Polarizing Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham continues to find herself in the news at the center of sports meeting politics. Cunnigham recently went out of her way to declare that she doesn’t believe trans athletes belong in women’s sports. This has led to both WNBA fans who support or oppose her making their voices heard via rallies or protests. Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Dream featured fans choosing to make their voices heard.
News of fans wearing pro trans athlete shirts saw them censored and asked to remove them, which led to Cunningham surprisingly defending her critics:
“None of these shirts are violent or mean. They express (a) belief. We may not agree, and that’s fine. I think everybody should get to wear what they want, and I think the league is making a mistake by attempting to censor anybody.”
Cunningham cited the “trans kids belong” shirts being censored as the WNBA making a mistake by getting involved. League officials did acknowledge that the censorship should not have occurred and the local venue’s security made a poor judgment call. Fever games often have a lot of attention due to Caitlin Clark’s star presence. Unfortunately, the Indiana games are becoming equally known for drama as they are good basketball.
Why Sophie Cunningham Defended Her Critics
The shirts in support of youth trans athletes were censored due to security feeling it was meant to target Cunningham. Despite opposing the sports element of competition, Cunningham seemingly does not want to ruin the game experience for those WNBA fans.
The message was meant to support trans youth more than it was meant to name and shame Cunningham. Fans boo her all the time due to controversial stories linking her more to right wing politics than any other WNBA star today. Some WNBA diehards feel like anti-LGBTQ messages being represented at games go against what the league stands for.
To her credit, Cunningham showed respect to her critics here and feels the league is creating a bigger issue. Indiana has tried to focus on basketball with the trio of Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell all playing All-WNBA level hoops.
Sophie Cunningham Being More Aware Of Her Words
While Cunningham refuses to back down against her beliefs, it has become clear that she and the Fever team want to avoid political drama. Clark’s rivalry with Angel Reese and run ins with other players have led to Fox News and other right wing outlets covering the league with more scrutiny.
Cunningham is trying to stay away from that controversy since she’s become more aware of what she shares publicly. Few quotes about politics or drama-filled topics see Cunningham focusing more on the end of the regular season as an important Fever role player.
Expect Cunningham to stay quiet until the postseason ends, but then she may become more vocal again for the positives that come for her brand. Various business opportunities have come to Cunningham via this controversy, including her signature shoe selling out. However, winning is the most important thing this season and Indiana will be fully focused
Sophie Cunningham Comments On WNBA Censoring Her Critics