WNBA Coaches Face Backlash After Refusing to Protect Women’s Sports

Clear Facts

• Three WNBA head coaches in two days refused to clearly support protecting women’s sports from biological male competitors
• Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White said she’s “not educated enough” on the science while claiming “exclusion is not the answer”
• The controversy follows star player Sophie Cunningham’s public stance defending women’s sports, which has sparked rallies and national debate

The WNBA found itself engulfed in controversy as three head coaches in two days failed to defend the integrity of women’s sports when directly asked about protecting female athletes from biological male competition.

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White, who oversees superstars Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, sparked outrage during a pre-game press conference on Friday with her evasive response.

“I don’t know that I would say I’m educated enough from a scientific standpoint. I don’t ever believe that exclusion is the answer. I just don’t. I do think that when we think about various levels of sport, various governing bodies of sport, and things that go into that, like I said, I’m not educated enough at the different levels. I know growing up I played with the boys all the time,” White answered.

Her answer triggered immediate backlash from Americans who found her response both scientifically illiterate and a betrayal of the female athletes she coaches. Actor Rob Schneider and New York Giants Super Bowl champion Jake Ballard were among those to publicly criticize White’s refusal to acknowledge basic biology.

The Fever organization then drew additional criticism after refusing to make Caitlin Clark available to reporters following the game. They abruptly ended the press conference when a reporter attempted to ask Aliyah Boston about Cunningham’s recent courageous stance in support of protecting women’s sports.

Even liberal sports journalist Jemele Hill criticized the Fever for their media blackout on Clark.

Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama faced similar scrutiny an hour before White when he dodged the same question about whether biological males should compete in women’s sports.

“My focus is as a basketball coach. To be completely honest, I don’t think I’ve ever had to think about that. I’m completely supportive of people from all communities, people from all walks of life, so that’s my stance, completely, I’m support of everyone in the Portland community,” Sarama said.

His non-answer also triggered widespread criticism, though White’s comments ultimately drew more attention as the evening progressed.

On Saturday, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve added fuel to the fire ahead of Sunday’s game against Indiana. While defending the right of “Save Women’s Sports” demonstrators to gather, she then dismissed the entire issue by claiming biological males in girls’ locker rooms is “not the case.”

“It is not the case that we have ‘biological men’ in girls’ locker rooms. The way it’s being phrased, the innuendo there that transgender women are predators of some kind in the locker room. There’s a lot of narrative that is problematic that we need to address,” she said.

Reeve’s statement was praised by pro-transgender activists while drawing criticism from those defending women’s sports and the safety of female athletes in locker rooms.

The national debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports has consumed the WNBA after Cunningham revealed her stance defending biological women in an ESPN article last month. Two rallies at Fever games have since garnered significant national attention and support from Americans who believe in protecting women’s sports.

The first rally in Seattle resulted in controversy when Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton allegedly berated two young Cunningham fans who attended. Keaton was later suspended for five home games and fined. The second rally in Portland on Friday saw counterprotesters appear, some in costumes.

All eyes now turn to Minneapolis for a third rally and what promises to be one of the highest-stakes games of the WNBA season between Reeve’s Lynx and Cunningham’s Fever on Sunday.

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