US women’s sports star Sophie Cunningham speaking up on defending women's sports

[fromorbit]

Big development. In the US few big women's sports stars have dared to speak up in the defence of women having sports. Lots of coverage of this going viral. Demands that the WBNA [Women's Basketball league] take action against her.

Sophie Cunningham says it’s ‘common sense’ to keep trans athletes out of women’s sports

In the ESPN article, Cunningham said she wanted to “protect young girls in the locker room” and that “they shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham said before Indiana’s 123-88 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday. “And I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.”

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7464960/2026/07/22/sophie-cunningham-trans-comments-womens-sports/

Trump Whitehouse speaking up in Cunningham's support so getting political.
https://www.aol.com/articles/sophie-cunningham-backed-white-house-003500000.html

Despite the recent Supreme Court verdict which said women can have sports a lot of Democratic leading states are continuing to say they should not have their own sports, but only mixed sex competitions.

Likely to be an ongoing political issue and be a topic in the upcoming midterms.

The Guardian has discovered Sophie

This article is unintentionally hilarious it is so over the top in its Sophie hate.

Sophie Cunningham isn’t rejecting politics. She’s cashing in on them

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/02/sophie-cunningham-politics-wnba-culture-war-comment

That’s really funny and spittle flecked resentment of women in sport.

Thanks for your views, Howard Bryant!

Like all entrenched powers, men don’t share. They take.

hear that sound - the sound of every irony meter the world over exploding.

Unbelievable. A whole article where the author so wants to call Sophie a blonde Barbie culture warring BITCH!, but knows he just can't do it, so reverts to side eye snitch.
I know who the bitch is, and it isn't Sophie.
Truly amazing how sport is highlighted as extreme hetero bro culture, yet the literal bro culture of biological men in women's sports is just not on the radar.
Nothing learnt from Lia Thomas and Imane Khelif.
Everyday brings more evidence that trans ideology is a zero sum game.

“I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind."

What a shocking example of the toxic, hate-fuelled, transphobic, fascist, genocidal bigotry that toxic, hate-fuelled, transphobic, fascist, genocidal bigots like Sophie Cunningham speak - sorry, that should of course be spew... 🙄

Honestly, is there anything anyone can say which stops short of 100% TWAW/TMAM that will not be characterised as hate-speak?
Even statements like SC's which include the words 'trans' 'love' and 'be kind'??

It's total capitulation, or total demonisation.

Wow. That article is reaching. A Lot. I don't understand how she is 'anti-black' for the finger pointing thing. Seems almost libel.

"Cunningham needed the culture war to get on the map, needing it as much as it needed her, and all it took was a silly finger-point and being in opposition to someone Black. To the aggrieved whites, standing up to someone Black meant standing up for them. Add transphobia to her portfolio, and the result is a star, the latest participant in an old game no more complicated than checkers but far less interesting."

Or, maybe she just doesnt want men in womens' sport.

Leads me to conclude that for men like this writer he either dislikes how uncomfortable being around gender non-conforming men makes him feel so he pushes them into the woman box to be rid of the discomfort OR he recognises a male power grab against 'uppity' women and he supports his fellow fellows.

Who knows what they really think?
Do they really believe male athletes can become female athletes? Probably not.
Do they think the modern iteration of Be Kind, atoning for all the racism, colonialism, sexism and homophobia of the past, means that trans athletes must be accepted purely how they ID, no Qs asked, and women need to be kind by moving aside, budging up, making space, not dissenting? Probably, very likely, absolutely.
The great irony here. Other than the one that MNers point out every moment of every day...that the very racism, colonialist supremacist attitude that Cunningham represents, both transphobic, sexist and racist, is framed in the same racist language the author accuses her of...her blonde Barbie looks, all-American fresh non-black looks and identity.
He can't criticise Cunningham for being racist and sexist without being racist and sexist himself.
Remember, this is a writer who you can bet your bottom dollar supported Thomas in women's swimming and Imane Khelif in women's boxing.
The trans ideologues have nothing else but the same language they criticise their enemies with.

Typo. Trans ideologues use the same language they complain they're criticised with.

I was doing a mental 5-4-3-2-1- incoming about SC being white countdown.

I'm not denying that Black athletes are judged differently and treated differently - you only have to look at the racist abuse of young Bukayo Saka, who was only 19 at the time. He received such an avalanche of vile racist abuse after missing a penalty in the 2020 Euro final that the police had to be called in.

White players who miss penalties are berated for their lack of penalty-taking skills, not abused for being useless White penalty-takers.

The level of racism in sport is shocking. It is despicable and should be called out and condemned whenever it happens.

But just as Sophie Cunningham has not said anything transphobic, but is being condemned as a transphobe, she has not said anything racist, but is being condemned as a racist.

Howard Bryant has seized on the simple fact that SC has blond hair and blue eyes, and just because of her appearance - not because of anything she has said - he has chosen her as a perfect target for a cynical accusation about a sadly very real issue in sport.

That's underhand and nasty.
If you have proof that SC has said or done anything racist, put up or shut up, Howard Bryant.

Oh, that and the pointing, lol.

