ODM Daily Inspirational Devotional Messages Bible Verse and Prayers ODM
WNBA Star Sophie Cunningham Stands Up for Women’s Sports
WNBA player Sophie Cunningham grabbed a lot of headlines this week after saying she believes “truth” requires protecting women from biological men invading their sports.
The basketball star told ESPN on Tuesday, “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.”
One user slammed her position on X, “Sophie Cunningham is unafraid. Unafraid to be blatantly transphobic.”
Another account posted, “Sophie Cunningham has to be suspended today. You @WNBA can’t claim to have ‘No Space for Hate’ and then suspend Sandy Brondelo for her comments but allow Sophie to be wildly transphobic in a ESPN article and skate away without consequences. The punishment must be equal.”
Cunningham Resolute on Women’s Sports
After generating chatter on social media, the 29-year-old guard for the Indiana Fever doubled down on Wednesday when speaking with reporters before her team’s game against the Connecticut Sun.
“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham asserted. “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.”
Cunningham and Caitlin Clark, another guard for the Indiana Fever, are considered to be the two most popular WNBA stars.
“Sophie has proven she is a defender, she is bold, and she is completely in tune with the spirit of sport. She isn’t letting brand deals or politics control or distract her — she’s simply unafraid to say what everyone is thinking,” Macy Charles, a legislative strategist for Concerned Women of America told The Washington Stand.
Cunningham cited Title IX as a reason for fairness in women’s sports. “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.”
“And, like I said, I’m gonna stand true to that,” she continued. “I’ll never falter in my beliefs in that.”
Despite speaking out, Cunningham is tight-lipped about her political beliefs.
Sex-Based Rights Mainstream, Not Fringe Views
Charles pointed out that Cunningham recognises the commonsense purpose of the WNBA. “She also knows her opportunities were made possible because she wasn’t expected to participate in the NBA — equality and fairness were exactly why the WNBA was created. She is preserving that for those coming after her. Sophie said she spoke ‘in love,’ and that’s important. Scripture tells us that love rejoices in the truth. Speaking truth in love isn’t a contradiction. It’s exactly what we’re called to do.”
Cunningham’s views are also incredibly mainstream, New York Times/Ipsos polling shows. A whopping 80% of Americans believe biological men should not compete in women’s sports — including 67% of Democrats. Among Republicans, support for the star guard’s position is almost unanimous: 94%.
At a press conference at the White House on Thursday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the situation.
“The backlash she [Sophie Cunningham] 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. It’s rooted in basic biological fact that men should not be competing against women on playing fields across the country,” Leavitt said.
Cunningham’s Courage Inspires Others
Other politicians outside of the White House rallied behind Cunningham on X, including Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Rep. Eli Crane (Ariz.). Fellow athletes Riley Gaines and Martina Navratilova also showed support.
Jennifer Sey, the founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, posted on X, “Let this be a lesson to other high level female athletes… if you are a draw, speak up. They won’t can you.”
Ella Frei, a 17-year-old high school volleyball player from Wisconsin who has said she faced online harassment after criticising her school’s transgender bathroom policy, also posted, “Thank you @sophaller for being the first female superstar athlete to have my back. It means the world to me.”
Briley Lechner, a high school volleyball player in Michigan who was forced to share a locker room with a biological male identifying as a female from an opposing team, commented that she is inspired by Cunningham as well.
“Watching @sophaller say it out loud — that girls shouldn’t have to give up fair competition or our privacy — meant more than she’ll ever know. When a WNBA star says it, maybe people finally listen.
“I know what it’s like to have your voice on this treated like it’s hateful. It isn’t. Wanting a fair game and a private locker room was never hate. It’s just the truth, and I’m done being afraid to say it. Thank you, Sophie, for going first. You made it easier for the rest of us.”
Republished with thanks to The Washington Stand.
ODM Daily Commentary
Let’s be honest: Sophie Cunningham just did what most athletes are terrified to do. She spoke the truth. And she refused to back down.
The article from The Washington Stand tells the story of a WNBA star who said what 80% of Americans believe: biological men should not compete in women’s sports. She said it with love. She said it with truth. And she said it with courage.
The backlash was predictable. The activist mob screamed “transphobia.” They demanded she be suspended. They called her hateful. But Cunningham doubled down. “I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense.” She said she would never falter in her beliefs.
The polling is devastating for the activists. 80% of Americans agree with Cunningham—including 67% of Democrats. Among Republicans, it is 94%. This is not a fringe view. It is the mainstream. And the left is out of touch.
The White House Press Secretary backed Cunningham, calling the backlash “astonishing” and pointing out that it is “common sense, rooted in basic biological fact.” That is leadership.
Cunningham’s courage has inspired others. A 17-year-old volleyball player who faced harassment thanked her for being the first female superstar athlete to have her back. A high school volleyball player forced to share a locker room with a biological male said Cunningham’s words meant more than she’ll ever know. She said, “Wanting a fair game and a private locker room was never hate. It’s just the truth, and I’m done being afraid to say it.”
That is the power of one voice. When a WNBA star speaks up, others find the courage to do the same.
Cunningham’s stance is rooted in Title IX, the law that created opportunities for women in sport. She understands that if women’s sports are not protected, there would be no WNBA. She is preserving that opportunity for those coming after her.
So here is the challenge: support Sophie Cunningham. Support athletes who speak the truth. Demand that women’s sports remain for women. And refuse to be silenced by a mob that calls truth hate.
Sophie Cunningham said what everyone is thinking. And that is why she is a hero.
Keywords: Sophie Cunningham, WNBA, women’s sports, biological men, transgender athletes, Title IX, common sense, truth speech, Karoline Leavitt, Riley Gaines, Caitlin Clark, sports fairness, locker room privacy, mainstream polling, 80/20 issue, courage
