Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington viciously clotheslined the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham while Cunningham was driving for a layup during an Aug. 8 WNBA game. The referees called a flagrant foul on Carrington immediately and ejected her from the game. Sports Illustrated decided to frame it, in its headline, as payback: “Sophie Cunningham Got A Bitter Taste of Karma After Drawing Flagrant Foul.” 
What was the “karma” that led to Cunningham’s hardwood tumble? The conservative sports media website Outkick postulated that it came from a late-July ESPN.com profile (“Love her or hate her, Sophie Cunningham Won’t Be Ignored”) where Cunningham spoke out against transgender participation in women’s sports. “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” she said. And maybe SI did mean the headline to act as a callback to that. But the article itself explicitly referred to Cunningham’s own hard retaliation foul on Jacy Sheldon the previous season.
Nevertheless, when the Cunningham profile ran in July, all the progressive media opinions flew out of Pandora’s box. The left-leaning sports and politics site Defector ran a response called “Sophie Cunningham Is About As Edgy as a Beach Ball,” faulting ESPN’s “view-from-nowhere style” and calling Cunningham a “straight blonde woman with tenuous political commitments.” We had every reason to believe the political knives were out for Sophie Cunningham.
So this had me wondering: How did the culturally conservative athlete — and there are a lot of them — suddenly become the rebel in American sports? When did sportswriters become comfortable treating that rebellion as a character flaw, as opposed to a political opinion? I dived into research and arrived at a surprising conclusion. It’s usually been this way. 
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<div id="attachment_938293" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-938293" class="size-medium wp-image-938293" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2220133971-300x200.jpg" alt="Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) and Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon (4) interact leading to Cunningham and Sheldon being ejected during a WNBA game between the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever on June 17, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN." width="300" height="200" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2220133971-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2220133971-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2220133971-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2220133971.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</div>
Sportswriters have always simped for the establishment. Old-school sports journalists valued authority, patriotism, and tradition above anything else. “They just wanted to cover sports their way, and a lot of them were highly conservative,” wrote Washington Post columnist Robert Lipsyte, recalling prominent 1960s sportswriters.
But it was more than just encouraging baseball fans to buy war bonds or fly the flag. In 1942, J.G. Taylor Spink, publisher of the Sporting News, America’s self-proclaimed sports Bible, actively spoke out against integrating baseball, saying no good came from “raising the race issue,” claiming that integrationists “run the risk of damaging their own game.” In 2021 during Peak Woke, the Sporting News, now a minor media property, reckoned with its past and supported removing Spink’s name from an annual baseball writer’s award. 
In 1964, prominent New York sports columnist Jimmy Cannon said of Muhammad Ali’s Muslim name change, “I pity Clay and abhor what he represents.” Venerated columnist Red Smith called Ali’s anti-Vietnam protests in 1967 “as sorry a spectacle as those unwashed punks who picket and demonstrate against the war.” In 1965, Cleveland sportscaster John Fitzgerald told running back and future Dirty Dozen star Jim Brown to “pipe down and stick to football” after Brown spoke out about civil rights issues. 
The old sports press enforced the dominant cultural order. But at some point the dominant order changed. 
The key date of American sports media’s leftward shift was January 1, 2012, when John Skipper became ESPN’s president. His tenure responded to trends already occurring in the culture. ESPN had established Bill Simmons’ Grantland magazine in 2011 and had for years been featuring columnist Jemele Hill, who wrote in 2008 that “rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim,” which got her suspended. 
Under Skipper, ESPN highlighted Grantland, Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight, the female-centered espnW/Nine for IX, and “unique points of view.” Pre-Trump, it gave Caitlyn Jenner the 2015 Arthur Ashe Courage Award, making a major institutional judgment about the social meaning of transgenderism. In May 2016, it launched the Undefeated, built around the “intersection of sports, race, and culture.”
People began to notice. ESPN public editor Jim Brady wrote about a “perceived move leftward” in the organization. He quoted one staffer as saying, “If you’re a Republican or conservative, you feel the need to talk in whispers. There’s even a fear of putting Fox News on a TV [in the office].”
Brady wrote another column in 2017 where he said, “like it or not, ESPN isn’t sticking to sports.” Skipper said in the column that “ESPN is not a political organization … we consider this human, not political.” Skipper was out by the end of the year, resigning to deal with substance-abuse issues, and, he later revealed, a cocaine extortion attempt that he said put his family at risk. 
Meanwhile, Jemele Hill was still at ESPN, tweeting that President Donald Trump was a “white supremacist” while also hosting the 6 p.m. Sportscenter. But the gravity had shifted to the center at the &#8220;Worldwide Leader.&#8221; In 2018, at Football Media Day, ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro said, “When people tune into ESPN, they are not looking for political commentary from us.” 
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<div id="attachment_190654" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-190654" class="size-medium wp-image-190654" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/02/JemeleHill-300x200.jpg" alt="THE VIEW - Jemele Hill is the guest co-host today, Wednesday, 2/21/18 on Walt Disney Television via Getty Images's &quot;The View.&quot; &quot;The View&quot; airs Monday-Friday (11:00 am-12:00 pm, ET) on the Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network." width="300" height="200" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/02/JemeleHill-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/02/JemeleHill.jpg 612w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Heidi Gutman/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images</div>
However, the genie had long ago popped out of the bottle. The internet had changed the temperament of sports commentary forever. In 2005, Gawker Media launched Deadspin, its sports website without “favor, access, or discretion,” which provided a needed balm to a sports media that was way too deferential to owners and agents and advertisers. It was snarky and irreverent and an essential read for a new generation of fans. “We were consciously fashioning an alternative to ESPN,” editor Tommy Craggs later said. 
It also was gradually, and then extremely, left-wing. “Deadspin’s already venomous bite was imbued with a political sensibility,” a <a href="https://defector.com/how-we-got-here">retrospective</a> later said. After the collapse of Gawker Media, a private equity firm took over, fired editor Barry Petchesky, and ordered the staff to “stick to sports.” Everyone quit. Writer Drew Magary, the most prominent Deadspin voice and an always-strident anti-Trumper, said, “There is no sticking to sports.” 
The Deadspin refugees formed a site called Defector, which developed progressive sports snark into a fetishistic art form. Once again, ESPN, now out of its progressive cup, was the man that refused to speak truth to power. So to Defector, Sophie Cunningham could be as edgy as a “beach ball.” New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, who introduced Trump at a rally in May, is an “enthusiastic MAGA freak.”
When Republican-tinged Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker announced an entry into politics, Defector said his PAC “coffers were as empty as his head.” San Francisco 49ers player Nick Bosa wore a MAGA hat after a postgame interview and Defector said he “preened like a jackass.” Would Defector run equally snarky language about a progressive athlete’s racial, feminist, or LGBT politics? Unlikely.
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<div id="attachment_555321" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-555321" class="size-medium wp-image-555321" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/05/GettyImages-1401004524-scaled-e1684781998422-300x205.jpg" alt="A Los Angeles Dodgers hat on LGBTQ+ Pride Night at Dodger Stadium on June 03, 2022 in Los Angeles, California." width="300" height="205" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/05/GettyImages-1401004524-scaled-e1684781998422-300x205.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/05/GettyImages-1401004524-scaled-e1684781998422-844x576.jpg 844w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/05/GettyImages-1401004524-scaled-e1684781998422-768x524.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/05/GettyImages-1401004524-scaled-e1684781998422.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)</div>
Take, for example, this season’s baseball Pride Night cap controversy. Dodgers players Blake Treinen (so openly conservative that Dodgers fans nicknamed him “MAGA”) and Alex Call wore their regular caps instead of a rainbow-flag Pride Night cap. The gay-themed website “Outsports” concluded that “their refusal gives us a glimpse into the continued presence of anti-LGBTQ sentiments amongst pro athletes, and the need to double our efforts,” but also said, basically, leave these guys alone. 
 A reasonable perspective, unlike what happened when three San Francisco Giants players <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-fans-can-save-baseball-from-the-rainbow-corporate-machine">wore Bible verses</a> on their Pride caps. The Giants blog McCovey Chronicles went with the headline “Bad and bigoted: The Giants told fans exactly who they are on Friday.” As a Dodgers fan, I can tell you for certain that the Giants are bad. Especially this year. But are they really bigoted? Are we really supposed to believe that the Major League Baseball organization in San Francisco tolerates hatred toward LGBTQ people? It seems hard to imagine.
But what I found most striking about that headline, or about Defector’s Cunningham “beach ball” headline, is that they’re actually rarer than one might think. The Sports Illustrated conclusion that Cunningham deserved her flagrant foul was horrific and cruel, but it was also an outlier. SI isn’t the cultural force that it was in previous decades. 
If anything, the boundaries have shifted in sports media again. For a decade or more, snarky blogs and ESPN itself pushed a progressive agenda. Gawker is long gone, Defector is subscriber-only, and the conservative sports site Outkick is booming, with a lead story, as I’m writing this, about former ESPN honoree Caitlyn Jenner <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/caitlyn-jenner-simple-solution-end-wnba-trans-athlete-debate">speaking out</a> against the WNBA’s reported consideration of allowing trans former NBA players to join the league. 
ESPN does sometimes cover sports political discourse, but much less than it once did. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, who loves basketball more than any person on earth, said on a recent podcast that the WNBA needs to feature its awesome players, not get strung up in the culture wars, arguing that the league badly needs a commissioner. 
As for the Sporting News, which once said no to Jackie Robinson, it ran a long press release wishing Sophie Cunningham a happy 30th birthday. “Cunningham has become a fan favorite because she rarely hides what she is feeling,” the piece goes. “She plays with visible emotion, supports her teammates and understands how to engage with Fever fans both inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse and on social media.”
Now that coverage is about as edgy as a beach ball.  
***
Neal Pollack, “the greatest living American writer,” is the author of 12 semi-bestselling books of fiction and nonfiction and is a three-time “Jeopardy!” champion.
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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The Rebels Of American Sports Have Changed Sides

