A simple question about the WNBA left several protesters struggling for answers outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, August 22.
As dueling demonstrations erupted over transgender athletes in women’s sports, a Sportico reporter asked some Sophie Cunningham supporters to name five WNBA players.
Their answers quickly became a heated topic of discussion on social media.
Highlights
- Anti-trans WNBA protesters were asked to name five players, and some struggled to get past two.
- The awkward answers sparked a fierce online debate over whether they truly support women’s sports.
- As opposing rallies clashed over transgender athletes’ rights, critics and Sophie Cunningham supporters battled over whose arguments held more weight.
One person wrote, “Gee, I wonder which side actually cares about women's sports.”
Sophie Cunningham supporters struggled when a reporter asked them to name five WNBA players
The awkward exchange unfolded as protesters from opposing sides gathered outside the arena before the Indiana Fever faced the New York Liberty this past weekend.
The demonstrations were sparked by the ongoing debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports, which intensified after Fever guard Sophie Cunningham publicly said she wanted to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men.”
Those supporting Cunningham arrived with “Save Women’s Sports” banners and signs thanking the Fever player, while pro-trans advocates carried transgender flags and signs including “Stomp out transphobia” and “Ban bigots, not trans women.”
Police barricades separated the opposing groups, with counter-protesters also distributing shirts reading “trans people belong here.”
Inside the arena, the Liberty made its own position clear by displaying a message on the jumbotron: “Welcome Trans Liberty fans! You are loved, and you belong!”
Amid the heated atmosphere, a Sportico reporter interviewed people from both sides and asked a seemingly straightforward question, “Can you name five WNBA players for me?”
The answers from some Cunningham supporters immediately caught attention.
One person replied, “I can name Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark. That's all I got.”
One user fumed, “It’s not hard to cut any video that isn't continuously rolling to push any agenda you want”
Another was asked the same question and simply answered, “No, I cannot. I'm sorry.”
A third supporter initially said, “I sure can. I can,” before naming Sophie Cunningham, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and A’ja Wilson, eventually adding, “Caitlin Clark. I said, Caitlin Clark.”
The full exchange also featured people who could name several players, including Jonquel Jones, Natasha Cloud, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Satu Sabally, Olivia Miles, A’ja Wilson, and others.
That distinction mattered because the video did not feature only Cunningham supporters; the journalist also spoke with people on both sides of the protest.
The clips triggered fierce reactions from WNBA fans, with some arguing that the inability to name players exposed a lack of genuine interest in the league.
“Pretty clear who is there for the love of the sport, and who is there for not that,” one person wrote.
Journalist Kris Pursiainen also weighed in, writing online, “I know lots of the protestors were bad-faith actors…”
Another commenter mocked the logic behind the interviews, writing, “Oh you can't name 5 female basketball players? Well, in that case adult men are now allowed to play in all women's sports.”
Others, however, pushed back against the idea that WNBA knowledge should determine whether someone can have an opinion about transgender athletes.
“It’s funny that you think you have to know anything at all about the WNBA in order to support women that play any sport,” one commenter argued.
Another wrote, “Just because they don’t follow the WNBA specifically, doesn’t mean they don’t have daughters, granddaughters, sisters that they don’t want playing with boys, in their high school, college and youth sports. WNBA trivia doesn’t negate their argument in any way.”
One comment read, “Their knowledge of WNBA players has nothing to do with their opinion on this topic!”
WNBA reporter Kris Pursiainen also weighed in, particularly struck by the responses from some Cunningham supporters.
He wrote, “That Sportico video is absolutely insane. I know lots of the protestors were bad-faith actors.”
“Did NOT expect those supporting Sophie Cunningham to be legitimately unable to name another WNBA player besides Caitlin Clark. How did nobody prepare them better for this?”
The Barclays Center protests centered on the broader national debate surrounding transgender athletes in women’s sports
ROAR Women NYC, a New York-based women’s rights group that backed the protesters, took issue with the criticism and defended those who attended the rally.
“There were longtime WNBA fans on both sides of the rally. Bullying women's rights advocates who have already withstood social shaming to defend a position 80% of American voters hold makes you look like sneering elitists,” the group said, criticizing the portrayal of the protesters in the viral video.
For critics, several protesters' inability to identify WNBA players made the rally look less like a demonstration rooted in women’s basketball and more like an outside political campaign.
For supporters, knowing the league’s roster has little bearing on whether someone can oppose transgender women competing in female sports categories.
According to some reports, while the Brooklyn gathering has ended, similar rallies are expected to follow the Indiana Fever throughout the season.
This was already the ninth “Sophie Night” demonstration organized by advocacy groups following Cunningham’s divisive comments.
“If someone can’t name five players doesn’t mean they aren’t a fan, you don’t have to know every roster to enjoy watching,” one netizen wrote
