Ever since Sophie Cunningham spoke out about protecting young girls in locker rooms, she has become a face of the movement pushing to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports. Fans have gathered outside Indiana Fever games and staged rallies in her name, and on Saturday, that was once again the scene outside Barclays Center as the Fever faced the New York Liberty. Her supporters were seen holding “Save Women’s Sports” and “Thank You Sophie” signs. So after more than a month of seeing her name and image used at political rallies like these, Cunningham has finally broken her silence.
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“I think I said what I said … (the outside noise is) nothing new. It’s happened every game, and so I’ve already kind of stated how I feel about all that. I’m focused on New York tonight,” she said, per an X post by Geoff Magliocchetti.
“We clinched playoffs. But for me, it’s dialing in with basketball, and it’s cool that people are using their freedom of speech and doing what they want to do. But that’s them, and I’m in my two feet. I’m where I’m at, and so I’m just focused on New York.”
Sophie Cunningham never expected to find herself at the center of one of the biggest controversies surrounding the WNBA. But while she acknowledges and respects fans’ right to protest, Cunningham has made it clear that she wants the political activity to remain separate from her basketball life. And that is something she has stressed previously as well.
“I’m going to let people just do the speaking for themselves, but for me, I want to get back to basketball. It’s always been about basketball,” she said in an interview with ESPN earlier this month.
With the playoffs right around the corner, the Indiana Fever still have six more regular-season games left to play. But they have already clinched their position in the postseason, becoming just the fourth team to do so.
On an individual level, Sophie Cunningham has settled into an important role for a Fever team with legitimate championship aspirations. The 30-year-old is averaging 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists this season, but her impact goes beyond the numbers.
She has given Stephanie White another experienced option on the perimeter while bringing the energy and competitiveness that have become a big part of her role in Indiana. So with the season continuing to move forward, Cunningham has made it clear where her attention lies — on basketball.
Yet the conversation around the controversy has moved well past basketball. The Alliance Defending Freedom has recently sent a legal warning to the WNBA over what it described as the treatment of fans expressing their views, while athletes from other sports have also continued to weigh in on the debate.
So while Sophie Cunningham may be choosing to keep her attention on the court, the conversation that put her at the center of the spotlight continues to grow beyond the Fever guard herself.