Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines stated that the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) appears to be prioritizing activism over its sport, a stance she believes is detrimental to the league.
Gaines, host of "The Riley Gaines Show," commented on recent events surrounding Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham, who expressed support for maintaining biological men's exclusion from women's sports. Gaines suggested that the WNBA's reaction to Cunningham and her supporters indicates a league "hellbent on being an activist organization over a basketball league."
"My entire brand has been built on protecting women’s sports," Gaines said. "And that’s not just a slogan that I say for social media or for clicks online. I really mean it. I want women to have the opportunity to compete and to succeed in their sport, whatever that sport may be."
She presented the WNBA with a choice: "They can either be a professional women’s basketball league, or they can be an activist organization that occasionally plays basketball." Gaines asserted that the league seems determined to pursue the latter.
The controversy also drew criticism regarding the public's reaction to young girls holding signs in support of Cunningham at a WNBA game in Seattle. Gaines described the situation as a disturbing reflection on society when adults, including a team owner, allegedly heckled teenagers for expressing their views.
"When grown adults feel emboldened to pick on teenage girls, there is something seriously wrong with society," Gaines stated. "How could you possibly stand there and think that you are the bigger person?"
Gaines believes that the WNBA is jeopardizing its own success by aligning itself with activism over athletic competition, suggesting this approach alienates a significant portion of the public who she believes share Cunningham's views on fairness in women's sports.