Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell has publicly expressed regret over his handling of a contentious 2022 sports conference panel about trans-identifying athletes competing in women’s sports.
The 62-year-old “Outliers” author made the admission during a Tuesday podcast appearance on “The Real Science of Sport” with host Ross Tucker.
Gladwell described feeling “ashamed” of his performance at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, which focused on the “path forward for the inclusion” of so-called trans athletes in women’s sports.
The renowned author confessed he was “cowed” by public pressure during the high-profile event.
“I’m ashamed of my performance at that panel because I share your position 100 percent and I was cowed,” Gladwell told Tucker during the podcast interview.
Tucker had appeared on the same panel and argued against transgender inclusion in women’s sports at the conference.
Gladwell acknowledged that he was “objective in a dishonest way” during the 2022 discussion.
The conference featured a stark contrast in audience reactions to different panelists’ arguments.
Tucker noted that his statements were typically met with silence from the audience.
Meanwhile, pro-transgender panelists Dr. Joanna Harper and ESPN writer Katie Barnes received enthusiastic applause for their positions.
Gladwell estimated that audience sentiment may not have aligned with the vocal reactions heard during the event.
“My suspicion is that 90 percent of the people in the audience were on your side but 5 percent of the audience was willing to admit it,” Gladwell recalled.
The “Tipping Point” author admitted he himself did not express his true position at the time of the conference.
Gladwell described a pivotal moment during the panel that crystallized his concerns about the trans-identifying athlete debate.
“The trans athlete on the panel, at one point they turn to you, Ross, and they said, ‘Ross, you have to let us win,’” Gladwell recounted.
This exchange marked a turning point in Gladwell’s understanding of the issue.
“And it was at this moment that I realized this position, this argument has gone to the furthest extreme,” he explained.
Gladwell characterized the request as going beyond seeking equal treatment or respect.
“They’re not asking for a place at the table, they’re not asking to be treated with respect and dignity. What they’re asking is for no one to question their considerable physiological advantage they bring to the sport,” Gladwell stated.
Despite his internal reaction to this moment, Gladwell remained silent during the actual panel.
“I heard that and thought, ‘This is nuts,’ and yet I didn’t say anything,” he admitted.
The author’s public statements at the time presented a markedly different perspective from his current position.
The New York Post highlighted that during the 2022 conference, Gladwell spoke about former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas in notably different terms.
He described Thomas as “an elite swimmer” who was “breaking lots of records right now” and questioned whether she could qualify for the Olympic team.
Gladwell also characterized Thomas’s participation in women’s sports as merely a “difficult case” at the time.
He suggested the issue was primarily being discussed by Fox News, implying it was a partisan concern rather than a broader athletic integrity matter.
Both Gladwell and Tucker expressed belief that public opinion has shifted significantly since the 2022 conference.
They suggested that if the same panel were held today, the overall outlook and reception would be completely different.
Gladwell attributed this change to broader cultural shifts extending beyond just sports.
“The cultural winds have shifted,” the author explained simply.
He noted that even advocates for transgender inclusion are being forced to adjust their arguments.
“Even the advocates are having to shift their feet and make a different claim,” Gladwell observed.
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