A column published by The Athletic is arguing that the Indiana Fever should part ways with guard Sophie Cunningham, citing comments she has made opposing transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
The column, written by Candace Buckner, ties Cunningham to broader controversy surrounding the WNBA’s policies on transgender players, including public criticism from former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom and warnings from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita that the league’s policies could run afoul of state laws intended to protect women’s sports.
Buckner’s column references an earlier interview in which Cunningham said she does not believe men who identify as women should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. Buckner wrote that people who have shown up at games to amplify that position are not real fans of the sport.
“They all showed up to be part of a circus, not to enjoy a WNBA game. They attended solely to antagonize and amplify a nonexistent issue in this basketball league. All because of Sophie Cunningham,” Buckner wrote.
The column goes further, suggesting the Fever should trade or release Cunningham if the team wants to “go back to being a basketball team again.” Buckner also criticized Cunningham’s on-court production, noting she is a 30-year-old unrestricted free agent averaging fewer than 8 points per game, while contrasting that with the roughly 2 million views her TikTok videos draw.
Buckner’s piece also addresses Cunningham’s teammate, Fever star Caitlin Clark, arguing the pairing of the two players creates friction for the team.
“Cunningham is too combustible, her takes too turbulent to be paired with Caitlin Clark,” Buckner wrote. “On the same team, it’s just too much. Clark, by her presence alone, already can’t get through a season without being thrown into gutter debates that pit White against Black; hate that appears even in the DMs of her own teammates. Cunningham, with only a few words, introduced new divisions.”
The column also criticizes the segment of fans drawn to the team by Cunningham and Clark, describing some of them as agitators rather than genuine supporters of the game, and names Kanter Freedom, Rokita and others as examples of people she says latched onto Cunningham’s comments.
“Cunningham, however, is also adored by the likes of Royce White and Kanter Freedom, a pair of has-beens who latched onto her words to crawl back into the spotlight. She’s revered by Rokita, a politician who uses his public office to stoke culture wars,” Buckner wrote. “And one-hit wonder Riley, who’s made a living off playing the trans card. They aren’t fans, but agitators. They showed up because Cunningham held open the front door and let them in. The Fever need to reconsider who they let into their sacred home, including the players.”
Cunningham’s original comments, as characterized in the column, did not include criticism of LGBTQ people broadly; she stated her position specifically on men competing in women’s sports. The Fever have not issued a public response to the column.
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