Sports

Did Lia Thomas decide to swim with a men's team after facing "extreme criticism" for transitioning and swimming with female teams? No, that's not true: This claim about the transgender woman swimmer comes from a satirical website that has a history of fabricating content surrounding popular topics. The site says in its About section that it brings "the freshest fake…

Did the crowd at the December 9, 2023, Army/Navy football game chant "Fuck Joe Biden"? No, that's not true: The cadets and midshipmen shouted no such thing. The original audio was removed and new audio was dubbed in. The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) published on Instagram by truth_seeker_speaker_ on December 9, 2023, under the title…

Is the NCAA transferring swimmer Lia Thomas' medals to Riley Gaines? No, that's not true: An NCAA spokesperson told Lead Stories that this claim is false. A site that originated the claim says its satirical articles are "not meant to be taken seriously." The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on December 3, 2023 (archived here). Above a side-by-side…

Do NFL referees now have the authority to disqualify players for kneeling in protest during the national anthem? No, that's not true: This claim comes from a satirical website that has a history of fabricating content surrounding popular topics. The site carries a disclaimer that states, "Everything on this website is fiction." Lead Stories found no credible reports about what…

Was Colin Kaepernick "fired from his new job as a high school coach" after only six games because kids couldn't stand him? No, that's not true: The claim is derived from an article copied from a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content to embarrass conservatives who repost it as true. That website displays a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on…

Does a video show California's governor, Gavin Newsom, falling down the steps while deplaning? No, that's not true: According to the person who first posted it, the footage, filmed in 2014, shows Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who at that time was the coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats. The California's Governor's office confirms that the video does not show Newsom. The old…

Did former basketball star and current media personality Shaquille O'Neal promote a stimulus check card? No, that's not true: The video making this claim uses a fake voice. O'Neal did not actually contribute his likeness or his voice to an advertisement for the so-called stimulus check card. The claim is the latest effort in a continuing scam to deceive online…

Do two separate images show professional soccer player Lionel Messi holding up a Palestinian flag and an Israeli flag, seemingly in support of both? No, that's not true: Both the images are altered to show Messi with the respective flags. The original images have nothing to do with either Palestine and Israel and were taken as part of a sports…

Did U.S. Army Rangers stop an improvised explosive device (IED) attack at the World Series parade for the Texas Rangers? No, that's not true: This story is from a satirical website. Google News also did not show any relevant results to this claim. The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on November 5, 2023, titled "White…

Does a nighttime video on social media showing a large group of people marching down a street depict a pro-Palestinian protest in France? No, that's not true: It shows soccer fans in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The video was shot on October 5, 2023, two days before the start of the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict. The claim was implied in a post…

Were swimmer Lia Thomas and the NCAA forced to pay swimmer Riley Gaines millions of dollars in a lawsuit? No, that's not true: This claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. That website has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in an article published by conservativetears.com…

Is an image of cheering Atlético Madrid soccer team fans with a giant Palestinian flag authentic? No, that's not true: A representative for the sports team was quoted as saying that this image was not authentic. An AI image detector site rated the image 99.9 percent likely to be AI generated. Lead Stories could not find an article from a…

Was swimmer Lia Thomas "Booed Off Stage at the 'NCAA Legends' Meet and Greet"? No, that's not true: This claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The website where this claim originated has a disclaimer that reads "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in an article published by The Dunning-Kruger…

Did celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay ban soccer player Megan Rapinoe from his restaurants for life? No, that's not true: This claim is from a satirical website with a disclaimer that tells readers everything on the website is fiction. There is no evidence from legitimate news sources that Ramsay has banned Rapinoe from his restaurants. The claim appeared in an article…

Does a video on social media show scenes of Egyptian Bedouin Muslims heading to the border of Gaza to demand the borders be opened for Palestinians and to participate in a jihad "against Zionists"? No, that's not true: The video features two different scenes showing large numbers of trucks traveling together. Both predate the Hamas-Israel conflict that started in October…

Does a video of parachutists landing in a crowd show Hamas militants dropping among Israeli citizens ahead of an attack at a musical festival on October 7, 2023? No, that's not true: The clip was originally posted to TikTok on September 27, 2023, which predates the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel. Furthermore, an analysis of the clip shared online…

Does a video show "Gaza right now" with the sky in Gaza lit up bright red as rockets and bombs burst in the air? No, that's not true: The video is from a huge celebration with fireworks by fans of soccer team Belouizdad (who were crowned champion in Algeria in the summer of 2020), as multiple similar videos show. It…

Did star tennis player Venus Williams receive a standing ovation for "refusing to play a trans woman"? No, that's not true: The claim came from an article on a website that's part of a satirical network. The publishing network's Facebook page says "Nothing on this page is real." The claim appeared in a post on Facebook (archived here) on October…

Did National Football League (NFL) coaches unanimously vote to ban "anthem kneeling" permanently? No, that's not true: An NFL representative told Lead Stories that this claim was "totally false." A Google News and NFL.com search did not yield evidence of such a vote, and Lead Stories found the same story reposted on a satire website. The claim appeared on Facebook…

Did Deion Sanders, head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, bench "one of his best" players for kneeling while the national anthem was playing? No, that's not true: The claim was featured in an article on a satirical website. The site's About Us page says: "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in an article (archived…