Last night’s New York Liberty vs Indiana Fever game turned into a tense environment due to multiple groups rallying about Sophie Cunningham one way or another. The Fever shooter speaking against transgender children competing in women’s sports led to various groups who agree with her appearing at WNBA games to express that. More groups rallied outside of Barclays Center to speak in support of Cunningham’s message, but even more counter protestors showed up to support the trans community.
However, the more memorable story came during the game. Liberty fans can submit messages to show on the scoreboard, and many sent messages supporting the transgender community:
Cunningham got many boos whenever she touched the ball or entered the game. However, she also had a lot of fans there to support her, whether it was the political groups or Fever fans there to cheer on Caitlin Clark and company.
New York fans are significantly more liberal and made sure to make their voices heard in support of trans children. The hometown fans got the last laugh when the Liberty won a close game late thanks to outstanding performances by Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich. Clark having an embarrassing final 30 seconds, and Cunningham failing to have a good night led to the NYC fans celebrating the win even stronger.
Did The Liberty Intentionally Show These Messages?
One could argue that the Liberty may have just let fans submit messages and not checked them, but that seems unlikely. A major sports venue with a popular team that welcomes fan friendly crowds will always check to make sure nothing offensive gets on the screen.
The Liberty have a very proud LGBTQ community who love feeling represented and don’t take kindly to any groups being targeted. Jonquel Jones, Stewart, and a handful of other gay players take strong pride in their roles to back up their fans.
It makes complete sense that the Liberty would show these messages to support their own fans. Cunningham and the Fever were the enemies this night for the basketball aspect of the game. However, the political groups invading the stadium to make it about Sophie’s message inspired NYC to make their voices heard.
Sophie Cunningham Commented On New York Fans
The WNBA has started to play with fire of having politics becoming a huge part of the game due to all the rallies associated with Cunningham. Following the game, Cunningham tried her best to say that she’s not getting involved in the outside stuff and focused on the game.
However, she also praised those rallying in her name as using their free speech to speak on an issue they believe in. Cunningham also tried to stay neutral by telling reporters that she wasn’t outside protesting and didn’t want many questions about that.
Various cities have witnessed this happening when the Fever visits them, but this was the largest crowd due to the counter protestors showing up. Cunningham will likely remain in the news for this reason. Unfortunately, that makes life harder for Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston as they hope to win a WNBA Championship.
Liberty Celebrated Pro-Transgender Fan Messages Vs Sophie Cunningham Fans