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.Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham reacts to game action against the Portland Fire during the first half at Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on July 31, 2026.(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)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 Fo...