Sophie Cunningham’s stance against transgender athletes being permitted to play in the WNBA stirred quite the nationwide debate on the issue.
Geno Auriemma has now entered the fray. He believes extensive discourse regarding this sensitive topic comes with an agenda from “fans” who don’t have the WNBA’s best interests at heart.
Geno Auriemma Thinks a Sector of the Public Doesn’t Want the WNBA To Succeed
The UConn legend appeared on “Mad Dog Sports Radio” on SiriusXM, where he condemned people across the world for straying away from the main topic at hand: the basketball being played in the WNBA.
“The whole politics of it has absolutely zero to do with what’s happening on the court,” said Auriemma while emphasizing the need for players to have the narrative shift back to basketball.
“Unfortunately, there’s a segment of the population that doesn’t want women’s basketball to succeed, doesn’t want women’s basketball on television… they’re going to do whatever they can to slam it every chance they can,” he added.
This isn’t surprising as Auriemma has repeatedly proven that he’s a staunch advocate for women’s sports. He’s coached the UConn women’s basketball team for 41 years now and, in 2016, called out the country for being “okay” with being sexist and degrading athletes simply for being of the opposite sex.
Auriemma then stressed the importance of players and the WNBA in fighting the narrative.
“You have to keep fighting it every day. Fight it by doing the right thing, by stressing he right things, by keeping the focus on what it should be and not getting caught up on one side or the other.”
Geno Auriemma on the WNBA says there’s a segment of the population that “doesn’t want women’s basketball to succeed” and they are going “to do whatever they can to slam it every chance they can.”
He says they need focus on the game over political/social issues. (@MadDogRadio) pic.twitter.com/8U1GSw4szE
— Jared Stillman (@JaredStillman) August 13, 2026
The WNBA has worked tirelessly for over a quarter of a century to become a mainstay in the sports world. With Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Olivia Miles, and Paige Bueckers, the league has become far more popular than ever before.
Even Cunningham, the nexus of this discourse, has asked that the narrative return to basketball. “All we ever do is cover everything except basketball,” said Cunningham recently.
A league spokesperson on Wednesday denounced “bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others”.
Meanwhile, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and league officials will sit down and discuss this matter in the coming days.
