Charles Barkley On Nike Trans Youth Study 'Have To Be Very Careful' With Kids

Nearly three weeks since OutKick reported that evidence strongly suggested that sports apparel giant Nike funded a study on "transgender" youth athletes, the company has remained virtually silent about its alleged role. Perhaps Nike believes that ignoring it will make it go away. 

But that's not the case. The public deserves answers. And pressure is mounting on Nike to come out and explain itself. 

To that end, NBA legend Charles Barkley appeared on OutKick's "Don't @ Me" with Dan Dakich and Dakich asked Barkley his thoughts on Nike and the study. While Barkley said he wasn't aware of the study, or Nike's potential role, he made his position on the general subject quite clear. 

"I'm gonna make this very simple for you, Dan. Men should not play sports against women," Barkley said. "I'm not gonna get into all the bullshit that's going on out here in the world today." 

While Barkley also made it clear that he's against discrimination – specifically against gay and transgender people – there's no world in which males belong in women's sports. 

"Men should not play sports against women. If anybody thinks that, I think they're stupid," Barkley continued. "I support the gay community 100%. I support the transgender community 100%. But I do not, under any circumstances… think that men should play sports against women. And if anybody has a problem with that, they're gonna have to get over it because I'm not gonna change my [mind]. I just think it's wrong, period." 

He continued: "I don't even think that's controversial… I don't wanna hear you try to explain it to me. No, no, no, I don't wanna hear it. I'm not gonna argue with you. Men shouldn't play sports against woman. I'm done." 

NBA legend Charles Barkley joined OutKick's Dan Dakich and talked about the alleged role Nike has played in funding a study on youth "transgender" athletes.

(Imagn Images & Getty Images)

Later in the conversation, Dakich circled back specifically to the point that the alleged Nike study involves children as young as 12-years-old. He noted that it's one thing for adults to choose to take life-alternating medications or have elective cosmetic procedures on their own bodies, but doing that to kids is just plain wrong. 

"This drives me batshit crazy," Dakich began. "Adults getting these surgeries for their little kids to transition when they're like 8, 10-years-old… Don't f**k with kids, Charles. That's my thing. Don't f**k with kids in all this transgender transitioning stuff." 

Barkley responded, "I don't even think anybody knows who they are as a young kid. So I think we have to be very careful because you don't want to put kids in a disadvantageous situation, because, hey, when you get older, you can make your own decision. But I think we have to be very careful screwing around with kids because they're not fully developed as a person." 

That's the most insidious part of the "transgender" youth athletes study. We're talking about children whose lives are being altered because they feel like they were born in the wrong body? Kids don't know what they need, and they don't always know what's best for them. That's the point of having parents. That's the reason the law defines people under 18 years old as minors. 

"As an adult, we really don't pay half the shit our kids say any attention [and] not just on the transgender thing. Most adults, we're like, 'yeah, my kids are a pain in the ass. I'm not even paying them any attention,' so you have to be very careful with that." 

Couldn't have said it any better, Chuck. If a child went to his or her parents and said they felt like they weren't meant to have two arms, society would shun any adult that responded, "Well, we should surgically remove your other arm, then." 

Sounds silly, doesn't it?