Two Sophie Cunningham fans were asked Sunday to cover shirts supporting the Indiana Fever guard and her stance on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. According to the fans, they were given a choice: comply or leave State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
The incident took another turn when another fan wearing a shirt supporting transgender athletes was reportedly also asked by WNBA security to cover the message.
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The league later acknowledged that its security made a mistake, but the explanation did little to settle questions from Cunningham supporters about whether the WNBA is applying its standards consistently.
WNBA Under Fire Again as Sophie Cunningham Fans Question League’s Neutrality After Fever-Dream Clash
Kasey Thomason wore an “XX/XY” shirt, while her daughter, Annie Thomason, had “For the Girls” printed on the back of her shirt during the Fever-Atlanta Dream game.
In an interview with YouTuber Adam Francisco, Kasey said the pair were doing nothing more than cheering for Cunningham when they were told to cover their shirts or leave the arena.
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Another woman wearing a “Protect Trans Rights” shirt was reportedly asked to do the same.
On Monday, the WNBA said in a statement that the incidents “should not have happened.” The Dream added that the actions taken by WNBA security “fell short” of the standards of a “safe and inclusive environment” the team is promoting, while emphasizing that the restrictions were made by league security rather than Dream personnel.
The league’s acknowledgment, however, did not immediately end the controversy.
The following day, Cunningham’s supporters spoke with Fox News about the incident and the WNBA’s response.
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Kasey, speaking with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, argued that preventing a similar situation in the future should not require complicated rules or another public controversy. She stressed that “common sense” is all that’s needed to ensure the incident does not happen again.
When asked whether they were confident there would be no repeat, Annie offered a much less optimistic answer.
“It’s 100% going to happen again until people actually do something about it.”
That skepticism comes as supporters and critics of Cunningham’s position on women’s sports have increasingly followed Fever games and clashed over the issue.
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The latest controversy has also revived questions about the WNBA’s claim that it wants to remain neutral.
Cunningham supporters suffered a similar incident in Seattle last month, when a fan supporting the Fever guard was reportedly asked to remove a message, while a supporter of transgender rights was allowed to keep hers.
There was another contrasting example earlier this month, when Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt while facing the Fever, without apparent resistance from the arena or WNBA security.
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The WNBA has now admitted that what happened in Atlanta was a mistake. But for Cunningham’s supporters, that admission only raises the next question: if neutrality is the goal, will the same rules actually be applied to everyone?
Until the league can provide a clear answer and demonstrate that consistency in practice, the debate over fan expression is likely to remain just as loud as the one happening on the court.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
