OPINION:
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham has once again proven herself an American treasure. The Indiana Fever guard has repeatedly taken bold stances, even when the stakes are high or the results might be pushback or turmoil.
Her no-holds-barred authenticity is what seems to drive her willingness to do everything from defending fellow player and league star Caitlin Clark to sounding off on controversial issues surrounding the sport.
For Cunningham, being herself and speaking truth seem to be second nature.
“You see so many people change or try to fit into a box,” she recently told ESPN. “I don’t even know what that box is. It’s a fake box. Everyone wants to look the same. Everyone wants the same vibe. Screw that. I’m gonna be me.”
And this week, Cunningham once again proved she’s unbothered by critics and more than willing to speak truth, even if it comes at a cost. She ignited a firestorm after defending women’s sports during that same ESPN interview.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” she told the outlet. “And I’m like, ’I never once said that.’ I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest, 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.”
This proclamation — rooted in overt truth and sanity — naturally sparked furor among out-of-touch liberals who disagree, with some calling for Cunningham to be punished or rebuked.
Amid the firestorm, the WNBA star could have faltered or buckled. Cunningham could have followed the cowardly blueprint so many others have embraced in moments of public scrutiny and apologized or walked back her comments, sacrificing her own free speech and convictions just to appease the mob — but she didn’t.
In fact, the star guard chose the exact opposite, doubling down and explaining her perspective.
“I think I said what I said,” Cunningham told reporters when pressed on the matter, delivering a simple message that can only be described as a much-needed mic drop amid a confused cultural landscape. “I think it’s kind of common sense.”
The Indiana Fever player is correct to note that this is “common sense.” While a slew of hyper-liberals are bent on convincing people that Cunningham and those with whom she agrees are somehow bigoted monsters, the vast majority of Americans concur on this matter.
According to a 2025 Gallup poll, 69% of Americans believe that “transgender athletes should only be allowed to play on sports teams that match their birth gender.” The Pew Research Center found a similar dynamic, with one survey showing 66% of American adults either favor or strongly favor laws and policies that would “require trans athletes to compete on teams that match their sex assigned at birth.”
Cunningham’s position is both common sense and common. But her comments didn’t end there, as she went on to discuss the importance of protecting children and women’s sports and made it clear she has no intention of stepping away from her moral convictions.
“I’m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs,” Cunningham said. “I have morals, and I’ll always stand on those.
“I extend love, and I don’t dislike anyone. I think there is room for absolutely everyone here.”
As one could imagine, her refusal to back down hasn’t been well received by her critics, with some media outlets dismissing her perspective as somehow being “anti-trans.”
But calling Cunningham’s position “anti-trans” is irresponsible and a blatant lie. She went out of her way to speak about love for others and at no point lambasted or spoke ill of anyone. She simply affirmed the women and girls who seek protection and fairness in sports.
Cunningham has received support from the Trump White House on the matter, and others in the sports world are coming to her defense. Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith said Cunningham is “1,000% right” on the issue.
“What if an NBA player decided to transition to playing in the WNBA?” Mr. Smith said on his SiriusXM Radio show. “How elite would they be? How great would they be? We gotta put stuff in its proper perspective and call it like it is.”
In a culture where people are too often afraid to speak the truth, Cunningham is a breath of fresh air — a young woman willing to speak out and who won’t compromise to appease a boisterous mob.
We need more people like her, and she deserves accolades, not hate, for taking a common-sense stand to protect girls and women.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is the author of four books.
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