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Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) warms up before a game Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana Fever reserve guard Sophie Cunningham has been at the center of the discourse in the WNBA for the last two weeks. In a profile on her published by ESPN, Cunningham touched on what she felt was necessary to “protect women’s sports.”
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham, who some fans call “MAGA Barbie said. “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.”
Just a few days later, Cunningham doubled down when speaking to local media.
“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham said earlier this week. “And I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.”
Cunningham’s comments ended up being a sparkplug for online debate, with some, such as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, taking her side, and others, such as her childhood friend and podcast cohost West Wilson, vehemently disagreeing.
Some of Cunningham’s supporters organized a rally on Tuesday outside of Climate Pledge Arena ahead of the Fever’s game against the Seattle Storm. Tensions from the rally boiled over inside the arena and resulted in a verbal exchange between two young fans and Storm minority owner Celeste Keaton. The league fined the Storm for the incident and suspended Keaton for the next five home games.
Here we go again?
Another rally is being planned ahead of Indiana’s game against the Portland Fire on Friday, and the Fire organizatoin is intent on making sure no repeat incidents occur.
“The Portland Fire are aware of the ‘Sophie Cunningham rally’ and seem to be ‘taking extra measures to make sure fans feel supported and safe’ at tomorrow’s game, per a Portland Fire season ticket representative,” Fire reporter Eddie Perez posted on X before following up with more.
“The Portland Fire have officially announced in a recent email, ‘content must be directly related to the event. Flags are not allowed.’ Seems like the Fire aren’t okay with having fans wave trans flags or display signs in support of the trans community at tonight’s game…”
“This league is heading to the gutter.”
Fans on social meida were outraged that Portland would prevent fans from supported a vulnerable community.
“This league is heading to the gutter,” one fan posted on X.
“Conservatives are winning. Hate won. Fear won,” another fan added.
“This is heartbreaking. Trans rights, lives, people, matter. To do this is simply cruel,” someone else wrote.
“Disgusting stuff,” one fan put simply.
Hopefully, vulnerable peoples everywhere and from all communities are aware that they are supported and loved as they are, even if that support and love isn’t always visible.
The post ‘Disgusting stuff’: Outrage mounts after transgender flags are banned from Sophie Cunningham game appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.
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