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Upstream

A mother and daughter attended Sunday&#8217;s WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream — but with just two minutes left in overtime, they were told to cover up their &#8220;offensive&#8221; pro-woman t-shirts or leave the arena.
Kasey Thomason and her daughter Annie said that after shelling out thousands for good seats, they were approached by arena security and told to cover their XX-XY Athletics shirts or leave. Kasey&#8217;s shirt featured the XX-XY logo in red, white, and blue; Annie&#8217;s shirt, with an XX on the front, came from the Riley Gaines collection and read, &#8220;For the Girls,&#8221; across the back.
Both Kasey and Annie said that they had come to the game — and had chosen to wear those particular shirts — to show their support for Fever shooting guard Sophie Cunningham. Cunningham, who has repeatedly declared her position as not political, unapologetically stood up for women and girls in sports, saying that they deserved a space where they could compete without being forced to take on biological men.
When the security guard first approached, Kasey asked if their shirts were a problem — and was told that someone had found them &#8220;offensive,&#8221; according to a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/mom-daughter-told-cover-xx-xy-t-shirts-threatened-ejection-fever-dream-game">report</a> from Fox News Digital.
&#8220;Biology and science is offensive?&#8221; Kasey asked. But with just two minutes to go in overtime, Kasey and Annie did put on the offered Atlanta Dream &#8220;Wellness &amp; Health Night&#8221; shirts so that they would not miss the end of the game. The Fever ultimately came away with the 95-91 win.
The two said they believe it was another fan who had complained about their attire — a woman wearing a t-shirt that read &#8220;Trans Kids Belong In Sports&#8221; and was previously featured on the Jumbotron during the game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hey <a href="https://x.com/AtlantaDream?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AtlantaDream</a> &amp; <a href="https://x.com/StateFarmArena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateFarmArena</a>,
Why was this woman not told to cover-up her “Trans Kids Belong” t-shirt like the mom &amp; daughter were told with their <a href="https://x.com/xx_xyathletics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@xx_xyathletics</a> shirts?
Seems like a double standard to me… <a href="https://t.co/SAkXiYjrU3">pic.twitter.com/SAkXiYjrU3</a>
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) <a href="https://x.com/JonnyRoot_/status/2089339085324497356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;She was the one that told on us,&#8221; they said, adding that after they&#8217;d put on the &#8220;Wellness &amp; Health Night&#8221; shirts, that same woman had approached them and said, &#8220;I like your shirt.&#8221;
It was unclear whether she&#8217;d also been approached about her shirt, but later in the game, Kasey and Annie noticed that her jacket was zipped up to cover the message.
The WNBA has rules regarding signs and attire, stating that no &#8220;obscene&#8221; or &#8220;indecent&#8221; messaging is allowed at the games. In addition, State Farm Arena&#8217;s rules state that &#8220;clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s)&#8221; will not be allowed.
The security guard did not state which of those rules Kasey and Annie might have run afoul of, saying only that they&#8217;d been determined &#8220;offensive.&#8221;

