Dan Dakich, host of ‘Outkick’, joined Jon Scott to discuss growing public support for Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham. Dakich praised Cunningham for her courage in protecting women’s sports.
Fans are rallying outside WNBA arenas with signs supporting Cunningham. This highlights the ongoing debate about transgender athletes in female sports divisions. A former teammate of Cunningham wasn’t upset by the incident where Cunningham ended with a bloody mouth after Chicago Sky’s DiJonai Carrington delivered a forearm to her face.
Carrington’s hard foul, resulting in her ejection, led Sydney Colson to comment on social media. Colson wrote “I love a trans foul” after the flagrant incident. Her post was a wordplay, as the foul occurred during a transition play. Cunningham had previously voiced that transgender athletes shouldn’t compete in women’s sports.
The incident during the Fever’s 90-86 win saw Carrington’s foul upgraded to a Flagrant 2, and consequent ejection. Despite this, Fever’s head coach Stephanie White defended Carrington, stating no intentional harm was meant.
Cunningham has received backlash for expressing her views in an ESPN story, stating that women shouldn’t have to compete against biological men. She clarified her position, saying she promotes love and honesty, and wants to protect young female athletes from unfair competition.
A March 2025 New York Times poll found 79% of Americans oppose men competing in women’s sports, aligning with Cunningham’s views. Her stance has sparked division within the sports community, even with mixed responses from teammates and the Fever’s coach.