Topline
WNBA viewership has surged successful the past 5 weeks arsenic the convention finds itself the target of outrage, mostly manufactured by correct helping figures, complete the imaginable inclusion of transgender athletes successful the women’s sports league.
Kayla McBride of the Minnesota Lynx and Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever connected Aug, 2, 2026.
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Key Facts
The WNBA scored an assemblage of 2.5 cardinal viewers aliases much for a 5th consecutive week past week, the latest Nielsen information disposable shows, erstwhile 2.56 cardinal group tuned successful to the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky crippled connected ABC.
At slightest 1 women's hoops crippled has deed 2.5 cardinal viewers each week since July 12—four Indiana Fever matchups and WNBA All-Star Game connected July 25, per Nielsen. Overall, viewership of regular play WNBA games are up 15% from past year.
The much caller surge successful viewers for Indiana games lines up almost perfectly pinch the commencement of a now-viral transgender controversy, which was first triggered by comments from Fever prima Sophie Cunningham that included a White House-praised telephone to “protect” young girls successful locker rooms.
The comments triggered a surge of pushback and support from various groups and kicked disconnected a trolling of the WNBA from right-wing figures and erstwhile NBA athletes including Outkick laminitis Clay Travis, Enes Canter Freedom and Royce White.
Key background
The first comments from Cunningham, who has been called “MAGA Barbie” online, astir not supporting transgender players successful the WNBA were buried successful a larger communicative from ESPN and didn’t initially tie an overwhelming magnitude of furor. The taxable was later turned into a culture-war firestorm by Fox News-owned sports outlet OutKick, however, erstwhile it goaded a French transgender hoops subordinate into admitting she'd for illustration to play successful the convention via Instagram message. The outlet past published her consequence and attacked the WNBA for not having recruited the talented player, pinch Outkick laminitis Clay Travis calling the convention "transphobic" connected X. From there, erstwhile NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White—who precocious mislaid his GOP bid to beryllium a Minnesota senator—announced they would “declare” for the WNBA draught because the league’s eligibility rules let for it (it’s unclear really existent that is). Kanter, who legally changed his sanction to see "Freedom" successful 2021, said he'd reviewed the league's eligibility model and should suffice nether the "self-identification and inclusion" rules. White told Fox News, “I place arsenic sometimes identifying arsenic a female for purposes of… master basketball,” and has since posted videos of himself wearing a wig.
CAN MEN PLAY IN THE WNBA?
No. The WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement is what defines subordinate eligibility and it intelligibly states, "Only players who are women are eligible to play successful the WNBA." But the argumentation does not explicitly specify the word "woman" aliases specify immoderate criteria astir biologic sex, hormone levels aliases beingness attributes. There is nary clause that allows personification to beryllium eligible simply by “declaring” aliases self-identifying arsenic a woman.
CHIEF CRICIS
Kanter and White person faced a activity of disapproval for wading into a civilization warfare that doesn’t effect them, and for causing issues pinch a argumentation that had antecedently been unproblematic. WNBA Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller said the men are “outsiders looking to hijack our network” and called their engagement “horrible energy.” Former NFL subordinate Ryan Clark called them “absolute clowns” and based on that they’re making a insult of a superior speech astir transgender athletes. Former NBA champion Stephen Jackson based on they are trying to participate the WNBA because they aren't bully capable to beryllium playing successful the NBA anymore, and questioned the legitimacy of their stunt.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
"If you cannot gift trans group pinch visibility, humanity and acceptance, could you astatine slightest gift them pinch silence?” Van Lathan, co-host of Higher Learning podcast, said of the controversy. “Could you astatine slightest unopen the f**k up astir it?”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
If the WNBA creates a policy. A task unit of squad presidents and wide managers met Wednesday to talk the taxable but did not work together to instrumentality immoderate caller eligibility rules, ESPN reported.
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