The Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream locked horns in front of 17,000+ fans in one of the most anticipated games of the week, but the thrilling overtime matchup was overshadowed by an unexpected controversy in the stands involving two Sophie Cunningham fans.

A mother and her daughter, who showed up at State Farm Arena in XX-XY Athletics apparel, were asked by arena security to cover up their shirts. While the incident (the controversial details of which we’ll address a bit later) has drawn sharp criticism, the story takes a dramatic turn when you look at the Atlanta Dream’s statement.

“The Atlanta Dream believes in creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone. Unfortunately, at last night’s game, WNBA security took actions that fell short of that standard. At no point was Dream personnel involved in the decisions made by WNBA security,” the statement read. 

The Dream’s official website includes a policy prohibiting “signs, apparel, or gestures with discriminatory or hateful messages” in its arenas, but none of that seemed to be violated by the fans wearing XX-XY T-shirts.

The Atlanta Dream statement came shortly after the WNBA itself addressed the incident, saying the fans should never have been asked to cover their shirts. “The WNBA is aware of interactions at last night’s game in Atlanta in which fans were asked by league security to cover their shirts. This should not have happened.”

That said, the mother-daughter duo has now shared their side of what unfolded during the incident.

Inside the Sophie Cunningham Fan Controversy

According to OutKick’s Jon Root, Georgia locals Kasey Thomason and her daughter Annie were seated in the arena wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts in support of Sophie Cunningham. Kasey wore an XX-XY shirt featuring the letters in stars and stripes, while Annie wore a Riley Gaines collaboration with “XX” on the front and “For the Girls” on the back. The pair had no issues throughout the game until a security guard approached them during overtime. 

“They were told by a security guard that their shirts were offensive and they had to put on this Wellness Night T-shirt or they would be escorted out of the building…”Root shared in a clip on X.

Later, during an interview with Fox News Channel’s “The Ingraham Angle,” the pair revealed that the security guard himself wasn’t even sure why he had been asked to intervene.

“He didn’t know what was offensive about it,” Kasey said, as reported by Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos. “He said he didn’t even understand, but since someone told on us and said that they were offensive, we had to cover up, put on our Atlanta Dream shirts instead of our XX-XY.”

Annie also spoke about the experience, saying, “I was flabbergasted. It was the first time I experienced anything like that. I just had no words except like who is offended by the T-shirt at this point?”

According to The Athletic, the State Farm Arena video board briefly featured a woman wearing a “Protect Trans Kids” T-shirt during a “Jam Cam” segment between the first and second quarters on Sunday. Another fan wearing a “Trans kids belong in sports” shirt was shown during the broadcast late in regulation and throughout overtime. 

And Kasey believes (as she told Fox News Digital/OutKick) that the courtside woman in a “Protect Trans Rights” shirt may have raised the issue with security, although that connection remains her assumption.

The entire debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports has followed the WNBA closely since Fever forward Sophie Cunningham reignited the conversation in an ESPN profile, where she called barring transgender athletes from women’s sports “common sense.”

The debate also prompted former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, putting further pressure on the league to address the issue. The following week, a task force made up of team presidents and general managers met with league leadership, with the WNBA condemning the “bad-faith efforts” to use the league as a prop in the debate over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

“Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online. We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months.”

“We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others,” the statement read.

Organized rallies have taken place at three Fever road games since Cunningham’s comments, with XX-XY merchandise becoming a common sight among supporters who regularly turn up wearing the brand’s apparel.

How XX-XY Athletics Became Central to the Sophie Cunningham Debate

XX-XY Athletics was founded by Jennifer Sey, a former gymnast and the author of Levi’s Unbuttoned: The Woke Mob Took My Job But Gave Me My Voice. The brand has built its identity around “being brave, telling the truth, and protecting women’s sports.”

Sey and Cunningham were publicly seen together for the first time on August 2 ahead of the Fever’s game against the Minnesota Lynx, alongside conservative activist Riley Gaines. The trio were photographed wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts, putting Cunningham and the brand in the same spotlight.

The association with Cunningham had a major impact on the brand. According to a report published by Front Office Sports on August 10, XX-XY Athletics saw its sales jump sixfold over a two-week span. The same report also revealed that 85% of the brand’s purchases since its association with Cunningham have come from first-time customers. 

Interestingly, the incident involving the Thomasons wasn’t the first time the brand has found itself at the center of a controversy inside a WNBA arena.

During a game between the Fever and the Seattle Storm on July 28, two young Cunningham fans, who were sitting courtside wearing XX-XY shirts and holding signs thanking Sophie Cunningham “for speaking up for girls!”, were approached by Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton and criticized for their signs and shirts.

And with the brand now deeply intertwined with the Cunningham movement, Jennifer Sey isn’t backing away. Instead, the XX-XY Athletics founder has already announced where supporters will gather next.

Sey revealed that she plans to attend the Indiana Fever’s August 22 matchup against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with a group of supporters, as she announced on X.

“I will be attending the NY Liberty vs Indiana Fever game on August 22 at Barclay’s in NY. I’ve got a group I’ll be attending with. I suggest everyone wear their @xx_xyathletics shirts. @barclayscenter — we are coming. In love and truth. And XX-XY Athletics tees.”

The announcement comes just hours after the controversy in Atlanta and adds another layer to an issue that has increasingly followed Sophie Cunningham and the Fever wherever they go. Although Cunningham has made it clear in the past that she just wants to focus on playing basketball, the conversation around her comments about trans athletes in women’s sports has spiraled to a point where an end to it doesn’t seem anywhere in sight.