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womens sports

Sophie Cunningham Defends Comments on Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports

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Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said Wednesday that she remains firmly behind her opposition to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, describing her position as a matter of “common sense.”

“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham told reporters before Indiana’s 123-88 win over the Connecticut Sun. “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.”

Her remarks followed the publication of an ESPN article in which Cunningham said she wanted to “protect young girls in the locker room” and argued that “they shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

The Fever responded soon after Cunningham’s pregame media availability with a statement emphasizing the organization’s commitment to treating fans from all backgrounds with respect. The franchise has routinely hosted Pride nights celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

“Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own. We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what guides us as an organization.”

Cunningham, who said she is “not a very political person” and pushed back against the “MAGA Barbie” label attached to her, framed her position as rooted in her personal values rather than allegiance to a particular political party. She said her comments should not be interpreted as an indication of where she falls on the political spectrum.

“I’m very much in the middle. I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides,” Cunningham said. “And that’s all I’ve ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume.”

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Asked whether her statements might be considered derogatory toward transgender athletes, Cunningham said she does not “dislike anyone” and believes there is “room to love everyone.”

“But I’m also there to love biological women, and I think that there are rights that need to be protected. And, like I said, I’m gonna stand true to that. I’ll never falter in my beliefs in that. But I have never once stated that I hated the trans community.”

Cunningham had previously shared a post from CBS Sports host Josh Pate about former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who competed on the women’s team in 2022. The now-deleted post said, “Female collegiate athletes deserve so much better than this.”

Cunningham also pointed to Title IX, the landmark 1972 federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. The measure is widely credited with dramatically expanding opportunities for girls and women to participate in sports across the United States.

“That’s why you have Title IX. That’s why you have some of the greats in women’s sports,” Cunningham said. “If Title IX and women’s sports weren’t protected, then you wouldn’t hear about any type of women in sport. And so, I think in the future, it’s just really important to protect.”

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The debate over transgender participation in athletics has become increasingly prominent in politics and the courts. The Supreme Court recently upheld state-level restrictions preventing transgender athletes from competing on teams alongside cisgender athletes. That decision came about a year after President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to block transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

Cunningham said she is not concerned about how the public views her after she made her position known. She responded, “I don’t care,” when discussing potential criticism, though she acknowledged that the answer “sounds bad.”

She added that while opponents may focus on negative reactions to her remarks, she has also received messages from people who support her willingness to address the issue publicly.

“Everyone always is coming at it as a negative,” Cunningham said. “Well, me coming out with that, there are so many people who are coming out with the positive, saying, ‘You know what? Finally, someone has said something.’ And I don’t really look at either side of those because I know whatever I say, I’m going to get hate and I’m going to get love, and if I’m going to live by the love, I’m gonna die by the hate, and that’s just not who I am. I beat to my own drum.”

Cunningham is playing her second season with Indiana after the Fever acquired her from the Phoenix Mercury in a February 2025 trade. She returned to the organization on a one-year contract signed in April. The guard is averaging 9.3 points per game and making 42.9% of her attempts from 3-point range.

basketball

Biggest US Pro Women’s Sports Unions Are Working Together To Achieve Success And Progress

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The unions for the National Women’s Soccer League and Women’s National Basketball Association are teaming up to create collective action to find success. Back in July, the WNBA participants in the All-Star Game all wore shirts reading “Pay You What You Owe Us,” and now that message is continuing to be amplified through collaborative efforts between the two unions. 

“When you’re fighting for something historic, something that has never been done before, it cannot happen in a vacuum,” said Erin D Drake, the WNBPA’s senior advisor and legal counsel who was also credited for the shirt campaign, according to the Guardian. 

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The shirts were later made available online for purchase, and quickly after the WNBPA’s soccer counterparts were participating in the action. 

“Most of our staff had already gone on the website and purchased the shirts themselves,” said Tori Huster, the deputy executive director of the National Women’s Soccer League Players’ Association (NWSLPA).

The NWSLPA amplified images of the players who got the shirts. Hopkins stated that this was a major moment for women athletes all throughout the United States. 

“It’s not just female athletes in the W that are experiencing this. It’s a message to send for virtually every female athlete across the United States in whatever league it may be that we deserve pay.”

“We’re always in constant support of each other. Wearing the t-shirts was just an expression of that relationship,” Hopkins said.

The WNBPA was founded in 1998 and set a major precedent for advocacy in women’s sports. WNBA players have also spoken out against racist systems, police violence, discrimination against the LGBT+ community, and many other polarizing social issues. In many ways, they set the tone for the NWSLPA, which was founded in 2017, to be the same force.

“Their collective action, their advocacy, for sure has been a shining example of what we aspire to be,” Huster said.

“When the NWSLPA was in its infancy, its leaders were like, Googling what labor unions were,” said Huster. 

Meghann Burke is the organization’s executive director, and was the only full-time staff member at the beginning. Her relationship with her WNBPA counterpart Terri Carmichael Jackson was the main connector between the two unions. 

“There’s probably not a month that goes by without Erin and I communicating about something,” Huster said.

“Over time, as our union has grown in strength, that’s become a relationship of reciprocity and mutuality,” Burke said.

“Terri was really important to us in course-correcting the league and creating a new standard for player safety in the NWSL,” said Burke.

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“It’s a tactic to be divided. It’s a tactic to feel in isolation when you are trying to assert your value and your worth. Both the WNBPA and NWSLPA reject that tactic.” Drake said. “Our orientation to the issues that affect workers is certainly grounded in our experience as women,” said Burke.

Both unions have fought for ensuring protections for mothers, overcoming underinvestment when compared to the male leagues, and securing proper healthy working environments. 

“Anytime you have an emerging league, a newer league, it’s more challenging, and by definition, the union is going to have typically less strength and a more difficult time. [That] is why it’s especially important now for these two unions to collaborate and to assist each other,” said Nellie Drew, a professor in sports law at the University at Buffalo School of Law. 

The two unions recently issued a joint statement which opposes federal immigration raids after WNBPA members requested their union speak out. 

“All of our statements – all of them – come from our player leadership. It was clear through conversations that NWSLPA members were having similar observations,” Drake said. 

The WNBPA then invited the NWSLPA to be a part of the statement, and they immediately accepted. Both unions have become powerhouses independently, and together, and are working on the greater purpose of getting better working conditions while using their platforms to speak up on political issues. 

“We can see the NWSLPA standing with the WNBPA during this contract fight because they know what it means to fight for respect on the job, for fair pay, and for a share in the massive profit their labor generates,” said Liz Shuler, the president of the AFL-CIO.

The AFL-CIO Sports Council is a group of players’ unions that is within the largest federation of labor unions in the United States.

“We’ve always been here, and now everyone’s kind of just catching on, and we’re not just gonna be grateful for the quote unquote momentum, but continuing to build off of us to work towards what we know we deserve and have always deserved,” Hopkins stated. 

“It’s just now there’s eyes on us – about damn time.”