I know most of you are die-hard WNBA fans, but I have to admit that the only things I find interesting have to do with the racism and the violence against Caitlin Clark, and of course the current controversy over allowing transgender athletes to compete in the sport.
All of these have a common theme: how the culture war is being played out in a high-profile women's sport. It is a useful microcosm of the larger war between the cultural elite class and the rest of America.
I place the WNBA in the sphere of the cultural elite not so much because the fans are from that demographic; as far as I know, there are no WNBA fans to speak of, although there are fans of Caitlin Clark and perhaps a few other players. If you polled a representative sample of 500+ Americans, chances are good that the only players named would be Caitlin Clark and perhaps Sophie Cunningham, and she largely because she has been in the news for reasons other than her basketball skills.
The WNBA only exists because the cultural elite demanded it of the NBA, which actually makes real money and needs implicit approval from the sports media, which is now dominated by leftists.
Cunningham made a splash in the past week by sharing her opinion, shared by about 80% of Americans, that men don't belong in women's sports and locker rooms.
The WNBA, which is one of the most racist and Queer institutions in America, perhaps even more so than academia, has turned on her furiously, as well as on the fans who are thanking her for speaking up.
BREAKING: I’m told that Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton confronted, verbally berated & cussed at the two young Sophie Cunningham supporters at the Fever vs Storm game Tuesday night.
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) July 29, 2026
Keaton called them “f****** insane” & said “How dare you come here and pull this s***?!"… pic.twitter.com/pLQ9g0jPz9
BREAKING: I’m told that Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton confronted, verbally berated & cussed at the two young Sophie Cunningham supporters at the Fever vs Storm game Tuesday night.
Keaton called them “f****** insane” & said “How dare you come here and pull this s***?!"
One of the victims (16 years old) was left crying, causing them to put their signs away.
A woman sitting next to them with a sign that said “No Hate in These United States”, was extremely rude & said their
@xx_xyathletics shirts were “ugly”
(Details via @BrandiKruse)
Teen girls showed up to the Seattle game to voice their support, and a gathering of supporters demonstrated outside the appropriately named "Climate Pledge Arena" joined in thanking Cunningham.
They were treated viciously by the fans and the Seattle Storm players. The kids were booed and cussed out by the owner of the Storm, leaving one girl in tears. There are reports that some fans tried to trip the girls on the way to their seats, and I hope that this report is an exaggeration. I doubt it is, because it is so on-brand for trans activists.
The way @seattlestorm fans, players, and even an owner treated teenage girls today for the simple act of wearing @xx_xyathletics shirts and cheering on @sophaller was beyond disgusting. They were cussed at, booed, and intentionally tripped. One of them was berated until she… pic.twitter.com/C7gi0jKhsV
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) July 29, 2026
The way @seattlestorm fans, players, and even an owner treated teenage girls today for the simple act of wearing @xx_xyathletics shirts and cheering on @sophaller
was beyond disgusting. They were cussed at, booed, and intentionally tripped. One of them was berated until she cried. As usual, the people preaching “love and inclusion” prove to be the most hateful bigots of all. I will have much more tomorrow — and none of the culprits will be spared my fury.
This is how the "Be Kind" crowd normally reacts to anybody who disagrees with them: with hostility, contempt, cruelty, and even low-level threats and violence. Nothing can surprise me about how they treat people with whom they disagree because they feel empowered by a sense of moral superiority.
The big scary rally. I hope you’ll manage to survive, Roberta! This must have been traumatizing for you. Fear of balloons, maybe? https://t.co/2z8kaFbtWS pic.twitter.com/dfO44dTYWH
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) July 29, 2026
I suppose that in their own minds, a WNBA should be a "safe space" for their particular ideology, and anybody with whom they disagree is violating that space and hence presents a threat.
Still, it is perplexing that so few WNBA players are worried that their jobs would be on the line if men started streaming into their sport. Very few of them could possibly compete against even moderately talented men, and a team recruited from players who went to Europe because they couldn't quite meet NBA standards would absolutely destroy any WNBA team they played.
Seriously, some owner who wants to win and who didn't care much for the hate that would be directed at them should start a recruiting drive for players willing to "transition" to get a decent salary and exposure in the United States. I'm not sure how many would consent, but surely some would.
Ask Lea Thomas to try out, and some of those "female" track stars.
WNBA 2026 ALL-STAR HIGHLIGHTS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PBGTi5u2rO
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) July 26, 2026
I'm sure there are some genuine examples of athleticism worth highlighting, but the fact is that there aren't enough pro-level women's athletes to fill out an entire league. I suspect that's why these players and teams are so sensitive to even modest criticism. They certainly know that they are not equals to the men's players in skill, athleticism, or watchability. They need to strike back at the criticisms because all they have is their virtue signaling and claims of victimhood.
Sophie Cunningham is getting relentlessly booed by a bunch of trans supporters in Seattle & she’s responded by shooting 3-3 from 3 in the 1st quarter 🔥
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) July 29, 2026
She’s winning on & off the court pic.twitter.com/XREmHUcmdh
Certain female sports are clearly entertaining in their own right. Women's tennis, even if the players aren't athletically equal to the men, is a sport worth watching in its own right. Women's gymnastics is vastly more interesting than men's, and in figure skating there is no comparison, at least for me, because grace and skill are much more interesting to watch than sheer feats of strength that distinguish the men's version.
The WNBA is based on a certain denial of reality: that women's basketball ought to be seen as equally watchable as men's, so I guess it shouldn't surprise that the demand that we suspend disbelief goes deeper than that.
But when this demand crosses the line into violence toward players and harassing fans, it needs to be called out, and we should ask the WNBA to put its money where its mouth is. Bring in some Division III or Division II male players and classify them as "women." See how that works out.
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