Cunningham Booed as Lynx Beat Fever 108-100 Amid Rallies
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- Cunningham voiced support for barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports in an ESPN article published last week, marking the third straight Fever game to draw competing rallies.
- Minnesota Lynx defeated the Indiana Fever 108-100 at Target Center in Minneapolis on Sunday, with Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wearing a light blue shirt under her jacket reading "Trans kids belong."
- Reeve and Cunningham held a conversation at midcourt before the game; Reeve said they discussed wanting to "educate" using their platforms, though she declined to detail their differences.
- Cunningham was booed by the crowd on her first touch of the game and throughout, while fans in the stands wore shirts reading "Trans kids belong in sports."
- Outside the arena, dozens of fans gathered near the entrance; a person with a loudspeaker repeatedly chanted "Protect trans women" as signs read "Love is truth" and "Thank you Sophie."
- Caitlin Clark said after the game that the team's focus is basketball and that it is up to "leagues and governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions."
- Cunningham told reporters Friday in Portland that she isn't worried about the rallies becoming a distraction, saying "everyone who knows me personally, they know that I'm full of love."
Why it matters: The WNBA has emerged as a high-profile battleground in America's transgender-sports debate, with individual players' public stances now drawing organized protests inside and outside arenas. League figures like Reeve and Clark are visibly navigating opposing sides in real time, showing the issue has moved from social media into gameday operations.
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