Sophie Cunningham Draws Backlash for Stance Against Transgender Athletes in Pro Basketball

Just as the WNBA prepares for its All-Star Game this weekend in Chicago, Indiana Fever forward Sophie Cunningham finds herself under scrutiny for comments she made about transgender athletes.In a candid, wide-ranging interview with ESPN, Ms. Cunningham addressed everything from the political nicknames thrust upon her by the public to the controversial debate surrounding transgender athletes in women’s sports. Ms. Cunningham said she feels qualified to weigh in on safeguarding women’s sports because she lives and operates daily inside that world. In the ESPN interview she pushed back against online accusations that her stance is trans hate.“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” Ms. Cunningham said in the article. “And I’m like, I never once said that. I think I’m here to extend love. But I also think with love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”The public response on social media was explosive and fractured. One user wrote on X, “Sophie Cunningham is unafraid. Unafraid to be blatantly transphobic.”Another user posted, “Calling trans women biological men is a message of hatred.”Conversely, traditional sports fans and conservative commentators defended Ms. Cunningham, applauding her willingness to speak out on a topic where other high-profile female athletes have historically avoided.During the ESPN interview, Ms. Cunningham was asked directly about the controversial “MAGA Barbie” moniker that has been attached to her. The Fever forward dismissed the label as lazy, superficial projection rather than an accurate reflection of her actual views. She said some people assume her political identity based entirely on what she looks like and where she is from, Missouri.“I’m very much in the middle,” she said. “I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides. And that’s all I’ve ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume.”The timing of Ms. Cunningham’s comments add to the scrutiny over the league’s selections of its charity initiatives surrounding the All-Star Game.While the league proudly advertised that the prize money would benefit organizations keeping young girls active in sports, reports have emerged revealing one of the chosen charities, Girls in the Game, explicitly states under “Our Values” that it seeks to move beyond the binary of “girl,” and welcomes “gender-expansive participants regardless of gender identity or expression.”The inclusion of the gender-expansive charity drew a swift reaction from former NCAA swimmer and biological-sex sports advocate Riley Gaines. Taking to X, Ms. Gaines wrote, “In the least surprising news of the day, the WNBA continues to be a parody of a professional sports league committed to its own self-implosion.”Ms. Cunningham, the Fever’s top reserve player, was not selected for the All-Star Game despite enjoying one of the best seasons of her career, averaging 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 89.4 percent from the free-throw line.Despite being one of the most recognizable faces in the league, she also wasn’t selected to participate in Friday’s 3-Point Contest, though she is shooting a career-best 43.7 percent from beyond the arc to rank sixth in the league. The six-player field for the 3-point contest features Azzi Fudd, Bridget Carleton, Natisha Hiedeman, Rhyne Howard, Marina Mabrey and Janelle Salaun.Ms. Cunninghan had hoped to be among the participants before the selections were announced. “I think it would be a cool opportunity if I get chosen,” she said while hosting a youth camp in Carmel, Indiana. “If I’m not, that’s OK.”

Sophie Cunningham Draws Backlash for Stance Against Transgender Athletes in Pro Basketball

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