Mother And Daughter Forced To Cover Up Pro-Woman T-Shirts At WNBA Game

SEE IT: Sophie Cunningham Fans Targeted Again

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Politics

Riley Gaines

Transgender

WNBA

xx-xy athletics

The road to the Little League World Series is supposed to be a celebration of youth baseball. Instead, one state’s path to Williamsport this year has descended into a scandal involving an ineligible player, disputed tournament administration, improper fees, missing eligibility paperwork, and demands for the removal of state and regional Little League officials.
The controversy centers on Tulsa National Little League, which <a href="https://www.espn.com/llws/story/_/id/49585682/judge-backs-little-league-baseball-decision-remove-tulsa">was disqualified</a> from the Southwest Region Tournament on Monday while representing Oklahoma after Little League International determined that one of its players was ineligible. A Texas judge briefly allowed the team to continue competing before vacating the order Tuesday, clearing the way for the tournament to proceed without the team from Oklahoma.
According to documents obtained by <a href="https://www.si.com/onsi/softball/news/new-evidence-shows-oklahoma-little-league-state-tournament-was-a-sham-2026">Sports Illustrated</a>, Tulsa National&#8217;s eligibility problems were not confined to one player or the Southwest Region Tournament. The evidence suggests that Oklahoma&#8217;s entire state tournament may have been improperly administered, with two of the three participating teams allegedly ineligible to compete for the state&#8217;s berth in the international tournament.
Tulsa National defeated Washington County and Oklahoma City Parks &amp; Recreation to win the Oklahoma state tournament and advance to Waco, Texas.
But Washington County had never registered players in the Little League Major Division, according to Little League data reviewed by Sports Illustrated. The league says it followed instructions from Oklahoma District Administrator Mindy Abbott and was told its team had been properly registered.
The documentation submitted by Tulsa National also contained basic procedural problems. The required Tournament Team Eligibility Affidavit was not signed by the Tulsa National Player Agent or manager Cole Abbott, while Mindy Abbott&#8217;s signature was not dated.
The more serious issue involved the <a href="https://www.si.com/onsi/softball/news/first-softball-now-baseball-tulsa-national-disqualified-from-southwest-region-2026">player whose eligibility</a> ultimately triggered the regional disqualification. <a href="https://www.littleleague.org/playing-rules/2025-regulation-2-update/">Little League&#8217;s rules</a> allow a player who lives outside a league&#8217;s geographic boundaries to establish eligibility through a sibling who is age seven or younger and participates in the league&#8217;s program. Court documents show that Tulsa National relied on that provision to establish the eligibility of a player identified as O.G.
But according to Little League officials, O.G.&#8217;s father had registered his younger daughter as being 7 years old when she was actually 10. Officials also determined that the girl never participated in Tulsa National&#8217;s program. 
Dan Velte, Little League&#8217;s vice president of operations and international tournament director, said in court documents that the age misrepresentation rendered the sibling ineligible under the under-8 open enrollment provision and therefore made O.G. ineligible as well. 
“O.G. participated in the Oklahoma State Tournament, which is part of the Little League International Tournament, while ineligible,” Velte wrote. “Under this rule, disqualification was mandatory.”
That meant the problem extended backward. Tulsa National had not merely brought an ineligible player to Waco. The player had already participated in the Oklahoma state tournament that sent the team there.
Little League International ultimately declared Tulsa National&#8217;s previous regional game a forfeit and removed the team from the Southwest Region Tournament. The decision came after three protests. Little League said the formal investigation determined that O.G. was ineligible, while court filings indicate that Tulsa National representatives initially attributed the player&#8217;s absence from the regional roster to a “falling out” between his family and the coaching staff rather than disclosing the underlying eligibility issue.
The parents of Tulsa National&#8217;s players subsequently blamed the adults responsible for administering the tournament. 
“To our own Oklahoma administration, the Southwest Regional administration, and Little League International: this one is on you,” the parents said in a <a href="https://x.com/Maren_Angus/status/2087308970746654990?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2087308970746654990%7Ctwgr%5E0a51c2676a2073ac0eda6eb03f682379a94b910e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fonsi%2Fsoftball%2Fnews%2Fnew-evidence-shows-oklahoma-little-league-state-tournament-was-a-sham-2026">statement</a>.
But now, the controversy has grown beyond Tulsa National. New evidence also indicates that the Oklahoma state tournament <a href="https://www.si.com/onsi/softball/news/exclusive-oklahoma-little-league-controversy-raises-new-questions-over-profiteering-on-little-league-trademark-tulsa-national-2026">involved fees</a> that appear to violate Little League regulations. Oklahoma District Administrator Mindy Abbott instructed the three participating teams to pay a $100 tournament entry fee. When the teams arrived, they were directed to pay the money to Tulsa Area Youth Softball and Baseball, Inc., an entity associated with the Tulsa Little League organization.
There was also a $5 gate fee charged, despite Little League rules prohibiting mandatory admission fees for Major Division games. Little League permits voluntary donations but states that “no admission shall be charged” for Major Division games. The $100 entry fee was also separate from the $300 tournament fee paid to Little League International for eligible teams in certain divisions.
The organizational structure surrounding the tournament has only added to the confusion. Tulsa Area Youth Softball and Baseball, Inc., Tulsa Little League, Inc., Tulsa Little League Baseball, Inc., and Tulsa National Little League are separate entities, but they are all controlled or operated by Tulsa National President Stephen Skocik. Little League regulations prohibit local leagues from extending the Little League name and emblem to other organizations for unrelated purposes.
Now, more than 300 Oklahoma and Southwest Region Little League coaches, volunteers and parents are calling for the removal of Mindy Abbott and Southwest Region Director Blaine Whitmire, as well as the revocation of Tulsa National&#8217;s charter. 
“We have no confidence in Oklahoma District Administrator Mindy Abbott to administer Little League in this state with the integrity, consistency and fairness its families deserve,” the group said.
The letter also called for the vacating of Tulsa National&#8217;s 2025 and 2026 Oklahoma state and Southwest Region tournament titles. “The damage caused cannot be undone,” the statement said. “But Little League International can decide whether the failures that caused it will have consequences.”
Abbott has pushed back, telling the <a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/2026/08/13/oklahoma-little-league-teams-call-for-leadership-purge-after-disqualification-scandals/91286870007/">Oklahoman</a> that the two leagues calling for her removal “are not in compliance with Little League regulations.” Whitmire has not publicly responded to the newspaper&#8217;s request for comment.
For the children involved, the consequences are obvious. The Tulsa players lost their opportunity to compete for a place in Williamsport despite advancing through the tournament on the field. Little League International says its tournament system depends on parents and volunteers adhering to its rules and ensuring a “fair and equitable experience” for every child.

