Sophie Cunningham faces WNBA subreddit name ban as transgender athlete controversy grows across the league
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned 30 on August 16, but fans trying to wish her a happy birthday on Reddit reportedly ran into an unusual problem. A user shared messages with a moderator who said the words were being filtered because posts about Cunningham often attracted trolls and people who were not WNBA fans, according to The New York Post.
The moderator reportedly told the user, “We have chosen to filter content. Her name and several related terms were blocked on the main WNBA subreddit. The move comes after Cunningham’s comments about transgender athletes became a major WNBA debate. If you want to post freely about Sophie you can go to different sub. The message also warned, “You aren’t even a contributor to this sub, so I suggest you go back to the other WNBA subs. This is our decision. If you keep messaging about this you will be banned.”
The WNBA’s official player profile confirms that the Indiana Fever guard was born on August 16, 1996.
The league later said there were no current transgender eligibility issues involving WNBA players. The WNBA also said it was discussing player safety and online behavior after the debate grew. The decision came on Cunningham’s birthday. Her comments led to strong reactions from fans, players and others around the WNBA. The league’s current collective bargaining agreement states, “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA. The WNBA and WNBPA agreement is the source for that eligibility wording.