Columnist Marty York reports on WNBA player Sophie Cunningham's recent comments opposing transgender athletes participating in women's sports, which sparked boos from Toronto fans during a game between the Fever and Tempo. Cunningham stated in an interview with ESPN that she wants to protect young girls from competing against biological men, citing concerns about injuries and opportunities for success. According to Dr. Gregory Brown, a professor of exercise science at the University of Nebraska, female athletes have indeed faced negative consequences when transgender individuals participate in their competitions, including lost scholarships and playing spots. The article presents Cunningham's views on this issue as a matter of truth and protection for women's sports, with York agreeing with her stance.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
As a backup who comes off the bench, Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever is not the most talented player in the Women’s National Basketball Association.
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Cunningham → come → Association
There is little doubt, however, that she has emerged this season as the most renowned.
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she → be → renowned
And there’s no question that she has played a major role in the league’s soaring attendance figures and television ratings.
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she → ’ → figures
At 30, the 6-foot-1 guard/forward is averaging only about eight points a game.
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forward → average → points
Yet, chiefly because of her and teammate Caitlin Clark, the WNBA has ascended into considerable prominence.
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WNBA → ascend → prominence
Recently, the first-year Toronto Tempo, not a formidable team in the WNBA, drew an atypical decent crowd because the opponent was the Fever.
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opponent → draw → crowd
Toronto fans would be hard-pressed to name two players with the Tempo, but identifying Cunningham and Clark of Indiana has turned into a breeze for even the most casual of WNBA followers.
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identifying → press → followers
No, Clark was booed in Toronto because, well, she’s a truly terrific superstar in the WNBA, and the booing is a sign of respect, much the way Bobby Orr or LeBron James would be booed during their respective games in Toronto, and elsewhere.
But the booing of Cunningham struck me as bizarre, to say the least.
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booing → boo → least
She wasn’t being targeted in Toronto because she is Clark’s on-court protector.
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she → target → court
Nor was she being booed because of her delightful personality, swagger, beauty and marketability.
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she → boo → personality
She was being booed because she had the audacity to tell ESPN in a much-publicized interview that she is opposed to transgender athletes playing in women’s sports.
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athletes → boo → sports
Even women in Toronto booed Cunningham.
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women → boo → Cunningham
Women booing a woman for sticking up for women.
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Women → boo → women
Cunningham said she wasn’t bothered even slightly by the booing in Toronto.
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she → say → Toronto
“I’m here to extend love,” she told reporters.
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she → ’m → reporters
“But I also think with that love is truth, being honest.
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truth → think → love
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.”
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who → want → men
She is bang-on and, after doing some in-depth research on the subject, I wholeheartedly agree with Cunningham.
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I → do → Cunningham
Dr. Gregory Brown, a professor of exercise science at the University of Nebraska, has produced more than 60 peer-reviewed publications for academic journals.
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Brown → produce → journals
He wrote last January that “Female athletes have been injured and deprived of roster spots, starting positions, awards and championships in their own category, all due to the mistaken belief that a transgender identity somehow negates the well-documented performance advantages conferred by male sex.
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identity → write → sex
At every level, from school sports to the Olympics to the pros, opportunities for success for females have been diminished when transgender individuals are permitted to participate in their competitions.
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individuals → diminish → competitions
Dr. Brown noted that female athletes have lost scholarships, medals, playing spots, and even top salaries as pros, when their sports have been co-opted by male trans athletes.
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sports → note → athletes
There is a view, held by many who follow the WNBA, that there are male trans athletes recognized as women in the league.
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who → be → league
Cunningham has mildly suggested the testing of WNBA players to determine their sex at birth.
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Cunningham → suggest → birth
The league’s administrators are not only balking at the suggestion but reprimanding Cunningham and warning her to be silent on the issue.
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administrators → balk → issue
Yet Cunningham isn’t simply talking out of her hat.
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Cunningham → talk → hat
She tells it like it is.
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it → tell → it
She is in the process of finishing a book that will sell well, at least with the anti-woke enthusiasts.
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that → finish → enthusiasts
She is pleasant, amicable and multi-talented, a bright shining light in the historically underrated and underappreciated world of professional women’s sports.
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She → shin → sports
She should be a welcome part of a league trying to grow.
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She → try → league
With her ability to utilize social media, her gift of gab and her light-hearted approach to friendly and fun-loving messaging, she is irrefutably a marketing guru.
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she → utilize → messaging
The folks who run and follow the WNBA should cease and desist from admonishing her and, yes, booing her.
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who → run → her
Rather, she should be — and I don’t often say this when it comes to athletes — exalted and thanked.
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it → say → athletes
