Sophie Cunningham kickstarted nationwide discourse in July when she openly admitted to not wanting trans women to be eligible for the WNBA. She’s been the talk of the town ever since, with conservative media hailing her as a ‘national hero’ for speaking her mind.
Activist Riley Gaines has taken it a step further, calling for Cunningham to be recognized for her bold stance by awarding her an award.
Riley Gaines Wants Sophie Cunningham To Be Awarded For Her Stance Against Trans Women
“Sophie Cunningham should get ‘Female Athlete of the Year,’” said Benny Johnson on his segment, the ‘Benny Show’. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody braver or do more to preserve female athletics.”
Gaines pitched in with her thoughts here. She said,
“Outside of her bravery, let’s take that away for a second. Her favorability rating, if that’s a good way to put it, is like 95% of sports fans. And that’s really, really rare in both male and female sports.”
“Look at what her stock has done. She came out with this new shoe with Adidas. It sold out within like moments of every size. Her stock is there.”
Three days after her statement against trans women entering the WNBA, Cunningham released her player-exclusive colorway for the Adidas Crazy Energy. They retailed for $110 in adult sizes and sold out within a week on the Adidas website. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Hibbett’s.
Aside from a certain sector of sports fans resonating deeply with Cunningham’s views, many have attributed this astronomical rise in her popularity to her close proximity to Caitlin Clark.
“Her singing at the bar, Toby Keith, red, white, and blue was the most like iconic thing ever. And you don’t see that, especially in female athletes. So absolutely, if she’s not ‘Female Athlete of the Year’, it’s rigged.”
Riley Gaines Declares WNBA, Sports Prizes RIGGED if Sophie Cunningham Not awarded Female Athlete of the Year
“Her favorability rating, if that’s a good way to put it, is like 95% of sports fans. Look at what her stock has done. She came out with this new shoe with Adidas. It… pic.twitter.com/U93IcbCqOY
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 24, 2026
The Associated Press announces its pick for ‘Female Athlete of the Year’ in mid-to-late December. Only five basketball players have won this award: Sheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995), Candace Parker (2008 and 2021), Caitlin Clark (2024), and A’ja Wilson (2025).
The difference between the aforementioned women and Cunningham would be that they won this award after making significant strides in professional basketball.
Lobo, for example, led the University of Connecticut to a historic, undefeated 35–0 season, which culminated in the program’s first-ever NCAA championship.
Most recently, Wilson won her fourth regular-season MVP, second Finals MVP, and third WNBA championship all in the same year.
Cunningham, while a brilliant bench boost for the Fever (8.4 points on 44.1 3FG% this season), does not have the basketball resume to qualify for ‘Female Athlete of the Year’.
The criteria for the award, however, isn’t rigid in being based solely off on-court accolades. Given that millions of conservative Americans have been galvanized by Cunningham’s firm stance toward a common goal, she may have a chance to win it.
