The debate surrounding Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has taken another turn after fans were asked to cover shirts during Sunday’s game in Atlanta. At least three fans faced the request from WNBA security over messages involving transgender participation in women’s sports.
The incident has now added more fuel to a debate that has followed Cunningham since she publicly opposed transgender women competing in women’s sports.
In a July article by ESPN’s Hallie Grossman, Cunningham was quoted as saying, “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.”
Since then, the WNBA has faced growing attention over the issue, despite never having a transgender woman play in the league.
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After the recent fan incident, the league responded Monday and admitted its security personnel handled the situation incorrectly.
“The WNBA is aware of interactions at Sunday night’s game in Atlanta in which fans were asked by league security to cover their shirts,” the WNBA statement reads, via ABC News. “This should not have happened.”
Per ESPN, two fans wore shirts supporting restrictions on women’s sports based on sex assigned at birth. Another wore a shirt supporting transgender people. So, both of these incidents are closely related to Cunningham’s controversy.
Meanwhile, the league later informed its security workers that they were wrong to ask fans to cover those messages.
WNBA faces pressure as Sophie Cunningham debate grows
Cunningham’s comments have already triggered rallies outside Fever games in Seattle and Portland. She has maintained that the demonstrations do not distract her from basketball, per reports from The Guardian.
She said, “I think at the end of the day, I come in, and I do my job.” She later added, saying, “I’m here to play basketball, but I’m also here to be me, and I’m not gonna like shadow that or hide or, you know, dim my light just because maybe people don’t agree with that.”
That position has made Cunningham one of the league’s most discussed players recently.
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Meanwhile, the shirt incident has now created a separate concern for the league. The WNBA must protect an inclusive arena environment without selectively restricting lawful fan expression.
The Atlanta Dream also distanced itself from the incident. “At no point was Dream personnel involved in the decisions made by WNBA security,” the team said in an X statement.
The security mistake also risks shifting attention away from the basketball itself. Indiana needs Cunningham’s physical play and energy as the Fever navigate a competitive season.
For Cunningham, the controversy appears unlikely to disappear soon. Her response has remained consistent, while the WNBA now faces pressure to apply clear standards across its arenas.
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