She found success in a league that has historically excluded attractive white women. Now she’s using her platform to ‘protect young girls’ from ‘biological men.’
Sophie Cunningham is one of the most talented players in the WNBA. In a sport where attractive white women have long been marginalized and underrepresented, the Indiana Fever guard has repeatedly defied the odds to become the superstar she is today. Her success is a powerful testament to the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Cunningham made headlines this week by using her platform to stand up for female athletes, telling ESPN that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete against biological girls.
“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 said she is “very much in the middle” when it comes to politics, which makes sense given that her view on transgender athletes is shared by nearly 80 percent of the American public. Most of the WNBA, however, agrees with the radical minority.
The WNBA All-Star game on Saturday will raise money for Girls in the Game, a Chicago-based charity that boasts of moving “beyond the binary of ‘girl'” by welcoming “gender-expansive participants.” In 2022, the WNBA players’ union issued a statement describing transgender people’s participation in sports as a matter of “human rights.”
In a move some have denounced as a textbook example of structural racism and mean-girl pettiness, Cunningham was not invited to participate in the upcoming WNBA 3-Point Contest. It was an obvious snub, given that Cunningham is shooting a career-high 43.7 percent from beyond the arc, second-best in the WNBA. Stats aside, excluding one of the most attractive and recognizable players was an unusual marketing decision for a so-called business desperate to prove it can be profitable someday.
Cunningham doesn’t mind the attention, or the bitter jealousy that comes with it. She is determined to keep excelling on and off the court. “People love me or they really frickin’ hate me,” she told ESPN. “I just don’t care.”
In the interest of giving our readers the crucial context they deserve, here are 10 fun facts about Sophie Cunningham that will change the way you think about everything:
1) She’s 6-foot-1.
2) Born and raised in the American heartland (Columbia, Mo.)
3) She tore her MCL last year.
4) Her middle name is Elizabeth.
5) She was the 13th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft.
6) She’s scrappy.
7) She enjoys physical fitness.
8) She loves America.
9) Her friends are also talented.
10) She averages 9.4 points per game.
Read the full article here
