Police Escort Sophie Cunningham Supporter Away After Heated Scene Outside Barclays Center Before Fever vs. Liberty Game

Sophie Cunningham became a face of the movement pushing to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports.

Police Escort Sophie Cunningham Supporter Away After Heated Scene Outside Barclays Center Before Fever vs. Liberty Game

Sophie Cunningham (Image credits - Yahoo Sports)

A lot of spotlight has fallen on Sophie Cunningham ever since she spoke out about protecting young girls in locker rooms. She has become the face of the movement pushing to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports.

This is not the first time an athlete has voiced his/her opinion regarding the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports. The whole topic has been an ongoing debate for a while now, and the issue has turned political over the last few years.

Cunningham and the Indiana Fever were taking on New York Liberty at the Barclays Center on Saturday night. Prior to the game, fans from both sides gathered outside the arena and made their voices heard.

During a pro-trans rally outside the Barclays Center, a male fan was heard yelling before getting escorted away by the cops. He yelled:

I want to be in the WNBA.

While some speak in support of the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, some have been critical of it. Cunningham was critical of it as well in an interview with ESPN. She said she believes that banning transgender athletes would protect women athletes. Her comments saw her receive a lot of backlash in the past few weeks.

The controversy even saw US President Donald Trump officially sign an executive order that banned their participation in women’s sports. The situation got messier for the WNBA when two former NBA players declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft after identifying as women.

The WNBA assigned a task force to discuss this matter. After no decision was taken after the meeting, Cunningham called for a change in the WNBA leadership.

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Sophie Cunningham thinks her play has been unaffected despite political attention

With all the attention Cunningham has received since her remarks, many believed the negativity could become overwhelming and affect her performances. However, she defended herself from her critics.

Sophie Cunningham
Sophie Cunningham (Image credits – Fox News)

While speaking to reporters, she dismissed the assertion that the political attention on the WNBA is a distraction.

Look at my stats…I don’t know why people think this is such a big distraction… Great time to be a Fever.

Sophie Cunningham in her post match media scrum

The 30-year-old is currently averaging 8.6 points per game in 37 appearances this season. She has come off the bench in all but three games. She may not be directly protesting in the movement of banning transgender athletes in women’s sports but becoming the face of the anti-trans athletes movement is definitely going to have some impact.

Sophie Cunningham and Fever fell short against Liberty on Saturday

A lot of eyes were on the Liberty vs Fever matchup on Saturday. After taking a seven-point lead in the first quarter, the Liberty led throughout the game. In the end, they registered a 109-102 victory over the Fever in a high-scoring game.

The win improved Liberty’s record to 23-15 as they currently sit in sixth place in the standings. Meanwhile, the Fever suffered their second straight loss and dropped to fifth. However, they have already secured their spot in the playoffs.

Both teams were at their offensive best, making big shots throughout the game. There were nine double-digit scorers on the night.

Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich led the scorers for Liberty with 22 and 20 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark all crossed the 20-point mark for the Fever.

Sophie Cunningham led the bench with 10 points and five assists in 28 minutes. She was loudly booed in the arena when she stepped onto the court. It’s been a pretty intentional opposition to Cunningham and her stance

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