A columnist for The Athletic, the sports vertical of The New York Times, has called on the Indiana Fever to part ways with guard Sophie Cunningham, arguing that her off-court profile has become a distraction for a team that features star rookie Caitlin Clark. The column, written by Candace Buckner, contends that Cunningham is «too turbulent» to be paired with Clark and that the Fever should move on if they want to «go back to being a basketball team again.»
The piece points to comments Cunningham made earlier this year in an ESPN article about transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports. Cunningham said she loves all communities but believes it is important to «protect young girls» and that they «shouldn't have to go against biological men» in sports. Those remarks were subsequently characterized by some WNBA players and media members as transphobic.
Beyond that single issue, however, Cunningham's public presence has largely consisted of playing basketball, posting dancing videos on TikTok, and sharing fashion content. The column's critics argue that her growing visibility — and her appearance — have contributed to her polarizing reputation, noting that a segment of media and social media seems particularly irritated by attractive blonde women who refuse to apologize for it.
The second-most controversial remark attributed to Cunningham came during a playoff game when she told A'ja Wilson to «grow up» after Wilson charged toward a courtside fan who had pointed at her. Teammates had to restrain Wilson before arena security intervened.
The Athletic's position has drawn widespread criticism for inconsistency. The column's detractors point to soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who spent years making politics central to her public identity. Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem and later said she would probably never sing it again. She claimed during the 2019 World Cup that she was «not going to the f---ing White House» if President Donald Trump invited the team. She publicly supported Democratic candidates, including Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren, and described Trump as «sexist,» «misogynistic,» «small-minded,» «racist,» and «not a good person.»
Rapinoe also condemned the Supreme Court's 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade as «sad and cruel,» became a prominent supporter of Black Lives Matter, repeatedly advocated for transgender women to compete in women's sports, and once dismissed concerns about competitive fairness as «total bullshit.» More recently, she called for traditional WNBA media to make room for people who «understand queer culture.» After tearing her Achilles in the final match of her career, Rapinoe said the injury was «proof that there isn't» a God.
Despite those positions, the sports media never mounted a campaign for Rapinoe's teams to part ways with her because she was too «turbulent.» Her activism was not treated as an impediment to her team getting «back to being a soccer team.» Instead, Rapinoe became one of the most celebrated athletes in American sports media, in no small part because of her willingness to speak about politics — the right side of politics, that is. Her activism was incorporated into her public brand and routinely presented as evidence of courage and leadership.
That double standard, critics say, extends beyond Rapinoe. LeBron James has spent years commenting on presidential politics, policing, and race in favor of Democratic positions. Colin Kaepernick turned an anthem protest into the defining feature of his public identity. Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, and Natasha Cloud have routinely spoken about progressive political causes. Steve Kerr has addressed topics ranging from gun control to presidential politics and supported Kamala Harris for president on stage at the Democratic National Convention in 2024.
Meanwhile, the same reporters and commentators treat Cunningham saying that girls deserve protected athletic categories, Harrison Butker promoting traditional marriage, or Jaxson Dart introducing Trump on stage as grounds for condemnation or even action from their teams and business partners. The perspectives of many sports writers, the column's critics argue, are shaped by the bubble in which they operate — virtual newsrooms, Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, and sports blogs — where saying that men and women possess meaningful biological differences can qualify as an outrageous offense. Outside that bubble, national polling consistently shows that between 75 and 80 percent of voting Americans oppose biological men competing in women's sports.