Sophie Cunningham rally questions go unanswered after Fever win
The Fever did not make Sophie Cunningham or Caitlin Clark available after a Seattle rally tied to Cunningham’s transgender-athlete comments.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The Sophie Cunningham rally outside Climate Pledge Arena became the off-court flashpoint Tuesday night, but the Indiana Fever did not make Cunningham or Caitlin Clark available to discuss it after Indiana beat the Seattle Storm 105-95, according to the Associated Press.
The gathering, described by the AP as a crowd of a few dozen people, took place before the game in Seattle. Participants supported Cunningham and promoted Washington statewide initiatives 638 and 011, which would bar transgender students from playing in girls’ athletics at Washington schools.
Cunningham had backed barring transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports in an ESPN article published last week, the AP reported. Storm fans booed her when she entered Tuesday’s game and again when she took her first free throws.
Why was there a Sophie Cunningham rally in Seattle?
The rally was linked to Cunningham’s recent comments supporting restrictions on transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports, according to the AP. The demonstrators also used the moment to promote Washington initiatives 638 and 011.
After the game, reporters asked to speak with Cunningham and Clark. The AP reported that neither player was made available, with Kelsey Mitchell, Monique Billings and Fever head coach Stephanie White instead taking questions from the media.
When White was asked about the rally and Cunningham’s comments, a Fever public relations representative stepped in with a statement. The team said neither the organization nor Cunningham knew about the demonstration or had contact with its organizers.
“Our only goal as a team, whether at home or away, is to win basketball games and make Fever fans for life, and we are united in that mission,” the Fever statement said, according to the AP.
On the Seattle side, Storm head coach Sonia Raman addressed the pregame protest after her team’s seventh straight defeat. Raman said Seattle, the Storm organization and Climate Pledge Arena want people to feel welcome in the building.
Raman said the organization worked with Climate Pledge Arena and security so people would feel safe, included and welcome as they entered. “From what I understand, that was successful,” she said, according to the AP.
Heather Weiner, a spokesperson for No Hate in Washington State, also spoke about the scene outside the arena. The AP identified the group as a coalition of doctors, nurses, anti-domestic violence groups and other community organizations opposing initiatives 638 and 011.
Weiner described the overall experience outside Climate Pledge Arena as positive. “Washington State is a very caring, inclusive place,” she said, according to the AP. “We don’t always agree, but we do agree against hate, and we will come together about that.”
On the court, Indiana left Seattle with a 105-95 win. Off it, the Fever kept the focus narrow, offering a team statement while Cunningham and Clark did not answer postgame questions about the rally.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.