Little League World Series – Championship Game

An Illegal Player And A Sham Tournament: Scandal Rocks The Little League World Series

Baseball

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When Shane Gillis hosted the ESPYs in 2025, he put the spotlight on a woman in the crowd who he said was a four-time WNBA all-star. Everyone clapped, until he told them that it wasn’t a WNBA player at all. It was just his friend’s wife. Nobody knew, because nobody cares.
&#8220;I knew none of you knew WNBA players,&#8221; Gillis said. &#8220;That&#8217;s crazy.&#8221;
Well, Mr. Gillis, the WNBA might get the last laugh because that’s all about to change. The WNBA could soon get a shot of pure testosterone, dressed up as an athlete with feminine feelings.
Based on current eligibility rules and draft announcements, the next draft is slated to be the most stacked ever in WNBA history. The three players expected at the top of the draft will change the DNA of their new franchises forever, bringing a level of play that has never been seen in the league before.
It’s obviously still the current season, so the actual draft order is just a guess. We’re obviously not tracking the standings of the season — as Gillis proved, nobody is — so it’s barely an educated guess, but I have covered women’s basketball for much longer than any of you, so trust my analysis.
With all the buzz surrounding the WNBA and the marquee talent joining next season, it’s a great time to look at the future of women&#8217;s basketball with a Way Too Early WNBA 2027 Mock Draft.
<h3>1. Enes Kanter Freedom — Connecticut Sun</h3>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1156043 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-81-1-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-81-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-81-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-81-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></div>
Enes Kanter Freedom is a WNBA coach’s dream.
She stands 6’10 and weighs around 250 pounds, which would make her the most physically dominant player in the league.  Enes will team up with Brittney Griner, yep Brittney hasn’t made it in the NBA…yet. It&#8217;s been four years since Kanter played pro ball, but check out this video: she is jacked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Let “The Transition” to the <a href="https://x.com/WNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WNBA</a> begin.
Rules Are Rules!<a href="https://x.com/hashtag/LetFreedomPlay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetFreedomPlay</a> <a href="https://t.co/EWWjrl7DaL">pic.twitter.com/EWWjrl7DaL</a>
— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) <a href="https://x.com/EnesFreedom/status/2087185917047971948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
She is also a former WWE title holder. Kanter took down R-Truth back in 2019 in front of a packed crowd at Madison Square Garden — far larger than any WNBA crowd — to claim the WWE 24/7 Championship. Her run in sports entertainment will help Kanter with the theatrics that happen night in and night out in the WNBA. Kanter will make a splash in season one.
<h3>2. Royce White — Washington Mystics.</h3>
<div id="attachment_1156015" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156015" class="size-large wp-image-1156015" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-78-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-78-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-78-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-78-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-78.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Royce White X Account</div>
Get you a <a href="https://x.com/Highway_30/status/2086316310309347564?s=20">girl</a> who can do both! White is working on her game and a political aspirations. Playing in D.C. gives her the perfect opportunity to fulfill both duties to the country and WNBA. A standout at Iowa State, he led the Cyclones in scoring, posted one of the best seasons in Iowa State history, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks. The Mystics will raise its stock significantly with this addition.
<h3>3. Julie Tetart — Toronto Tempo</h3>
<div id="attachment_1151143" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1151143" class="wp-image-1151143 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/male-baller--1024x542.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="542" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/male-baller--1024x542.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/male-baller--300x159.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/male-baller--768x407.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/male-baller-.jpg 1058w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Instagram: Julie Tétart</div>
Pronounced like Mater from the PIXAR film “Cars,” this French woman bailed on being a man at 29 years old and has since dominated the women’s French basketball league. She’s the reigning Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Domestic Player of the Year in the league with her eyes set on the next prize which is that WNBA paycheck. Check out her highlights from last season:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Julie Tetart&#8217;s best games last season in the Monaco Basket Association 👀
32 PTS, 25 REB (14/16 FG) 
29 PTS, 22 REB (9/10 FG) 
25 PTS, 25 REB (12 ORB) 
24 PTS, 28 REB (12 ORB) 
24 PTS, 23 REB (11/11 FG) 
21 PTS, 30 REB, 5 STL 
30 PTS, 21 REB (11/15 FG)<a href="https://t.co/pdzZWIfG05">pic.twitter.com/pdzZWIfG05</a>
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://x.com/Ballislife/status/2085004697023205845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
It’s a top-heavy draft, and this is where the weight may run out. These are the only three players you need to know next season. They will own every category in the league.
They&#8217;re the only three that have declared intent, but now that the seal is broken, we foresee more league-changing talent right around the corner. I went ahead and rounded out the top 10 prospects in the 2027 WNBA Draft.
<h3>4. Kyle Guy</h3>
<div id="attachment_1156537" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156537" class="size-large wp-image-1156537" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-82-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-82-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-82-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-82-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-82.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images</div>
What a year to be the first Guy in the WNBA. He won a national championship for Virginia in 2019, had a few years in the NBA, and has now transitioned into a whole new era of basketball: 3 v 3, internationally. Sounds to me like the road back home runs through the WNBA.
Another transition could be intriguing for Guy.
<h3>5. Jimmy Butler</h3>
<div id="attachment_1156543" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156543" class="size-large wp-image-1156543" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-83-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-83-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-83-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-83-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-83.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Sam Navarro/Getty Images</div>
One of my favorite players. Always down for a rebrand. Remember Emo Jimmy with the painted black nails?
He could be an absolute trendsetter in the WNBA.
<h3>6. Tristan Thompson</h3>
<div id="attachment_1156547" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156547" class="size-large wp-image-1156547" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-84-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-84-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-84-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-84-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-84.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Rich Storry/Getty Images</div>
He has children with a Kardashian. He knows business and continuing his basketball career in the WNBA would be a great business opportunity, plus Caitlyn Jenner can help him with his feminine side.
<h3>7. Grayson Allen</h3>
<div id="attachment_1156555" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156555" class="size-large wp-image-1156555" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-85-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-85-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-85-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-85-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-85.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images</div>
Big Ted Cruz guy. Allen has a Reddit account dedicated to his favorite books&#8230; You know women love a book club.
<h3>8. Dwight Howard</h3>
<div id="attachment_1156557" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156557" class="size-large wp-image-1156557" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-86-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-86-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-86-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-86-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-86.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: John Nacion/Getty Images for Fanatics</div>
We’ve all heard the rumors…
<h3>9. Dwayne Wade</h3>
<div id="attachment_1156561" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156561" class="size-large wp-image-1156561" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-87-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-87-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-87-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-87-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-87.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</div>
Since he endorsed his adolescent son&#8217;s transition. It&#8217;s safe to assume he&#8217;s a major ally for men in women’s sports.
<h3>10. Zaya Wade</h3>
<div id="attachment_1156571" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156571" class="size-large wp-image-1156571" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-88-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-88-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-88-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-88-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/Untitled-design-88.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images</div>
Dwayne Wade&#8217;s son has been identifying as a girl since she was 12. Seven years later, he could be a PR star for the league. It&#8217;s in his DNA.
The 2027 WNBA Draft is set for April of next year. Tune in for our next round of updates.

Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images/ Royce White

Our Way Too Early WNBA Mock Draft: Testosterone-Fueled Talent Shakes Up Board

Enes Kanter

Enes Kanter Freedom

News

Women's sports

A partnership led by Josh Kushner, brother of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, reached a deal to buy the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday morning for a record-breaking $12.5 billion. 
The deal, which was first reported by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, is an eleven-figure behemoth that will make it the largest sale of a professional sports franchise, edging out the previous sale of a majority stake in the Lakers last year and the Seattle Seahawks being sold for $9.6 billion in July.
Mark Walter, who purchased the Lakers 10 months prior — in the previous record-high sale at $10 billion — is selling the storied franchise to former Disney CEO Bob Iger and businessman Josh Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner.
“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world,” Iger and Kushner said in a <a href="https://x.com/ramonashelburne/status/2087542077018308822">statement</a>. “We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss. Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.”
Prior to selling to Walter in 2025, the Buss family had owned the Lakers since 1979 — and the team won 11 of their 17 championship titles in that timeframe. Walter also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, and the entire Professional Women’s Hockey League, among other ventures.
Walter came under scrutiny last month, however, when Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-20/billionaire-mark-walter-s-firms-probed-by-federal-prosecutors">published</a> an article reporting that Guggenheim Partners — the investment firm of which Walter is the CEO — is being investigated for disclosing billions of dollars in loans. 
Kushner and Iger’s purchase, which Shelburne reported had happened “incredibly fast,” was involved in the NBA’s potential expansion process into Las Vegas before making an “aggressive” offer to take the franchise off of Walter’s hands.
Kushner is currently a minority owner in the Miami Heat, while Iger owns the National Women&#8217;s Soccer League&#8217;s Angel City FC.
The transaction will need to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors before it is finalized, a process that ESPN reported could take weeks.

Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers

Jared Kushner’s Brother Buys LA Lakers

Basketball

Los Angeles Lakers

If you’ve been to a sporting event at a stadium, you’ve probably caught yourself drifting out of the moment. It’s not that you’re consumed with the attractive women in attendance or that you indulged a little too heavily in adult beverages. It’s not even that you’re distracted by the screen in your pocket, though you are distracted by a screen. The game is happening in real time on the field in front of you, but you aren’t looking in that direction. Instead, you’re looking at the jumbotron.
The Buffalo Bills have taken an innovative step towards resolving this problem — <a href="https://x.com/NYJ_Matt/status/2086268607420354950">installing extremely small screens</a> at Highmark Stadium, the team’s newly completed home. Did they pair this with a plethora of obstructed views? Yes, of course they did. Great job, fellas! You just made the case for even bigger screens, even though your current approach, minus the seats that don’t allow attendees to watch the game, is actually the way forward.
Developed in the 1980s with Mitsubishi and Sony each claiming credit for its invention, the first commercial installation of a giant screen was in 1986 at HemisFair Arena, then home of the San Antonio Spurs. That particular technological monument to eye-scorching, gargantuan surplusage was a Sony, and the product, before the name faced genericide, was known as the JumboTron. The original purpose was laudable. It was a way to make sure everyone could see the scoreboard.
Even the later, secondary use — showing instant replays — was fine, though home crowds are not usually swayed by visible evidence that the refs got the call right. But then invention became the mother of necessity, and these giant and expensive screens took on other roles.
There is the “kiss cam,” also available at concerts for those looking to throw the scarlet letter on two people who are separated from their spouses. That’s not the only kiss cam disaster. There are also proposals which can go <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIr0G8-r1q4">very wrong</a>. There are proposals that go <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp74lRmeTZg">very, very wrong</a>. And even though they can eventually capture <a href="https://youtu.be/io4RfKU51Mc?si=1qc3xJpyd5bONzBA&amp;t=78">sweet and successful moments</a>, there is still the fact that the kiss cam itself still <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9-ueJhTLa0">invites failure</a>.
It’s not just kissing and proposals that set audience members up for embarrassment. There is also the dancing, which can lead to things like falling down the stairs while <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez831oBQQEk">holding a young girl</a>. Though, to be fair, the dance cam moments are generally more entertaining, whether it’s the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oSR8Gqn4qU">“Livin’ on a Prayer” guy</a> or a kid busting out his best <a href="https://youtu.be/t5Jnb-VX_YU?si=1VmARMNqnRLx5077&amp;t=61">Michael Jackson impression</a>.
Whether success or failure, though, the fact remains that football, basketball, soccer, and hockey games have nothing to do with dancing and kissing, unless we’re talking that <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/everyone-needs-to-stop-being-so-weird-heated-rivalry?hide_intro_popup=true">softcore porn</a> loosely centered around hockey that’s a hit with middle-aged liberal women. No, those sports are about strength, cunning, strategy, and occasional brutality. They’re about gladiators, and gladiators are best experienced in visceral sweat and blood.
But that’s not the only reason to stop watching the screen and instead watch the field. Sports are one of those things that bind people together. It’s irrational: tickets are overpriced, and “we” don’t accomplish anything when our team wins, nor do we contribute to their failure when they lose. (This is true even if the crowd does pay attention to the jumbotron and MAKES SOME NOISE when their team is down and trying to mount a comeback.)
We do experience camaraderie, though. There is the bonhomie. There are occasionally fights. There are high fives and hugs. It’s a bunch of humans enjoying the thrill of vicarious victory or defeat, no matter how irrational those emotions are.
Life is dominated by screens. That seems unlikely to go away. Even if we go full “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_Piano_(novel)">Player Piano</a>” and destroy all the technology, we’ll probably just set about to fix it immediately, as do the characters in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel. As such, we have to work to stay outside the machines, to stay involved in the real world. Stop worrying about how large the screens at the new stadium are and, instead, demand a return to tradition. Sports don’t require technology; they simply require two teams, however many fans, and a scoreboard, all things which keep us rooted in the actual moment and not the digitized one.
***
Rich Cromwell is a writer living in Northwest Arkansas. He produces the Cookin&#8217; Up a Story podcast, which you can listen to <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cookin-up-a-story/id1624969096">here</a>. You can also follow him on X: @rcromwell4

