Activists in XX-XY Athletics shirts ejected from Portland Thorns match; they allege assault by fans
Podcaster Brandi Kruse and about 20 activists wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts were removed from a Portland Thorns match at Providence Park on Friday. They say fans assaulted them and security removed them instead; the club has not publicly responded in the coverage.
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The story, neutrally told
Right · 1On Friday night, Seattle podcaster Brandi Kruse and several others wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts were forcibly removed from a Portland Thorns game at Providence Park. Hot AirR “Seattle podcaster Brandi Kruse and several others said they were assaulted and forcibly removed from the game because they wore shirts from XX-XY Athletics” Read at Hot Air ↗ Right · 1Fox News's OutKick put the group at around 20 "Save Women's Sports" activists, who it said were escorted out after being struck and verbally berated by other fans during a demonstration supporting female-only sports. Fox NewsR “Around 20 "Save Women's Sports" activists wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts were forcibly escorted out of a Portland Thorns match on Friday night” Read at Fox News ↗ Right · 1Hot Air described video posted by Kruse in which a female security guard grabs and twists her arm behind her back and pushes her up the stairs, while other fans waving trans flags shout "shame" and insults. Hot AirR “a female security guard is seen grabbing and twisting Kruse's arm, pinning it against her back, then pushing her up the stairs and out through the stands” Read at Hot Air ↗
Right · 1Kruse said she had bought a ticket and asked repeatedly what she had done wrong; she wrote that the group wore their shirts peacefully, were assaulted by fans and were then forced out by security. Hot AirR “Kruse can be heard in the video initially saying she has purchased a ticket and was not going to leave, then repeatedly asking what she had done wrong”“We peacefully wore our shirts. We were assaulted by fans. Then WE were forced to leave” Read at Hot Air ↗ Right · 1Activist Amy Sousa said on Fox News's "The Faulkner Focus" that attendees were hit with food, beer, flags and poles, and that she and others filed police reports. Fox NewsR “Sousa said she and others were bombarded with food, beer, flags and poles.”“filed police reports after being escorted out of the stadium” Read at Fox News ↗ Right · 1Sousa said security told her the shirts did not violate any policy; she suspects the group was removed because security "could not protect us adequately from the fans" harassing them. Fox NewsR “Sousa said she was told by security that their XX-XY shirts did not violate any sort of policy” Read at Fox News ↗
Right · 1OutKick reporter Matt Calkins, credentialed for the match, said he was flipped off, called a Nazi, had his phone knocked from his hand and beer poured on his neck, and a security guard pulled his credential from his neck while he interviewed Sousa and returned it seconds later without explanation. Fox NewsR “He was flipped off, called a Nazi, had his phone knocked out of his hand and had beer poured on his neck.” Read at Fox News ↗ Right · 1Security director Jim McCausland replied by text that he had no time to talk, and the Thorns' communications director did not respond to OutKick's questions about why the XX-XY attendees, not those who allegedly assaulted them, were removed. Fox NewsR “Director of Security Jim McCausland was texted for comment, per OutKick's request, but said he did not have time to talk.” Read at Fox News ↗ Right · 1Sousa said a smaller group was also removed from a Thorns game in early September, when she was accused of being "transphobic"; she says the group's aim is protecting the category of sex and Title IX, and cited 12 girls walking off a field in Camas, Washington, because a boy was competing. Fox NewsR “A smaller group was removed in early September, when Sousa said she was accused of being "transphobic" for her pro-women apparel.”“12 girls walked off their field because of a boy competing against them” Read at Fox News ↗
Right · 1Hot Air reports pressure is growing on Providence Park and the Thorns; the allegations of assault come from the activists and have not been independently verified in this coverage. Hot AirR “Pressure is increasing on Providence Park Stadium and the Portland Thorns soccer team” Read at Hot Air ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets present the activists as peaceful victims who were assaulted by fans and then removed, and question why security and the club acted against them rather than the alleged aggressors.
- Emphasis
- Video of the arm-twisting removal, the activists' accounts of being struck and doused, the reporter's own treatment, the club's lack of response, and the Title IX and girls' sports message.
- Leaves out or plays down
- No account from the Thorns, stadium security, or the fans involved; no stated stadium policy or reason for removal beyond Sousa's suspicion; no independent verification of the alleged assaults.
- Charged language
- “forcibly removed”“political theater”“assaulters”“Save Women's Sports”
What every side reports
- Activists wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts were forcibly removed from a Portland Thorns game at Providence Park on Friday night.
- The activists say fans assaulted or struck them before the removal.
Where accounts differ
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Why the group was removed
- Right
- Sousa says security told her the shirts broke no policy and suspects they could not protect the group from fans; no club explanation is reported.
XX-XY Athletics organisation
Its supporters say they peacefully wore shirts to promote female-only sports, were attacked by fans, and were removed instead of their aggressors.
“we were forcibly removed from a women's sporting event for expressing support for the very category that makes that event possible” — Fox News
Portland Thorns organisation
The club had not answered OutKick's questions about the removals; its security director said he had no time to talk.
“OutKick also reached out to the Thorns' communication director for comment” — Fox News
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right2 articles
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Hot AirR ·
Soccer Team, Security Scrutinized After Podcaster, Group Ejected Over T-Shirts
Sympathetic Reports Kruse's account and video of her removal, stressing mounting pressure on the club and stadium.
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Sympathetic Gives Sousa a platform to describe being attacked and ejected, notes the club's non-response and the reporter's own treatment.
- 27 Oct 18:00 First Hot AirR Soccer Team, Security Scrutinized After Podcaster, Group Ejected Over T-Shirts
- 27 Oct 21:57 +3h 58m Fox NewsR XX-XY Athletics activist speaks out on ejection from NWSL match after fans threw food and beer at them
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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