Several high-profile figures in the sports world reacted with shock and condemnation after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University and later died, President Donald Trump announced.
Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck onstage on Wednesday and was rushed to hospital, where doctors attempted to save him, according to multiple reports. He founded the youth activist group Turning Point USA and had become a frequent presence on college campuses; he was a husband and father of two.
British sports presenter Laura Woods wrote on X early Thursday that she was "horrified" by the killing and described Kirk as an "absolutely formidable commentator." Woods, who works for networks including ITV, Amazon Prime and TNT Sports, said she had watched Kirk "a lot, not because I agreed with everything he said, but because he was an absolutely formidable commentator and could debate in a relentless, yet respectful way." She added, "Shot in the throat for using his voice. I’ll never get that image out of my head. Horrifying."
Woods has previously engaged publicly on political issues and in 2024 said she received death threats after commenting on a Paris Olympics gender boxing controversy. She has denied partisan labels on social media in the past.
Boxer and internet personality Jake Paul posted on X that "Charlie Kirk got shot for telling the truth. That is literally it," and called the moment a "mentally sick time" while offering prayers for Kirk's family. Paul publicly endorsed Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Golfer Phil Mickelson said he had not met Kirk but was "gutted by this atrocity," and argued that open debate and free speech are essential. "Violence for disagreeing with someone is sick, deranged, and creates a greater division that becomes harder to overcome," Mickelson wrote.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was on a live stream when the news broke. Jackson appeared stunned and said, "What? He died? Ohhh he died, Charlie Kirk died. That's sad, for having an opinion about things."
Major League Baseball's New York Yankees held a moment of silence before their game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium, which the team said brought the stadium to a standstill. The organization's X account posted that the club held the silence "in memoriam of Charlie Kirk."
Kirk's profile as a conservative activist and commentator made him a frequent target of national debate; his death prompted swift responses across sports, where athletes, broadcasters and teams expressed sorrow and reiterated support for free speech. Officials with Utah Valley University and law enforcement are handling the ongoing response to the shooting, and further details about the circumstances and investigation have not been detailed in the statements cited by sports figures.
The reactions from the sports community underscored the broader national attention to the attack and the continuing intersection of politics, media and public life.