Alabama v South Carolina

How Jumbotron Killed The Stadium Star

DW Opinion

JumboTron

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed criticized football as a breeding ground for “toxic masculinity” — and praised European soccer as a more egalitarian alternative — according to resurfaced writings from the far-Left candidate.
El-Sayed made the comments in a 2021 Substack post responding to the resignation of then-Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, whose private emails containing racist and misogynistic language had become public.
“The toxic masculinity at the heart of America’s most popular sport — and men’s sports culture more generally — is way deeper than a few emails …” El-Sayed <a href="https://web.archive.org/abdulelsayed.substack.com/p/jon-gruden-is-yesterdays-coach-ted">wrote</a>.
The remarks are the latest resurfaced comments to draw attention to El-Sayed’s views on Michigan and American culture as he prepares for a general election campaign against Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers.
El-Sayed played American football himself as a student at Andover High School in Bloomfield Hills, serving as a team captain and two-year starter at center and nose guard.
In his 2021 post, El-Sayed recalled football as an important part of his childhood, writing that “sports were my lifeline” and that he felt free on the football field. But he described the culture surrounding the sport in considerably harsher terms. He argued that a particular “bro” culture had been passed down through football for generations. “Racism, misogyny, and homophobia were lingua franca,” El-Sayed wrote.
El-Sayed contrasted that culture with the fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso, the title character of the Apple TV+ series, who he held up as an example of a healthier model of masculinity and coaching. “Ted cries. He talks through his problems. He encourages his players. He bakes biscuits (er, cookies) for his boss. He smiles … like, all the time,” El-Sayed wrote.
He argued that coaches should create an environment built around “positive, inclusive, and empowering values,” while acknowledging that sports can teach young people lessons about teamwork, perseverance, and discipline. “Sport is a metaphor for life,” he wrote.
El-Sayed also expressed a distinctly political preference for European soccer in another 2021 Substack <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250119203517/https:/abdulelsayed.substack.com/p/europes-super-league-and-the-fragility">post</a>, writing that the sport’s promotion and relegation system “speaks to my politics.”
“But European soccer also speaks to my politics,” El-Sayed wrote. “Compared to American sports leagues, the sport is also deeply egalitarian.”
He praised the system for allowing teams to move between leagues based on performance and contrasted it with American professional sports, where teams remain in closed leagues regardless of their success. El-Sayed’s criticism of football comes as other resurfaced remarks have placed renewed attention on his sometimes-negative assessments of his home state.
During his unsuccessful 2018 campaign for governor, El-Sayed was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/el-sayed-once-trashed-beloved-michigan-vacation-destination">recorded complaining</a> about Mackinac Island, one of Michigan’s most prominent tourist destinations.
“I hate Mackinac so much,” El-Sayed said in a documentary about his campaign. “Every time I’ve ever come here I’ve hated it. Why am I here?”
El-Sayed went on to joke that if he won the governor’s race, Mackinac Island would become his summer home.
His comments have only made it easier for Republicans to portray El-Sayed as disconnected from Michigan voters. Rogers has already <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mike-rogers-makes-his-pitch-for-dem-support-in-michigan-after-el-sayeds-divisive-victory">made appeals</a> directly to Democrats who may be uncomfortable with El-Sayed’s far-Left politics.
El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in last week’s Democratic Senate primary, winning 48.5% of the vote to Stevens’ 47.5%. His campaign was backed by a number of far-Left figures including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
Democratic leaders who backed Stevens during the primary, including Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/establishment-dems-fall-in-line-behind-el-sayed">Gretchen Whitmer</a> and Senate Minority Leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cuck-schumer-endorses-el-sayed-who-campaigned-on-replacing-him">Chuck Schumer</a> (D-NY), have since fallen in line behind El-Sayed as the party’s nominee.
El-Sayed will face Rogers in November in a race that could help determine control of the Senate. The Republican nominee has already sought to make the race a referendum on the direction of the Democratic Party, arguing that El-Sayed represents an increasingly leftward movement within the party.
His past writings now provide another window into the political and cultural views of the Democratic nominee — including his longstanding preference for soccer over the sport beloved by millions of Americans every fall.

Bernie Sanders Continues His “Fighting Oligarchy” Tour In Detroit With Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed

