Sophie Cunningham, Caitlin Clark and the rest of the Indiana Fever finally got something Thursday night they had not seen much of lately: a quieter moment away from the intense attention surrounding the team.
Returning to Indianapolis appeared to change the tone. The protests and rallies that had followed the Fever during their latest road swing were barely visible, while the boos that greeted them in recent days were replaced by loud support from the home crowd.
For the time being, even the backlash tied to Cunningham’s controversial comments opposing transgender women competing in women’s sports seemed to fade into the background.
And it was not only the players who seemed eager to shift the focus back to the court, even if the calm may prove temporary during this stop in Indianapolis.
“It’s about time. I do want to get back to basketball,” said Carmen Edmainiston, a 24-year-old longtime Indiana Fever supporter.
The game itself delivered the kind of WNBA spotlight matchup fans expected, with the defending champion Las Vegas Aces facing one of the league’s most watched and widely televised teams. Las Vegas ultimately escaped with an overtime victory after Chelsea Gray hit a buzzer-beater.
Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever enjoyed a brief break from the intense public spotlight
The team received a warm welcome in Indianapolis following a controversy-filled road trip
The Fever fell to an overtime buzzer beater by the Aces’ Chelsea Gray after an epic game
They met in last year’s WNBA semifinals and twice earlier this season, with the Fever winning each game by more than 15 points on the road.
Despite a sellout crowd decked out mostly in Fever red, a street vendor selling a T-shirt with a shot of Cunningham pointing with the phrase ‘Sophie Point God’ and loud roars during Indiana’s player introductions, there also were reminders of the controversy that has engulfed the WNBA.
A lone protester outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse made his argument in support of Cunningham’s position with a bullhorn. Inside, the signs carried messages such as ‘I want to play like Sophie’ and ‘Thank you for standing up for girls, Sophie!’
That wasn’t the reception Cunningham got last week in Seattle, Portland or Minnesota, where coach Cheryl Reeve wore a T-shirt during Sunday’s game with the message ‘Trans kids belong.’
The Fever are expected to be greeted with another rally when they travel to Chicago on Saturday because Cunningham has not backed off her stance despite the criticism.
‘I was asked a question and that’s simply what it was. I wasn’t trying to make a statement. I was trying to clear the air, and I did that, back in February, so it is what it is,’ she said Wednesday at practice.
‘We’re in the middle of the season, so I’m going to keep it at that. Our team is good, my teammates are good, our locker room is great.’
Cunningham’s position is merely the latest episode in a Fever season filled with drama.
In recent weeks, supporters of Sophie Cunningham have had their rallies gatecrashed by pro-trans activists – leading to verbal and alleged physical confrontations over the matter
Cunningham has faced backlash following her comments on ‘protecting young girls’ from ‘biological men’ in sports
Political activist Riley Gaines claimed that a WNBA staffer told her to put down her sign which threw support behind star Sophie Cunningham amid the ongoing trans athlete debate
Join the discussion
Should trans athletes be allowed to compete in women’s sports, or does it threaten fairness?
While Clark and Angel Reese each have seven technical fouls, the most in the league and one short of an automatic one-game suspension, Clark also has been involved in a sideline spat with coach Stephanie White.
And, some of the contact she has incurred this season has stirred a debate that has reached the U.S. Congress over whether she’s being unfairly targeted.
Following a rare three-day break away from her usual media duties, Clark weighed in when asked during a pregame news conference how she has dealt with life inside of a bubble where her every move and word is scrutinized.
‘I think first and foremost, you speak when you feel like you want to speak,’ she said.
‘I’ve been in this position for what, five years now, four years, and I think I have a good feel of what’s going to be asked, what’s not going to be asked, how to approach each situation and I try to just show up and be myself every single day, and I hope fans can feel like they can connect with me in that way.’
