WNBA basketball staff Seattle Storm apologize after co-owner berates women with ‘thanks’ signal for Sophie Cunningham.
Printed On 30 Jul 2026
The Seattle Storm has issued an apology assertion, at some point after one among their co-owners verbally accosted two teenage feminine followers with expletives as a result of they had been holding indicators supporting the views of Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham throughout a house recreation towards the Fever.
The youngsters every had an indication, one saying “Thank You Sophie for talking up for ladies!” Cunningham just lately went to bat for the safety of ladies’s sports activities and maintaining them feminine solely.
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Impartial journalist Brandi Kruse reported that minority proprietor Celeste Keaton informed the ladies they had been “f—ing insane”.
“We’re conscious one among our co-owners made feedback to 2 followers in attendance ultimately night time’s recreation,” Storm majority proprietor Ginny Gilder stated in a press release on Wednesday.
“We apologize that this occurred. Everybody who attends a Storm recreation deserves to really feel welcome, and we stay dedicated to creating an inclusive surroundings the place each fan is handled with respect.”
Kruse informed Fox Information that the scene included Seattle gamers making thumbs-down gestures to the ladies. Some followers additionally made their opinions identified.
“A number of the followers had been relentlessly booing at them,” Kruse informed Fox Information. “And I type of circled and stated, ‘Look, they’re simply teenage women.’”
Final 12 months, a New York Instances ballot recommended that 79% of People don’t need males enjoying in ladies’s sports activities.
The difficulty was just lately within the information when the Supreme Court docket issued a ruling in June that states can ban transgender athletes from taking part in ladies’s and women’ sports activities.
Throughout a latest interview with ESPN, Cunningham weighed in about ladies’s sports activities, emphasising women ought to by no means should compete with organic males.
“I bought quite a lot of destructive suggestions about me hating trans,” Cunningham informed ESPN. “And I’m like, ‘I by no means as soon as stated that.’
“I feel that I’m right here to increase love. However I additionally assume with that love is reality, being sincere. And I need to shield younger women in a locker room, or younger women in sport who shouldn’t should go towards organic males.”
Cunningham obtained a mixture of cheers and jeers throughout Wednesday’s recreation, which was received 105-95 by the Fever. There was a rally outdoors the sector earlier than the sport, the place proponents of ladies’s sports activities had indicators thanking Cunningham for talking up for women and girls. Professional-transgender activists had been additionally on the scene.
The Fever didn’t enable Cunningham to face questions after the sport. She made three 3-pointers and scored 11 factors.
The Storm (6-24) misplaced their seventh straight recreation and personal the worst file within the league.
