A New York Times-owned podcast for The Athletic did not hold back on WNBA star Sophie Cunningham this week.
Cunningham, a star guard for the Indiana Fever, is standing by her opinion on transgender athletes in women's sports. She made it clear that she thinks it's "common sense" to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports. Cunningham told ESPN that she wants to “protect young girls in the locker room” and that “they shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham told reporters. “And I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.”
Cunningham's opinion isn't sitting well with everyone, though.
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Charlotte Wilder and Madeline Hill of "The Sports Gossip Show" took shots at both Cunningham and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines.
New York Times-owned podcast takes shot at Cunningham, Gaines
"The New York Times-owned Athletic distributed a podcast this week in which one host dismissed a 12-time All-American swimmer as 'not even a very good one,' while another smirked and laughed at an eight-year WNBA veteran because she isn’t the best player in the league," Fox News shared.
"Wilder went after Riley Gaines and Hill said Sophie Cunningham’s basketball career would only last so long because 'she’s not the best player.'"
"Then Hill smirked, gave a condescending laugh and repeated herself. 'She’s not.'"
The podcast co-hosts accused Cunningham of launching a "right-wing grift" and plotting a post-baseball career in political media.
Meanwhile, Cunningham's teammate, Caitlin Clark, is trying to stay out of it.
"I think, for us, it's not really a discussion we really have in our locker room," Clark answered. "I think it's for leagues and the governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions. Our focus is on basketball. That's what we talk about and how we can get wins, and, obviously, we didn't do that tonight. So we need to find an area to improve in that way."
