Sophie Cunningham speaks out to protect girls as WNBA All-Star initiative backs ‘gender-expansive’ group

Indiana Fever guard and rising WNBA superstar Sophie Cunningham says protecting young girls in sports is "common sense."

At the same time, the WNBA is using its All-Star Game to give at least $30,000, and potentially $70,000, to an organization that says it is "moving beyond the binary of ‘girl.’"

That puts one of the league’s most popular players in direct tension with an All-Star initiative being promoted by the WNBA.

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"I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense," Cunningham told reporters on Wednesday. "I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said."

Her comments followed an ESPN profile in which Cunningham addressed the backlash she has received over her position on trans-identifying biological male athletes participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

"I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’" Cunningham told ESPN. "I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men."

The Indiana Fever responded by emphasizing that its players are entitled to express their own views.

"Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own," a statement read. "We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what guides us as an organization."

Cunningham’s comments also drew support Thursday from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who called the backlash against the WNBA guard "astonishing" and also described protecting women’s sports as an issue of "common sense."

The tension between Cunningham’s position and the league’s All-Star initiative centers on an organization called Girls in the Game.

Despite its name, the group says on its own website that it is "moving beyond the binary of ‘girl’" and welcomes "LGBTQ+ youth and gender-expansive participants regardless of gender identity or expression."

Wait, what?

As OutKick reported earlier this week, the WNBA announced that the two teams competing in Saturday night’s All-Star Game will play for a $100,000 prize pool benefiting two Chicago-area organizations the league described as "dedicated to keeping girls involved in sports."

The organization affiliated with the winning team will receive $70,000, while the runner-up’s organization will receive $30,000. Team Coop is playing for Angels Athletics, while Team Spoon is supporting Girls in the Game.

The WNBA described Girls in the Game as an organization that "partners with schools, parks, and community centers in Chicago to offer sports, health, and leadership programs."

But Girls in the Game is not a generic youth charity that happens to work with girls. The organization repeatedly frames its mission around girls, girls’ sports and girls-only spaces. 

So when it says it is "moving beyond the binary of ‘girl,’" people deserve to know what that actually means.

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OutKick has not been able to confirm whether any biological males have participated in Girls in the Game’s girl-centered sports programming.

According to its 2025 annual report, Girls in the Game served 3,059 participants in FY25. The report says its Chicago After School program alone served 921 participants and girls "play sports, learn about healthy lifestyle choices, and improve their leadership skills in an all-girl setting." The report also says the program provides a "safe, non-competitive environment for girls to learn and be physically active."

The organization’s public-facing program materials do not clearly state whether participation is based on biological sex, gender identity or another eligibility standard.

But Girls in the Game’s own LGBTQ resource pages also point users toward gender-identity-related services. One page lists Howard Brown as a resource that includes "gender-affirming health care" and "trans and non-binary care," along with a support group intended for "BIPOC, trans, non-conforming, questioning individuals" and the Trans Lifeline hotline.

Another Girls in the Game LGBTQ resource page lists "Gender Affirming clothing, makeup, community resources," along with God’s Closet, which it describes as offering "clothes and tailoring for gender-nonconforming/trans people." That page also lists a support group for "BIPOC trans, non-conforming, questioning individuals" and Trans Lifeline.

If the WNBA is promoting this as an initiative to keep girls involved in sports, and if one of the beneficiaries says it is moving beyond the binary definition of "girl," then the league and the organization need to explain who is eligible for those programs.

OutKick initially contacted Girls in the Game and asked whether biological males who identify as girls, transgender girls, nonbinary participants or gender-expansive participants are eligible for its girl-centered sports programming.

The organization was also asked whether any of its programs operate as girls-only spaces, whether eligibility is determined by biological sex or gender identity, whether parents are informed before enrollment that the group is "moving beyond the binary of ‘girl,’" and how the WNBA All-Star money would be used.

Days later, following Cunningham’s comments, OutKick contacted Girls in the Game again and asked how the organization responds to her position that girls and women deserve a distinct and protected category in sports.

Girls in the Game did not respond to either request.

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Then there’s the WNBA.

OutKick initially contacted the WNBA and asked whether the league was aware of Girls in the Game’s "moving beyond the binary of ‘girl’" language before selecting the organization as an All-Star beneficiary.

The league was also asked whether it believes the organization fits an initiative described as keeping girls involved in sports, whether it asked Girls in the Game about eligibility for biological males who identify as girls or "gender-expansive" participants, and whether the WNBA supports biological males participating in girls’ youth sports programs based on gender identity.

Days later, following Cunningham’s comments, OutKick contacted the WNBA again and asked whether her position is compatible with the mission of Girls in the Game, whether the league agrees with the organization’s stated goal of "moving beyond the binary of ‘girl,’" and whether it still stands behind its decision to support the group.

The WNBA did not respond to either request.

Maybe there’s a simple explanation.

Girls in the Game might argue that its programming is non-competitive or centered on youth development rather than formal leagues. But that wouldn’t answer the important question. 

The issue is that an organization built around girls’ sports spaces is openly advertising that those spaces are not necessarily just for girls.

As for the WNBA, the league did not announce a prize-pool initiative to help keep "gender-expansive" youth involved in sports. It said the money would benefit organizations dedicated to keeping girls involved in sports. So, which is it? 

This whole mess could be cleaned up with a simple email response. Instead, Girls in the Game and the WNBA have not provided one, despite being given multiple opportunities. 

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The league wants credit for helping keep girls involved in sports, a noble endeavor to be sure.

But before the commissioner’s office pats itself on the back too hard, it should probably explain what it means by "girls."