kittle. This offseason, Purdy bought a house in Nashville, Tennessee, making it easier to get to Kittle's compound for extra training. “With Brock down there, it’s really fun,” Kittle said. “They give us a list of routes that they want us to focus on, and for us to be able to run 20, 30, 40 routes, two to three days a week, that helps me. So when we get back and we show up here, it’s not like we are running routes for the first time and have that rust.” Kittle is coming off a great 2024 season, where he hauled in 78 receptions for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns. “Obviously, got some work with Kittle, Mason Pline,” Purdy said. “Obviously at George’s place it’s just a bunch of tight ends and everything, but really good work that we got, so I was excited about that.” Kittle has been Purdy's top target since he became the starting quarterback. In the 2024 season, Purdy completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Purdy has been an efficient passer since his time with the Cyclones. In his senior season with Iowa State, Purdy completed 71.7 percent of his passes for 3,188 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. With the extra offseason work, Purdy and Kittle have strengthened their connection, and they should have a great 2025 season. Read More Iowa State Cyclones Coverage