Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham recently made headlines for her stance that transgender athletes should not be participating in women’s sports.
While Cunningham argued that it’s “kind of common sense,” many fans, analysts, and others in the WNBA world criticized her for the statement.
Brian Urlacher Defends Sophie Cunningham’s Take on Trans Athletes in Women’s Sports
Cunningham’s comments were quite polarizing, but she also has many supporters who have come forward. Not only are they speaking up in her defense, but they are also organizing rallies before Fever games to show their support.
Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Brian Urlacher shared his thoughts on the situation and took a stand for Cunningham as she faces massive scrutiny.
The former Chicago Bears linebacker shared that while he doesn’t usually watch the WNBA or NBA, he has been drawn in by Cunningham and Caitlin Clark.
This from Hall of Famer and legendary Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher on Sophie Cunningham and her statement about keeping men out of women’s sports.
“So she just says what’s true. She says common sense things. And she gets so much backlash….’Men should not be playing… pic.twitter.com/j1ECbzOWW5
— 👉M-Û-R-Č-H👈 (@TheEXECUTlONER_) August 1, 2026
“It’s unbelievable. She’s so aggressive. She’s fun to watch. I love it. I follow her on Instagram. She’s got great, great stuff out there, and so she just says what’s true,” Urlacher said. “She says a common-sense thing, and she gets so much backlash. She’s like, ‘Men should not be playing in women’s sports.’ Why is that so controversial? I don’t get it. I don’t understand it. It’s a simple statement. She stood by it.”
“That’s what I love about when people say things. Don’t back down. If you say something, stand by it. And she said it. She backed it up. She’s not backing down, no matter how much heat she gets from certain people. It’s an 80-20 issue; 80% of the country thinks it’s true, 20% don’t. The 20% is crushing her. Let ’em! Who cares?”
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Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve disagreed with Cunningham’s statement.
Reeve weighed in on Cunningham’s take and said she comes from a place of inclusion and that she believes the narrative about transgender athletes being the biggest problem in women’s sports is problematic and bothersome.
“I come from a space of inclusion,” Reeve told reporters. “The narrative that I think is problematic is to suggest that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women’s sports. This is what’s bothersome. There is a faction of people in our country that are making this a massive issue.”
When the Lynx faced the Fever on Sunday afternoon, Reeve wore a shirt that read “Trans Kids Belong.”
