The debate surrounding Sophie Cunningham’s controversial comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports has spilled into yet another WNBA arena. Before the Indiana Fever’s latest game, a confrontation outside the arena prompted police intervention.
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A rally in support of Cunningham’s comments was being held outside Barclays Center in New York by XX-XY Athletics, before the Fever’s game against the New York Liberty. Opposing them, a counter-protest was held in support of transgender athletes, but things quickly went off the rails.
In a video shared by New York Post Sports on X, a man can be seen and heard screeching loudly at the pro-transgender protesters and is subsequently approached by the police, who escort him away. As he was being sent away, he repeatedly shouted, “I want to be in the WNBA,” as the crowd was filled with chants of “Trans lives matter.”
The rally in support of Cunningham was nothing new. Since her comments during an ESPN profile released on July 21 surfaced, there have been a series of gatherings during multiple of the Fever’s road games, outside opposing teams’ arenas. Rallies already took place in Seattle, Minneapolis, and Portland, among others.
The first two rallies in Seattle and Portland saw a few participants, but subsequent rallies in Minneapolis and Chicago were significantly larger, split between supporters and counter-protestors.
Before the game, Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart was asked about the situation outside Barclays, and she made it clear that she wants to foster an environment welcoming of both Fever and Liberty fans.
“Knowing that rallies are happening on both sides shows the platform that the W has, and the stunts for attention are just continuing to try and ride the wave that we have,” Stewart told reporters, per the Associated Press. “I want Liberty fans and even Indy fans that are going to come here tonight to be able to have this arena be a safe space.”
However, the rally itself wasn’t where the controversy ended. Fan Julie Potter, who had paid $100 to display a message in support of Jennifer Sey and XX-XY Athletics during the game between the Liberty and the Fever, told Fox News that her message was changed and she was refunded. The scrutiny is because XX-XY and Sey, the company’s founder, have been outspoken supporters of Cunningham’s stance in the debate on trans athletes, even taking pictures with the Fever guard following a game against the Lynx.
“Unfortunately, this is censorship. My message was approved, and payment was accepted. You then changed it without giving me any opportunity to revise or respond, and you did so inside your own 48-hour window,” Potter said afterward. “Why would I pay to let you speak for me?”
With all the noise surrounding the Indiana Fever and Sophie Cunningham unlikely to drop anytime soon, future rallies are likely to take place in other cities unless the WNBA is able to clarify its eligibility rules.