Abdul El-Sayed Hates Football Too

2026 elections

2026 midterm

2026 Midterms

Abdul El-Sayed

Democrat

Elections

Football

Michigan

Mike Rogers

November elections

Soccer

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham pushed back after Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington blamed &#8220;WHITE PRIVILEGE&#8221; for her own ejection from Saturday&#8217;s game — a post Carrington later deleted.
Cunningham <a href="https://x.com/kareemcopeland/status/2086219526266556444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2086219526266556444%7Ctwgr%5E6d9bb0378f30ffe86b5bba7a7baf000c6f030b5a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Foutkick-sports%2Fsophie-cunningham-speaks-out-against-dijonai-carrington-flagrant-foul-white-privilege-post">dismissed the accusation</a> outright, pointing to her own ejection last season for a similar foul.
&#8220;I think the league is taking care of that,&#8221; she said. &#8220;This has nothing to do with race. Last year, I did the same thing and I got kicked out. And I deserved to be kicked out. There&#8217;s no reason to even play that card.&#8221;
Of the foul itself, Cunningham <a href="https://x.com/kareemcopeland/status/2086220659319771185">said</a>, &#8220;Clearly, I think it was unnecessary. I&#8217;ve never really spoken to her and have no beef with her, but I guess she has  some pent-up stuff. So, get your [stuff] off. That&#8217;s fine — I can take it.&#8221;
She went further, calling the hit deliberate: &#8220;Yeah, it&#8217;s intentional&#8230; I do think when people play the Fever, we&#8217;re nationally televised, there&#8217;s a lot of eyes on us and people just want attention. And that&#8217;s her just trying to get attention.&#8221;
Video of the interaction — which showed Carrington clothes-lining Cunningham as she went in for a lay-up — spread quickly across social media. The foul — which landed Cunningham on her back on the court — was upgraded to a flagrant two after review, with officials citing &#8220;wind-up, impact, and follow-through&#8221; and a &#8220;high potential for injury for player in a vulnerable position.&#8221;
Fever Coach Stephanie White reacted to the hit, saying, &#8220;It was a hard foul. I don&#8217;t think that DiJonai intentionally came out to get her across the neck like she did, but it did happen, and I thought it was the right call.&#8221;
Sky coach Tyler Marsh, when asked about Carrington&#8217;s locker-room reaction to her removal from the game, replied, &#8220;I have to get back to you on that because I&#8217;m just now hearing about that. So yeah, we&#8217;ll handle that.&#8221;
Cunningham made waves when she said in an <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/49306657/sophie-cunningham-finger-point-indiana-fever-wnba">ESPN interview</a> last month that she did not believe it was fair for women and girls to compete in athletics against biological males — and has been the target of protests and criticism ever since.
Sports Illustrated delivered <a href="https://x.com/ClayTravis/status/2086229865930297827">clear bias</a> in a headline covering the most recent incident, which read, &#8220;Sophie Cunningham Got A Bitter Taste Of Karma After Drawing Flagrant Foul In Fever-Sky.&#8221; The outlet appears to have since quietly <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/sophie-cunningham-karma-flagrant-foul-fever-sky">changed the headline</a>.
Women&#8217;s sports advocate <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2086418921914012058">Riley Gaines</a> responded to Carrington&#8217;s reaction, saying on Fox News that her post was more indicative of &#8220;black privilege&#8221; than anything else.
&#8220;I would actually say that this is BLACK privilege to be totally honest with you! Because her posting this white racist comment right after assaulting Sophie Cunningham on the court is actually black privilege, because she knows the WNBA won&#8217;t do a SINGLE thing of significance about it!&#8221; Gaines explained. &#8220;And imagine if the roles were reverse if Sophie made a comment similar to this — then she&#8217;d likely never play again!&#8221;

Sophie Cunningham Smacks Down Opponent’s ‘White Privilege’ Comment

transgender athlete

Women's Basketball

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom declared himself a prospect for the 2027 WNBA Draft on Friday, challenging the league to explain how its current eligibility rules would rule him out.
“After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I’m officially declaring myself a @WNBA prospect,” Freedom said.
“If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA.”
Freedom said his team had reviewed the league’s eligibility criteria and policies surrounding what he described as “self-identification and inclusion,” arguing that nothing in those rules prevents him from declaring himself eligible for the 2027 draft. 
“Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in April 2027,” he added.
The WNBA&#8217;s publicly available draft eligibility rules do not state that a player can become eligible simply by self-identifying as a woman. The league does not appear to have a publicly stated policy that explicitly bars transgender-identifying men from competing in the WNBA.
According to OutKick/Fox News Digital, the WNBA&#8217;s newly signed collective bargaining agreement <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/wnba-silent-whether-french-transgender-star-dominating-womens-league-eligible-play">states</a>: &#8220;Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.&#8221; The outlet reported that the 409-page agreement &#8220;never defines &#8216;woman&#8217; or &#8216;women.&#8217; The terms &#8216;transgender&#8217; and &#8216;gender identity&#8217; don&#8217;t appear anywhere in the document.&#8221;
Freedom sought to head off criticism that the move was intended to mock transgender-identifying people, saying he was instead asking the WNBA to apply its rules consistently. 
“I know my presence on the court will stir up strong opinions,” Freedom said. “I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices.”
“I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone — the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for.”
The stunt comes amid a growing controversy surrounding transgender-identifying athletes participating in women’s sports and the WNBA in particular. 
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has publicly argued that women’s sports should remain protected for female athletes. Her comments drew criticism from leftists and sparked a broader debate over where WNBA players and the league itself stand on transgender inclusion.
Some WNBA players and coaches have expressed support for transgender-identifying athletes competing in women’s sports. Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams, for example, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-wnba-star-enters-the-men-in-womens-sports-debate">said</a> she would welcome a transgender-identifying athlete on her team or as an opponent.
Freedom is now challenging the league to apply that philosophy to his own declared eligibility. 
“My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently, and without exception,” Freedom said. “I look forward to the #WNBA honoring its stated principles.”
“See you at training camp.”
Freedom, 34, was selected third overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA Draft and spent more than a decade playing in the NBA. He became increasingly outspoken on political and international issues during his career, particularly over the Chinese Communist Party and the NBA’s relationship with China, and has pursued political activism since leaving the league.
Freedom is 6-foot-10 and had a listed playing weight of 250 pounds during his NBA career, which would make him the heaviest player in the WNBA and among its tallest.
The stunt bears an obvious resemblance to &#8220;Lady Ballers,&#8221; the DailyWire+ comedy in which a group of men competes in women’s sports after discovering how far self-identification can take them under left-wing sporting policies.
The WNBA did not immediately respond to The Daily Wire&#8217;s request for clarification on its draft eligibility rules.

