Sophie Cunningham heard boos and whistles almost every time she touched the ball during Tuesday’s Indiana Fever-Toronto Tempo matchup. The hostile reception was the latest backlash the veteran guard has faced since publicly sharing her stance that women’s sports should remain exclusive to biological women.
But rather than complain about the treatment, Cunningham responded in a manner that earned the WNBA world’s praise.
WNBA Community Rallies Behind Sophie Cunningham After Fever Guard’s Drama-less Response To Relentless Toronto BoosCunningham has faced mounting resistance since speaking out on transgender athletes during an ESPN interview last month. She insisted that her position came from a place of love and argued that there should be room for everyone, while maintaining that biological men should not compete in women’s sports.
Since then, protests and demonstrations from both sides of the debate have accompanied several Fever road games.
Toronto was the latest stop where Cunningham found herself in the crosshairs. The home crowd made its feelings clear, raining boos on the eight-year WNBA veteran whenever she got the ball.
Cunningham, however, had no problem embracing the atmosphere.
Instead of describing the reception as hostile or hateful, she said the Toronto crowd was “absolutely amazing,” recognizing that passionate fan bases are “what sports is all about.”
Her response quickly drew praise from the WNBA community.
“Most WNBA players would be complaining and calling it hate. Sophie kills ’em with kindness,” a Fever diehard supporter tweeted.
“No drama. No poor me, victim mentality,” an X user wrote.
“Sophie is the ultimate pro. She rises above all the [expletive] and performs. That’s what it is all about,” another X user added.
“She’s one of the few mentally strong women in the WNBA,” a league observer noted.
“If only the rest of the league could handle it like this,” another Fever fan posted.
“Sophie Cunningham is easily the WNBA player who gives the most of herself for her team and never puts her ego above the team. She understands the fundamentals of the game incredibly well and doesn’t let either criticism or praise get to her. She just wants to hoop and have fun,” a Cunningham and Clark supporter reacted.
The reaction was notable because Cunningham has spent much of the past two months at the center of one of the WNBA’s most polarizing debates. Her comments have made her a lightning rod for criticism, but she has continued to insist that her position is rooted in what she believes is best for women’s sports.
On Tuesday, though, she appeared determined not to let the noise consume her.
Since the boos were all part of the game, the 30-year-old had no issue embracing the atmosphere in Toronto.
For Cunningham, the message was simple. Fans can boo, cheer, or disagree, but once the ball goes up, she’s only there to compete.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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