Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has never been shy about offering her opinion. That was proven true last week when Cunningham was the center of an ESPN feature, and she discussed 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,'” she told the Worldwide Leader “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.”
Advertisement
After being asked to address her comments, Cunningham doubled down, saying, “I said what I said.”
Now there are consequences.
In response to Cunningham’s comments, some community members in Seattle are planning a “With Love is Truth” rally before Tuesday’s Fever-Storm game.
The announcement reads:
Women Are Real, Known Heretic, and Brandi Kruse are organizing a celebratory pre-game fan rally with local female athletes outside Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday, July 28, before the Indiana Fever take on the Seattle Storm. The rally will show public support for Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who has faced a wave of criticism since a July 22 ESPN profile in which she expressed support for female-only sports and locker rooms. Cunningham describes her position as one of honesty and care, saying her concern is for young girls who should not have to compete against males. “With love is truth,” she said, and we agree.
Will the WNBA step in?
Many fans on social media were outraged that Cunningham’s comments have led to a situation that will undoubtedly make an already vulnerable community feel even less safe. There were multiple calls for the league or Fever to do something about the planned rally.
Advertisement
“The Fever org and WNBA should be ashamed of themselves if they do nothing to stop this,” one fan posted.
“When is the league gonna address the harm sophie is inciting??” someone else wrote.
“I know at this point it really shouldn’t be, but this is absolutely blowing my mind. if the league or teams and players involved don’t say anything about this, it will be an extraordinarily irresponsible misstep, imo,” another fan added.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said over the WNBA’s All-Star Weekend that racism, misogyny, homophobia, and harassment have no place in the league. Now is a chance for her to back up her words with action and denounce the rally.
Advertisement
The post WNBA facing calls to cancel rally Sophie Cunningham ‘incited’ with anti-trans comments appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.
