Sophie Cunningham sends pointed message to her critics with pre-game outfit after transgender firestorm
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham appeared to send her haters a pointed message on Tuesday night with her pre-game outfit choice.
Cunningham has become one of the most debated athletes in America after sparking discussions about transgender inclusion in sports following an interview with ESPN – where she claimed that ‘young girls’ shouldn’t ‘have to go against biological men.’
Since then, the WNBA has been left divided as fans, players and coaches weigh in on the matter and, for weeks, protests were prevalent at every Indiana Fever game.
However, it seems that the opposition to her remarks hasn’t deterred the WNBA star.
Prior to their 96-77 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night, Cunningham was pictured arriving at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in a sweatshirt that read: ‘Kick rocks’.
She appeared to double down on the message by sharing the photo on her Instagram page, along with the caption: ‘I mean… if the shoe fits’.
Sophie Cunningham took aim at her critics with pre-game outfit on Tuesday evening
The Fever star has become a polarizing figure after weighing in on the trans athlete debate
This isn’t the first time, since Cunningham’s opinion-splitting ESPN interview, that the Lynx-Fever matchup has been dominated by discourse over outfits.
In response to Cunningham’s remarks, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve opted to wear a t-shirt that read: ‘Trans kids belong’ while on the sidelines of their game in August.
Speaking to reporters prior to the matchup, Reeve – who also serves as head coach for USA Basketball’s women’s national team – doubled down on her stance regarding inclusion and criticized the broader national debate.
‘I come from a space of inclusion. The narrative that I think is problematic is to suggest that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women’s sports.
‘This is what’s bothersome. There is a faction of people in our country that are making this a massive issue,’ Reeve explained.
The firestorm surrounding Cunningham’s comments appears to have settled down in recent weeks, as the WNBA season prepares to enter the postseason.
Most recently, Cunningham made headlines admitting she was confused by the female fury over Sydney Sweeney’s now-viral sports gambling commercial.
Sweeney has lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers and has faced a firestorm of criticism after Novig released the ad, which showed the actress completely naked and covering her modesty with strategically-placed sports equipment.
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve previously wore a ‘Trans Kids Belong’ t-shirt on the sidelines of her team’s clash against Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever last month
A number of protests followed the Indiana Fever around America after Cunningham’s remarks
Female athletes slammed Sweeney for misrepresenting women in sports, but now basketball star Cunningham has weighed in with her take – and she’s not buying the anger.
‘Why are girls mad?’ she asked, on her new podcast No Hesitation. ‘That is literally what she does. Why is anyone mad? It is a gambling ad: men, sports, naked women. Of course that’s going to draw attention.
‘Do I agree with it? Morally, I think it’s kind of weird, but each to their own. Go do your thing, sis.’
Cunningham previously went viral when she met Sweeney at a NASCAR event, with the pair posing for a photo and the WNBA star later posting: ‘One of us forgot our t*ts at home.’
