“She is every bit as political as Colin Kaepernick.”
That’s how sportswriter Howard Bryant described WNBA star Sophie Cunningham in a Guardian op-ed.
Bryant argued that Cunningham embraced right-wing politics by saying young girls should not have to compete against biological males in sports.
CAN THE WNBA EVER GET BACK TO BASKETBALL AND LEAVE CAITLIN CLARK ALONE?
“I think that I am here to extend love,” Cunningham told ESPN last month. “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.”
Most of the country agrees with Cunningham. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 79% of Americans oppose allowing individuals who were male at birth to compete in female sports categories.
Still, the loud, radical minority pushing to erase sex-based competition makes up much of the sports media. That’s why the usual suspects — Jemele Hill, Katie Nolan, Sarah Spain and now Bryant — have reacted so angrily to Cunningham’s comments.
Later in the piece, Bryant also accused Cunningham of engaging in “anti-blackism.”
“Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is now in the act, accepting the role as the right’s anti-Black, anti-transgender culture war ambassador, the role originally intended for Caitlin Clark.”
At this point, you are likely wondering what wanting to protect girls’ sports has to do with race. Unfortunately, Bryant never explained that to us. However, we suspect he realized, early in his op-ed, that arguing boys and girls should share locker rooms is a losing argument.
Either that or he reflexively labeled her “anti-Black” out of instinct. Hard to say.
Bryant then claims that Cunningham’s stance on female sports is comparable to Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem or denouncing the Fourth of July as sadistic.
“Cunningham plays role of the blithe and bubbly iconoclast, oblivious to the world around as she unapologetically speaks her truths, but she is every bit as political as Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe …,” Bryant writes.
“Cunningham needed the culture war to get on the map, needing it as much as it needed her, and all it took was a silly finger-point and being in opposition to someone Black,” he adds. “To the aggrieved whites, standing up to someone Black meant standing up for them. Add transphobia to her portfolio, and the result is a star, the latest participant in an old game no more complicated than checkers but far less interesting.”
Transphobia, huh?
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In actuality, Cunningham gained mainstream attention last summer because she’s one of the few WNBA players willing to defend Caitlin Clark, both on the court and in the media.
Fans appreciate Cunningham because she’s willing to acknowledge the obvious: Clark is the WNBA’s biggest draw and has often been treated unfairly by players, officials and members of the media out of spite.
Cunningham is also hot. The far left seems to have a real problem these days with attractive, happy, successful White women, whether it’s Cunningham, Sydney Sweeney, or Margot Robbie.
So it’s hardly surprising to see a career-long racial idolater like Howard Bryant try to diminish Cunningham while scoring political points. Bryant has spent years trying to elevate his standing with the cool kids in sports media, especially after his arrest.
In 2011, Bryant was arrested on charges of allegedly assaulting his wife in public in front of his 6-year-old son. He was also charged with assaulting a police officer who responded after witnesses allegedly saw Bryant choking his wife.
Later, Bryant blamed the arrest on — wait for it — racism. Bryant is Black. His wife, whom he allegedly choked, is White.
These are the people trying to convince us that women like Cunningham and Clark are the problem. Do not forget that.
Let’s set the culture war aside for a moment and state a few facts:
Sophie Cunningham is not engaging in partisan politics by saying little girls shouldn’t have to compete against biological males. That’s not a political statement. Nearly 80% of Americans agree with her. That includes Democrats, Republicans and independents.
She also plays in the WNBA. Her career exists because men’s and women’s sports are separate. This issue is personal to her.
Finally, the fact that Cunningham’s comments are considered controversial says more about sports media than it does about Cunningham.
The sports media and the WNBA represent a small fraction of the country. They believe males competing against females is normal, White people have a moral obligation to atone and Black women are victims even when they are the aggressors.
Sophie Cunningham’s resistance to subscribing to that distorted worldview doesn’t make her “every bit as political as” Colin Kaepernick. To most Americans, it makes her relatable.
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