Caitlin Clark addressed the comments made by Sophie Cunningham on trans athletes in women’s sports for the first time following Sunday’s Fever loss to the Lynx.
The Fever superstar said very little when she was asked how she and her teammates were navigating the outside noise that has followed them since Cunningham expressed her opinion that trans athletes should not be participating in women’s and girls’ sports in a feature published by ESPN.
“I think, for us, it’s not really a discussion we really have in our locker room,” Clark said following Indiana’s 108-100 loss. “I think it’s for leagues and the governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions, but 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.”
An attempted follow-up was quickly shut down by Clark, who said matter-of-factly, “I just answered for you.”
Since the profile on Cunningham was published last month, the comments have ignited a firestorm in and around the WNBA.
The past three games that the Fever played have included demonstrators converging outside the arenas to rally against transgender participation in women’s sports.
Outside Target Center on Sunday, people held signs that said “Love is truth” and “Thank you Sophie,” the Associated Press reported.
Activist Riley Gaines was also on hand for the game on Sunday to support Cunningham and posted several photos of herself, including one holding a sign that read “SOPHIE, THANK YOU – A GIRL MOM.”
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve spoke with Cunningham before the game and then wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt on the sidelines.
She also posted one of her posing with Cunningham, who finished with three points on 1-for-2 shooting from the floor in Sunday’s loss.
Cunningham had told reporters in Portland that she didn’t think the rallies were becoming a distraction for her or her teammates.
“I think everyone who knows me personally, they know that I’m full of love. I’m bubbly. I love the people around me,” Cunningham said at the time. “I love basketball. I love inspiring the next generation and doing that in a positive light. And so that doesn’t even cross my mind. Doesn’t cross my teammates’ minds.”
Prior to Sunday’s loss, the Fever had won five in a row, including the four games following the ESPN feature on Cunningham.
