Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham isn’t backing down from the sports media outrage machine after she sparked leftist outrage over her comments on keeping men out of women’s sports.
The WNBA standout took to Instagram on Thursday, posting a photo accompanied by a saluting emoji and a simple, unapologetic message: “I said what I said.”
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The post served as the latest punctuation mark in a week of culture-war outrage sparked by Cunningham’s blunt stance on biological men competing in female athletics. In a recent ESPN feature, the basketball star stirred the pot by arguing that biological males simply do not belong in women’s locker rooms or sports categories, framing the debate around basic fairness and safety for young female athletes.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,'” Cunningham said. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Cunningham’s comment triggered an avalanche of online outrage, with critics slapping her with political labels and accusing her of hostility toward transgenders. That prompted Cunningham to double down during a fiery four-minute press grilling prior to Wednesday’s victory over the Connecticut Sun.
“I think I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham told reporters, brushing off the critics. She emphasized that her stance stems from personal ethics and a desire to preserve Title IX protections rather than political posturing. Pointing out that advocating for female spaces isn’t the same as harboring hate, she clarified that she wants to extend love to everyone while standing firm on the truth.
“I’ll always believe in that. It’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. … I’m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs. I have morals, and I’ll always stand on those. … If I’m gonna live by the love, I’ll die by the hate, and that’s just not who I am. I beat to my own drum.”
The controversy has catapulted into the national spotlight. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt jumped to Cunningham’s defense on Thursday, telling Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, “It’s even more ludicrous that you do have Sophie Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth that men shouldn’t play in women’s sports. … The backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing figures across the country is astonishing. They are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue, which again, is an 80/20 issue. It’s common sense.”
Cunningham remains unfazed, making one thing crystal clear: she isn’t letting the media circus throw her off her game.
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