Sophie Cunningham has been in the middle of a firestorm for weeks now. The Indiana Fever guard’s comments about trans athletes blew up online, drawing both support and backlash. But Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Storm took things in a direction nobody expected.
According to multiple reports, a group of girls showed up to the game wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts and carrying handmade signs thanking Cunningham for her stance. What happened next has turned into a full-blown controversy involving a Storm co-owner, several players, and a lot of finger-pointing.
The girls were booed by fans when they stood up for photos before the game and between quarters. Brandi Kruse, who helped organize the group’s attendance, told Fox News Digital that fans were “relentlessly booing at them.” But it didn’t stop there. Some Storm players reportedly made thumbs-down gestures at the girls. One of those gestures came when a girl in an XX-XY shirt danced during a break in the action. By halftime, one of the girls was sobbing.
Then things got uglier. An older woman connected to the Storm organization approached the group and allegedly shouted at them, calling them “f*****g insane.” That woman has since been identified as Celeste Keaton, a co-owner of the team.
The Storm put out a statement apologizing for what happened, saying they are committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect. Keaton has not publicly commented.
Cunningham fires back at the owner
Cunningham didn’t hold back when asked about the incident. She called Keaton’s behavior “truly embarrassing” and doubled down by saying it “shows the type of leader she is.” That’s direct criticism of someone who literally signs checks for the league.
But Cunningham also made a point to reiterate that she has love for everybody. She specifically named “biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men” in her response, making her stance clear without backing down from her earlier comments.
The Fever guard also announced she’ll be sending gifts to the girls who stood up for what they believe. It’s a small gesture but a pointed one given what they went through.
On the court, Indiana won the game by 10 points. Cunningham dropped 11 points and hit three of her four three-pointers. So at least she had that going for her on a night that was otherwise dominated by off-court drama.
The incident raises questions about how teams handle their ownership groups and what responsibility they have for the actions of people in power. The Storm apologized, but Cunningham’s response suggests she thinks that apology doesn’t go far enough.
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