The Indiana Fever's Sophie Cunningham has brushed off concerns that rallies against transgender participation in women's sports, which have accompanied the team's recent games, are a distraction for the WNBA side. Speaking before Friday's game against the Portland Fire, Cunningham said she remains focused on her role.
"I think at the end of the day, I come in and I do my job," Cunningham said. "I think everyone who knows me personally, they know that I'm full of love. I'm bubbly. I love the people around me. I love basketball. I love inspiring the next generation and doing that in a positive light. And so that doesn't even cross my mind. Doesn't cross my teammates' minds."
Rallies continue at Fever games
For the second consecutive game, a group of supporters gathered outside the venue to back Cunningham, who has voiced support for barring transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. The rally in Portland followed a similar one earlier in the week before the Fever's game at the Seattle Storm. Both rallies attracted only about two dozen participants, along with onlookers.
"I have honestly had nothing to do with them," Cunningham said. "I think it's people just practicing their rights of freedom of speech and doing what other fans have been doing since the WNBA has started. And so props to them, props to everyone who is able to be competent and be bold and courageous enough to speak their truths."
Another rally is planned for Sunday in Minneapolis when the Fever play the Minnesota Lynx.
Seattle incident and league action
In Seattle on Tuesday, two Cunningham supporters sat courtside holding signs. A co-owner of the Storm, Celeste Keaton, was later fined an undisclosed amount and suspended for five games by the WNBA for an exchange with the two supporters. The Storm apologized for the incident but did not provide details, releasing a statement: "We remain committed to creating a welcoming and respectful environment for anyone who attends a Storm game."
The Seattle rally promoted statewide ballot initiative IL26-638, which would bar transgender students from participating in girls' athletics at Washington schools. It also praised Cunningham, who recently voiced support for such bans.
"I am here to be a cheerleader for Sophie Cunningham, who has so bravely put her head above the parapet to protect women and girls in our sports and in our locker rooms," said Amy Souza, who was among those at the Portland rally. "I was an organizer of this event, I was a co-organizer of the Seattle event. I'm also here, standing in solidarity with those teen girls who, unfortunately, were harassed when they were just trying to be fans of the sport, fans of Sophie Cunningham."
Game performance and coach's concerns
Cunningham was booed by the Moda Center crowd when she entered the game midway through the first quarter, with many waving small pink, blue and white transgender flags. Despite the reception, the Fever defeated the Fire 112-98 for their fifth straight win. Cunningham finished with 13 points, while Caitlin Clark recorded her fourth career triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Coach Stephanie White expressed frustration that the controversy is overshadowing the team's play. "You know there is a frustration, of course, because we want to talk about basketball and we want to continue to work on our game and we want to continue to grow as a team," White said. "But I also understand this is part of our growth edge as a league, right? It's part of our growth as a league, and we have to be able to manage, we have to be able to insulate as much as we can, and then we have to be able to lead with conversation."
