Sportswriter Accuses WNBA Star Cunningham of Right-Wing Politics Over Female Sports Stance

Sportswriter Howard Bryant drew widespread attention with a Guardian opinion piece equating WNBA star Sophie Cunningham’s stance on female sports to the activism of Colin Kaepernick. Bryant characterized Cunningham’s position on biological males competing in female sports categories as embracing right-wing politics, a comparison that has reignited debate in sports media circles.

Cunningham articulated her position to ESPN last month, stating she aims to extend love while maintaining honesty about protecting young girls in athletic competition. She expressed concern that female athletes should not be required to compete against individuals who were male at birth, a view she has repeatedly emphasized in media appearances.

Public opinion strongly aligns with Cunningham’s stance. A Pew Research Center survey found that 79% of Americans oppose allowing individuals assigned male at birth to compete in female sports categories, cutting across demographic and political lines including Democrats, Republicans and independents.

Bryant additionally leveled accusations of anti-Black sentiment at Cunningham, characterizing her as a “right’s anti-Black, anti-transgender culture war ambassador.” However, the opinion piece did not establish a connection between Cunningham’s sports policy position and racial animus, leaving the claim substantively unexplained.

Bryant drew parallels between Cunningham and high-profile activists, writing that she is “every bit as political as Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe” and others who have engaged in cultural commentary. He suggested Cunningham required the culture war controversy to achieve mainstream prominence.

Cunningham gained mainstream recognition last summer partly through her willingness to publicly support Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever guard who has become the WNBA’s largest audience draw. Cunningham has acknowledged that Clark has faced unfair treatment from some players, officials and media members.

Bryant’s professional background includes a 2011 arrest on charges of assaulting his wife in public in front of his 6-year-old son and allegedly assaulting a responding police officer. He subsequently attributed the arrest to racial discrimination, despite his wife being White and Bryant being Black.

The controversy underscores broader divisions within sports media over sex-based athletic competition. Cunningham’s position reflects mainstream American sentiment rather than partisan ideology, according to polling data, and her stance directly affects her professional livelihood in a sport structured around sex-based categories.