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Jul 12, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts after scoring against the Las Vegas Aces during the third quarter of a WNBA basketball game at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
The Indiana Fever, winners of their last five games, have surged to fourth place in the WNBA standings following Friday night’s win over Portland Fire, which saw superstar point guard Caitlin Clark notch the fourth triple-double of her career.
However, despite their on-court success, the narratives surrounding the Fever have been dominated by the comments made by reserve player Sophie Cunningham on transgender athletes participating in sports.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham said in an ESPN profile published a couple of weeks ago. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that 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 comments proved controversial and have resulted in rallies supporting Cunningham being held prior to Indiana’s last two games, with another one being planned for Sunday’s matchup with the Minnesota Lynx.
On Friday, Cunningham addressed the rallies for the first time, giving “props” to the people attending.
“I think it’s people just practicing their rights of freedom of speech and doing what other fans have been doing since the WNBA has started, and so props to them, props to everyone who was able to be confident and be bold and courageous enough to speak their truths,” Cunningham said Friday, via The Athletic.
Cunningham added that embracing the rallies is a way for the league to be inclusive.
“I think this is a great opportunity for the WNBA. You know, they preach diversity and being inclusive. So, what a great opportunity for them to actually be that.”
Is Cunningham using calculated tactics?
Many fans on social media were livid with Cunningham for “weaponizing progressive language.”
“Absolutely sickening of her to try to ground her anti-trans rhetoric in the history of inclusion in this league, which it is directly in conflict with. This is becoming a common right wing tactic, weaponizing progressive language against the marginalized. Calculated, disgusting,” one fan posted on X.
“The more she speaks, the worse it gets! Nobody wants to hear her anyways, so just stop talking,” someone else added.
“The conservative definition of inclusion is they get to say and do as they want and nobody is allowed to push back,” another fan added.
“Transphobes can suck it. And [expletive] Sophie Cunningham. They had 10 protesters in Portland, and everyone booed them. You anti–trans protesters got nothing! A real movement would have drawn 10k. You had 10,” one person wrote.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White spoke before Friday’s game about the controversial subject matter, and her comments focused on not “excluding” anyone.
“I don’t ever believe that exclusion is an answer,” White said on Friday. “I just don’t. I do think, you know, when we think about various levels of sport, various governing bodies of sport and things that go into that, like I said, I’m not— I’m not educated enough at the different levels. I know growing up I played with the boys all the time.”
The post ‘Absolutely sickening’: Sophie Cunnningham sparks outrage after she supports ‘anti-trans’ protesters appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.
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