Sophie Cunningham has seemingly replaced her Indiana Fever teammate Caitlin Clark as the most-discussed WNBA player online in recent days.
The increased chatter came after Cunningham recently spoke out in support of not allowing “biological men” to compete in women’s sports during an interview last month with ESPN.
The debate surrounding trans athletes potentially competing in women’s sports has lead to some intense and bizarre back-and-forths online, and that continued when Cunningham was criticized by one X user for playing in a football game with boys while she was in high school.
In an attempt to paint Cunningham as a hypocrite, the X user included a highlight video from the night Cunningham made an extra point as the football team’s kicker and was crowned the homecoming queen.
Cunningham was installed in an emergency as the varsity kicker for the Missouri state playoffs after the team’s original kicker tore his ACL.
“Wait hold up….is that the same Sophie Cunningham playing football with boys in high school?” X user @WuTangKids wrote. “Thought according to her boys and girls should only be allowed to play their own respective sports.”
Others quickly called out the social media user in support of Cunningham.
“She kicked a ball,” X user Brittany Hughes replied. “She wasn’t out there cosplaying linebacker.”
“Are y’all really going to pretend that the athletic disadvantage and physical risk of men playing on women’s sports teams is the same? Because there’s stupid, and then there’s that.”
“Talk about not understanding the difference,” X user @tattooed_ump added in defense of Cunningham. “You guys are clowns.”
The controversy reached WNBA arenas last week following Cunningham’s initial comments.
Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton reportedly called two young women, who were sitting courtside to support the Fever and Cunningham, “f—ing insane.”
A small group of fans gathered outside the arena prior to the Fever-Storm meeting with signs and pictures of Cunningham, as they rallied in support of statewide initiative 638, which would ban transgender athletes from competing on women’s sports teams at Washington state schools.
“I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY,” Cunningham wrote on X following Keaton’s interaction with the two Fever fans. “Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table!
“You can disagree and still be kind. Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon yay for gifts.
“Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.”
The Storm were fined an undisclosed amount for the incident and Keaton was suspended from attending the next five Seattle home games.
Asked about the topic of trans athletes in sports after the Fever lost to the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, Clark chose not to strongly weigh in like Cunningham has recently.
“I think for us it’s not really a discussion we have in our locker room,’ Clark said. “It’s for the league and governing body to work with their athletes to find solutions, but our focus is on basketball and that’s what we talk about.”