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UFC flyweight Allan Nascimento died after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep, the promotion <a href="https://x.com/ufc/status/2084392303226126734?s=20">announced</a> Monday. He was 34.
The Brazilian fighter was found unresponsive. Emergency crews performed CPR, but Nascimento was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Allan&#8217;s family, friends, teammates, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” the UFC said in a statement. 
His most recent fight was a three-round decision loss at a UFC Fight Night event in June, <a href="https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/49524527/ufc-flyweight-allan-nascimento-dies-apparent-heart-attack">according to ESPN. </a>He launched his MMA career in his native country in 2011, compiling a 17-4 record before making his UFC debut on Dana White&#8217;s Contender Series in 2018.
Although he dropped a split decision to Raulian Paiva on the Contender Series, the performance ultimately earned him a UFC contract in 2021, according to the <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25461303-ufc-fighter-allan-nascimento-dies-age-34">Bleacher Report.</a>  He went on to notch victories over Cody Durden, Jafel Filho, Carlos Hernandez, and Jake Hadley, while suffering losses to Tagir Ulanbekov and Mitch Raposo. During his UFC tenure, which began in 2021, he also earned two Performance of the Night bonuses, the sports outlet reported. He represented the Chute Boxe Diego Lima team from São Paulo and trained with former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
Nicknamed &#8220;Puro Osso&#8221; — Portuguese for &#8220;All Bones,&#8221; a reference to his lean frame — Nascimento compiled a 22-7 professional record and went 4-2 in six UFC appearances, according to ESPN.
While heart attacks are generally associated with older adults, medical experts have <a href="https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/the-rise-in-heart-attacks-in-people-under-40">noted</a> a rise in cardiovascular events among younger people in recent years. 
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The debate over transgender-identifying athletes in women&#8217;s sports continued Sunday as Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase defended men competing in women’s sports.
The reigning WNBA Coach of the Year said sports are about &#8220;inclusivity.&#8221;
&#8220;For me, sports is about belonging. It’s about inclusivity. It’s about allowing everyone to be their authentic self,&#8221; Nakase said when asked about the recent Sophie Cunningham comments on the subject. &#8220;I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women.&#8221;
Cunningham, a guard with the Indiana Fever, recently spoke out against men competing in women’s sports. Since then, she’s had support, but also multiple WNBA coaches rejecting her position that women&#8217;s sports should be reserved for biological females.
Nakase joins the list of coaches who have recently been asked their stance on the controversy. Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White, Minnesota Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve, and Portland Fire coach Alex Sarama have all opined in the last few days.
White previously said she did not feel &#8220;educated enough from a scientific point&#8221; to weigh in on the issue.
&#8220;I don’t know that I would say that I’m educated enough from a scientific standpoint,&#8221; White said Friday. &#8220;I don’t ever believe that exclusion is an answer. I just don’t.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sophie-cunninghams-coach-asked-where-she-stands-on-men-in-womens-sports">Sophie Cunningham’s Coach Asked Where She Stands On Men In Women’s Sports</a>
Whereas White fell back on her education, or lack thereof, Nakase cited criticism she has faced over her height and ethnicity as shaping her views.
&#8220;I’m big on that because I have been criticized for my height, for my ethnicity. I’ve been in those ‘you shouldn’t belong here’ many times, and for me I don’t want that space, especially Golden State, to ever feel like that,&#8221; Nakase said.
The coaches are being pressed as the place for the latest rallies on the issue has shifted to outside WNBA arenas.
Sunday’s game between the Minnesota Lynx and the Indiana Fever drew the largest gathering of Cunningham supporters, including Riley Gaines, Michele Tafoya, and <a href="https://x.com/xx_xyathletics/status/2084263764011241693?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jennifer Sey</a>, as well as a crowd of pro-trans protesters.
Security had to step in outside of the Target Center in Minneapolis when a pro-trans activist repeatedly grabbed and forcefully tried to take an &#8220;XX-XY&#8221; branded t-shirt from a Cunningham fan.
Dustin Gage posted the video of the altercation on <a href="https://x.com/GrageDustin/status/2083946263314043288?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a> during the pre-game fan rally XX-XY’s, Sey’s athletic clothing company, hosted.
Cunningham has stood her ground, taking pictures with Gaines and Sey at Sunday’s game.
Sey told The Daily Wire she expects to see more Cunningham supporters as the WNBA season nears the end. Sey said there&#8217;s another rally in the works for the Fever&#8217;s game in Chicago on August 8.

Illustration by Daily Wire staff

WNBA Coach Of The Year Picks A Side In Trans Athlete Debate

Marco Rubio, one could argue, could do anything in the world if he was given a week off — but the Secretary of State has a much more relatable vision of a theoretical week-long vacation with no interruptions: watch college football.
&#8220;My wife is going to hate this answer, but I would love to sit down and watch every college football game starting at noon eastern until when the west coast games end at 2 a.m. our time,&#8221; Rubio said during an interview on Fox News&#8217; My View with Lara Trump.
That&#8217;s right: when asked how he would spend a week off, Rubio said what a majority of men in America would say. Maybe it was because college football returns this month, so Rubio could already feel the anticipation of the season starting. But while the Secretary of State appears to have college football circled on his calendar like most sports fans, he probably also knows he has no time for it.
&#8220;I doubt I’ll be able to do that anytime soon,&#8221; Rubio added.
Unfortunately for Jeanette Rubio, her honey-do-list may take a backseat if her hubby gets a weekend off this fall.
But can you blame him? Rubio played college football at an NAIA school, Tarkio College, in Missouri before transferring to the University of Florida to earn his undergrad degree. His son, Anthony, followed in his father’s footsteps.
He’s a redshirt junior running back entering his fourth season at the University of Florida, where he scored his first collegiate touchdown in 2024 in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Rubio also has made it known he’s a die-hard University of Miami fan. He cheered on the school where he earned his Juris Doctor throughout the College Football Playoff last season, even attending the National Championship where Miami lost to Indiana. It’s clear football is in the Rubio family’s blood.
Admitting to having the same desires as most of America on fall Saturdays adds on to Rubio’s relatability, something he already gained quite by accident when he became a top meme of 2026.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-and-rubio-get-ready-to-bro-out-at-college-football-national-championship-game">Trump And Rubio Get Ready To ‘Bro Out’ At College Football National Championship Game</a>
Another common thread between the college football fan and Rubio is both share some of the same frustrations with the current playoff system. Back in December he criticized the College Football Playoff committee, noting how it would have been unfair to leave Miami out of the 12-team post-season bracket, which was a highly debated topic at the time.
&#8220;I&#8217;m a Florida Gator, but if the University of Miami gets screwed out of the College Football Playoffs, after going 10-2 and beating Notre Dame, the whole thing should be scrapped,&#8221; Rubio said.
He then suggested Trump would have to take over for the 2026 CFP if Miami got left out.
Ultimately Miami made it into the playoff over Notre Dame who had a matching 10-2 record to the Canes.
As he admitted, Rubio’s current role doesn’t allow him to watch a football game — much less attend as many as he would like to support his son — but he made it clear that when it’s all said and done, you’ll find him escaping the real world by watching the same game that, to many Americans, makes the world go round.

Credit: James Gilbert/Getty Images

Marco Rubio Reveals How He Would Unwind If He Had A Whole Week Off

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