The Indiana Fever and Dallas Wings’ second matchup of the week ended in a disappointing 91-85 loss for Indiana, ending their five-game winning streak. But while the game itself had plenty to talk about, the Sophie Cunningham discourse once again stole the spotlight. This time, it was the 51st Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, who caught attention after making his support for the Fever guard impossible to miss.
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Paxton was in attendance at the American Airlines Center with his daughter, but it was what the two were wearing that quickly became the talking point. Both were seen sporting XX-XY Athletics shirts, with the Texas Attorney General later taking to X to share a picture from the game, with a pointed caption.
“As a dad of female athletes, I’ll fight to keep men out of women’s sports. Proud to be repping xx-xy with my daughter tonight.”
XX-XY Athletics – founded by former gymnast Jennifer Sey – has become a visible symbol of support for Sophie Cunningham since the Fever guard came under scrutiny for her stance on transgender athletes in women’s sports. Sey is also the author of Levi’s Unbuttoned: The Woke Mob Took My Job But Gave Me My Voice.
The association has also brought a significant boost to the brand. According to a report published by Front Office Sports on August 10, the apparel brand saw its sales jump sixfold over a two-week span, with 85% of those purchases coming from first-time customers.
The brand has been under the spotlight ever since two young girls wearing XX-XY shirts were involved in an alleged confrontation with Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton during the Fever’s July 28 game against Seattle. More recently, similar attention followed during the Fever’s game against the Atlanta Dream, where a mother and daughter wearing XX-XY shirts were reportedly asked to cover them up.
But with so much attention surrounding Sophie Cunningham as several groups also gathered outside the American Airlines Center in support of the Fever guard, one question naturally comes up: could all the noise around her stance be starting to affect her on the court?
Cunningham endured her quietest outing of the season against the Wings. She finished the night with zero points on 0-for-4 shooting from the field, including 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, while also recording no rebounds or assists in 15 minutes as Indiana ultimately fell to Paige Bueckers & Co.
For now, whether her rough showing was simply an off night or something more remains impossible to know. After all, she had 13 points in her game against the Toronto Tempo on August 18. What is clear, though, is that Sophie Cunningham’s stance continues to generate headlines well beyond the basketball court, with the latest road game producing yet another chapter in a controversy that shows no sign of going away.