From one court to another?
Even if you don’t watch the WNBA, you’ve probably already seen the latest controversy that erupted over the weekend in a league that just can’t seem to quit stepping on its own feet and capitalize on its growing popularity.
Of course Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham has already been in the news lately after her comments on biological men in women’s sports.
In a recent ESPN article, Cunningham made her stance on the hot-button issue clear:
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’ I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
And after (predictably) receiving backlash from the left and the media for her position, Cunningham doubled down, calling it “common sense.”
The comments have resulted in plenty of conversation surrounding the issue, with Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wearing a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt during their game against the Fever.
And last week, two former NBA players decided to test just how inclusive the WNBA really is, with Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White both announcing that they were declaring for the WNBA Draft.
So yeah, it’s a mess.
Well it’s against that backdrop, and the outcry over Cunningham’s comments, that the Fever took on the Chicago Sky over the weekend – and once again, it was Cunningham who found herself in the middle of the drama.
It all started when the Fever player took a hard foul from Chicago Sky forward DiJonai Carrington:
The two exchanged words on the court, and Carrington was ultimately assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game. But after being ejected, Carrington continued to fan the flames when she blamed her ejection on “white privilege” in a post on Threads (I guess her and Jason Isbell are the only two people still using Threads regularly).
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier apparently has a different name for it though: Assault.
After video began going viral of the foul against Cunningham, the AG took to social media to give his thoughts on the situation:
“The WNBA knows better than to play games down here in Florida, because I’ll be charging people with assault.”
And he later followed up that tweet by doubling down:
The WNBA currently doesn’t have any teams in Florida – and at this point it’s probably going to stay that way.
Back in the league, Cunningham also weighed in on Carrington’s response to the fouls, pointing out that she had been ejected for the same thing during a game last year:
“I think the league is taking care of that. I mean, this has nothing to do with race. Last year I did the same thing, and I got kicked out, as I deserved to be kicked out. There’s no reason to even play that card.”
And she also said players use the Fever for attention given the team’s popularity:
“I do think when people play the Fever, we’re nationally televised, there’s a lot of eyes on us. People just want attention. And that’s her just trying to get attention.”
What a mess. This league just can’t get out of its own way.
