A softball hall of famer has issued a stark warning about the consequences of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports, amid an ongoing culture-war row engulfing the WNBA. Leigh Ross-Dakich, who won more than 500 games as head coach at Bowling Green and Syracuse, made the comments during an appearance on "Don't @ Me," the OutKick show hosted by her husband, Dan Dakich, arguing that female pioneers in athletics are increasingly alarmed at where the debate could lead.

Ross-Dakich suggested that women working in sports media risk sidelining themselves professionally by continuing to promote the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's competitions. Her comments come as the row intensifies across women's basketball, with figures including Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase defending trans inclusion while advocates such as Riley Gaines have reported being confronted by activists at WNBA games.