Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has acknowledged speaking "s***" to Portland fans after being booed during a recent WNBA game. The incident occurred in the wake of Cunningham's widely reported remarks to ESPN, in which she stated that young girls "shouldn't have to go against biological men" in sports.
The controversy has seen Cunningham drawing support from protestors outside various WNBA arenas, but the reception in Portland on Friday night was decidedly less welcoming, with the player facing vociferous jeers from the home crowd. Video footage appeared to show Cunningham making a gesture towards the fans after a three-point shot, which she later clarified on social media. "I didn't call them losers but I did talk s***," she posted alongside the video.
Cunningham further appeared to engage with the situation by posting a video of herself with a finger to her lips, seemingly a gesture to quiet her detractors. She also shared a clip of herself giving her game-worn shoes to a young fan who had shown support.
Despite the public debate, Cunningham stated prior to the game that she does not believe her comments have been a distraction for the Fever. "I think at the end of the day, I come in and I do my job," Cunningham told reporters. "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. And again, I'm here to play basketball, but I'm also here to be me, and I'm not gonna like shadow that or hide or, you know, dim my light just because maybe people don´t agree with that."
Fever coach Stephanie White offered a different perspective on the broader debate surrounding transgender athletes in women's sports, emphasizing inclusivity. "I wouldn't say I'm educated enough from a scientific standpoint, but I don't ever believe that exclusion is an answer," White stated. "I just don't. I do think, when we think about various levels of sport, various governing bodies of sport and things that go into that, as I said, I'm not educated enough at the different levels. I know growing up that I played with the boys all the time. There weren't girls sports back then."
Outside the arena in Portland, supporters of Cunningham gathered. Rally organizer Amy Sousa was among those speaking in support of the player. The signs displayed by attendees thanked Cunningham for her stance on transgender athletes in women's sports.
Cunningham clarified that while she has no direct ties to these organized groups, she supports their right to free speech. "I have honestly had nothing to do with them," she 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."
This controversy follows a separate incident in Seattle where two young women supporting Cunningham reportedly faced verbal altercations with Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton. The WNBA subsequently banned Keaton from the Storm's next five home games as a result of the incident.