It looks like you don't have to demonstrate any objective history of racism.
Just being on, or suspected of, being on the right is enough.
Throw in transphobic attitudes and statements, and you're a boiler plate colonial supremacist, the racism comes as a package deal with the transphobia.
That's exactly how the Omnicause IDentarian Left think.
I'm really surprised this writer didn't accuse Cunningham of supporting a genocide against Gazans as well.

I too was wondering how long it would take the Omnicretins to get to the crime of the century, having blue eyes and blond hair. Reminiscent of the attacks Sydney Sweeny came under for an advert for jeans. 🤯

Did I miss the part where he stopped going on about her being blond and white and actually addressed her points?

It’s just a tirade of misogyny.

The former tennis star Anna Kournikova never won a WTA tournament – not a single one – yet everyone knew her name. Blonde and perky will do that.

I can’t remember being particularly aware of her, but wikipedia tells me she was no. 8 in the world and there are plenty of much more famous female tennis players who are not white and heterosexual.

It’s not as though David Beckham’s fame is entirely based on his success on tbe football field.

But I suppose if you don’t take women’s sport seriously and resent the fact that it takes up space, it’s easier to winge about Kournikova than to listen to Navratilova.

Actually maybe this article was written in an alternative timeline where Navratilova doesn't exist. I think that is the only plausible explanation for such apparent stupidity.

Exactly, she was going out with Enrique Iglesias who was quite famous at the time. She’s in one of his videos.

Just checked Wikipedia, apparently they married and are still together with 3 kids, didn’t know that!

From Wiki re Sports Journalist, Howard "Howie" Bryant ...

Bryant was arrested in 2011 for allegedly assaulting his wife in front of their then 6-year-old son. His wife later denied that Bryant had assaulted her and he was released on personal recognizance.

So...there's that. 🙄

Hmmm, that’s interesting 🤨

More protests and Riley Gaines turned up to support Sophie.

https://www.dailymail.com/sport/wnba/article-16023391/Sophie-Cunningham-Indiana-Fever-elbow.html

Meanwhile while coaches seem to be happy to spout TA stuff other players do not want to speak up. With the treatment Sophie receives you can see why. They just duck the question.

Caitlin Clark breaks silence on Sophie Cunningham drama — in testy exchange with reporter
https://nypost.com/2026/08/03/sports/caitlin-clark-breaks-silence-on-sophie-cunningham-drama-in-testy-exchange-with-reporter/

I think it's quite often both. I think you've said it quite succinctly and I couldn't put it better, so I shan't try!

You quite often see this extraordinary unleashing of bile towards some woman who's found herself a 'fair target' which seems out of all proportion to what she's actually done or said to have done or been accused of having done. It's like there's a delight to finally have a chance to express this pent up misogyny because 'you can't even say that anymore these days' (a phrase like I'm not racist but which almost always precedes immediate proof to the contrary).

Yes, I agree. It’s been quite a realisation how near to the surface that is with many “progressive” men and this issue shows it up like no other.

Even Cunningham was pulled into a discussion on the topic by Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who later wore a shirt reading: ‘Trans Kids Belong.’
'I think it's great,' Reeve said of the talk. 'I think both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate. There are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues. I think it's how you handle things. It was nice to be in person, for sure.'

Not sure this virtue signalling woman realises that there are many people who on hearing that will turn on her for not condemning Sophie and having what sounds like a fairly good natured chat.

I think the one that really stands out to me was some road safety video from Australia.

TW : Car Crash (fictional but described)

The driver (young female) is driving and texting and then the whole crash happens in super slow motion, people die, it's super traumatic to watch actually. The young female driver is the only person who survives and the video snaps back to normal time with her screaming in horror and terror. Like it makes you think just how dangerous and horrific a car crash can be and that you 100% definitely do not want to be in one and 200% definitely do not want to be the cause of one.

Some bloke's take, after watching this really powerful road safety advert : 'stupid bitch'. My brian kind of glitched out when I read that, I was like, how do you get from that to that?

I agree, there is a distinct aura of delight obvious.

I also think that there are some men who, because of discomfort around non-conforming men combined with their self-declared wokeness, try to deny any discomfort and it shows up as over the top level of aggression towards women for not just shutting up and accepting the rejected men. It feels as though it's a way of masking their feelings of discomfort in excessive virtue.

This behaviour reminds me of religious men who insist that every part of a woman, including her eyes, must be covered by Islamic dress because otherwise when she's out in public men won't be able to control themselves because of the lust she generates. It says a lot about the lack of control in those men rather than anything about the women.

It feels as though it's a way of masking their feelings of discomfort in excessive virtue.

Or just simple displacement. Relieve the nasty feelings by shouting at a safer target. Like the men who hit their wives when their team loses.

Although I think for many of them it is a deep unrealised misogyny. Not especially the misogyny of believing TWAW, as I don't think anyone actually believes that is the sense of thinking TW and female people are interchangeable, but the misogyny of subconsciously assuming that as men women will follow their lead.

So women disagreeing with them - and not even pretty women who have a bit of social status but old ugly ones who don't have any social status at all - that really gets them where it hurts. It's a direct challenge to a social order they don't even consciously realise they expect to be followed.

https://x.com/sportbible/status/2084359477541687714

This phrasing of this tweet is interesting.

There is absolutely nothing controversial about Sabalenka's comments.

Perhaps the phrasing is just to get clicks, but a male player agreeing that there should be drug testing would not be described as 'giving a controversial take'.