Sophie Cunningham is finding herself under more and more scrutiny and pushback since revealing her stance on trans athletes in women’s sports and doubling down on it. More and more big names have come out to criticize her, including Women’s World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe. The soccer legend pointed to her relationship with former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, a well-known conservative activist.
“I don’t know Sophie, so I can only project what I see about her beliefs based on her actions. And seeing a picture of her with Riley Gaines after the game told me everything I need to know about what’s happening,” Rapinoe said on her podcast on Thursday. “Riley Gaines has made it her life’s mission to exclude trans people from public life.”
Rapinoe then mentioned Gaines’ ties with the Heritage Foundation, the far-right think tank that is behind Project 2025, which has also been criticized over its positions on LGBTQ+ issues.
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As for Riley Gaines, she famously tied with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas for fifth place when she was still at Kentucky and subsequently criticized the NCAA’s eligibility rules. Fox News and other conservative media outlets extensively covered the story and turned her into a leading opponent of transgender women competing in women’s sports.
Sophie Cunningham Already Asking Media to Focus on Basketball After Massive Backlash
Meanwhile, as the criticisms mount, Sophie Cunningham is now trying to avoid talking about the topic. She called the issue a “distraction” and asked that the focus turn back to basketball instead of her beliefs, claiming that WNBA media is focusing on everything but basketball.
“For me, I want to get back to basketball,” she said. “It’s always been about basketball. That interview happened in [March]. I just want to make sure that the focus stays where it should because people are playing at such a high level.”
Several big names have come out to criticize Sophie Cunningham over her beliefs, including Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton and Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, the latter famously wearing a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt in their game against Cunningham and the Indiana Fever.
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