The saga surrounding Sophie Cunningham after her comments regarding transgender athletes competing in women’s sports refuses to die down. And now Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve is taking the heat regarding her comments about two young fans sitting courtside in Seattle’s game against the Fever in support of Cunningham.
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“These young girls that are sitting at games with anti-trans signs, do they actually understand what their real problems are and how they’re being marginalized? We’re still not in a space where we have equality,” Reeve said as per reporter Jon Root.
Criticizing her comments, Reeve wrote: “One of the most insulting things Minnesota Lynx HC Cheryl Reeve said was claiming the two young girls who sat courtside in Seattle don’t “understand what the real problems are. Ahnaleigh Wilson competed against biological boys, you buffoon! This is pure bullying & gaslighting.”
The incident that Reeve is referring to happened during the Fever-Storm game. Two teenage fans were seen sitting courtside. According to multiple reports, the girls were allegedly wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts and held up a sign thanking Sophie Cunningham for speaking out about women’s sports.
That’s when things went out of hand, as Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton confronted the two girls, saying, “f*** insane.”
According to Jon Root, Keaton was heard saying, “How dare you come here and pull this s***?!”
This incident left the two Cunningham supporters quite upset, and the encounter apparently left them in tears. Soon after, it was reported that Keaton had been suspended from attending the Storm’s next five home games because of the confrontation.
“Well, we were just sitting there with the signs that said like, ‘We love Sophie,’ like, ‘Thank you, Sophie, for speaking up,’” one of the fans recollected, referring to Keaton.
And now Lynx coach Reeve’s reaction to this issue has been criticized, with some labelling Reeve’s comments as immature and unfounded. However, this saga goes deeper than some simple comments.
After Cunningham faced backlash for her take, which pointed out her alleged bias and even hate, she received overwhelming support from fans and organizations who called for physical public rallies in her support. One such rally is being planned in Minnesota, before the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx game at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
There are alleged reports of some “surprise appearances” at the event as well. This issue, which started from some simple comments, has now escalated into a full political slugfest, with the matter even reaching the steps of the White House. The White House press secretary released a statement on this issue.
This issue refuses to settle down, even when Cunningham has released her take, reflecting the need for a “safe space” and “love” for everybody.
Only time will show how this controversy, which has put basketball on the back burner and has divided the community on multiple fault lines, progresses. The onus is on all stakeholders not to let the issue get out of hand, either online or on the streets, to the point of causing physical or emotional hurt to anyone.