Two WNBA fans, a mother and daughter, were told by security to cover up their T-shirts or risk being removed from the arena at the Atlanta Dream-Indiana Fever game.
This is yet another in a long list of controversies the league has been piling up of late, much of which is centered around the polarizing debate regarding allowing transgender athletes to play in women’s sports. Clay Travis, founder of OutKick, weighed in on the latest controversy.
Clay Travis Has His Say On Latest Controversy – As Mother And Daughter Almost Removed From WNBA Game
The fans who were nearly removed from the arena were sporting XX-XY Athletics shirts. The activist apparel company aims to advocate against the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports.
The cause has also been supported by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who sparked a national debate with her comments.
This heavy-handed security response at the Dream vs. Fever game over the shirt did not sit well with Travis, who labeled the league a “disgrace” on his social media. Travis tweeted:
“Wow. So WNBA doesn’t know what a woman is, but shirts that reference women’s XX chromosomes are banned at games?! This entire league is a disgrace.” Travis slammed the latest controversy as an attempt by the WNBA to curtail freedom of speech.
Wow. So @WNBA doesn’t know what a woman is, but shirts that reference women’s XX chromosomes are banned at games?! This entire league is a disgrace. https://t.co/WPQatAsAhq
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) August 17, 2026
Furthermore, content creator Adam Francisco reported on his X platform that the two fans paid $1,000 each and, during overtime, security handed them shirts to wear over their own, telling them to cover a “For the girls” message on the shirt or leave the arena.
Francisco also pointed out that another fan was shown on the jumbotron wearing a “Protect trans rights” T-shirt, received that spotlight, but was then asked to cover that shirt as well.
This latest incident has added fuel of an already intense debate. It’s also not in isolation, as Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was handed only a five-game suspension for confronting two fans for holding up a sign in support of Sophie Cunningham’s stance.
This seems to be becoming bigger than the trans-athlete issue itself for the WNBA. If fans are at risk of being yelled at by co-owners or ejected from arenas for simple messaging on a T-shirt that the league deems offensive, where do they draw the line? Incidents like what happened to the mother and daughter risk creating a whole new, dangerous controversy for the league: curtailing freedom of speech.
