No Offseason Newsletter 🏀 | This is The Athletic’s women’s basketball newsletter. Sign up here to receive No Offseason directly in your inbox.Good morning! Another eventful week in the WNBA. Coming up today:
Serious Matters: Reeve responds to Cunningham’s commentsThe WNBA has never been too far from culture wars throughout its existence, especially in recent years as the league has exploded in popularity. After Fever guard Sophie Cunningham expressed her opinion that transgender girls don’t belong in youth sports, the W has once again become an inadvertent political prop in a larger conversation. Cunningham’s comments have led to small rallies of a few dozen people at the last three Indiana Fever road games (in Seattle, Portland and Minnesota). That rally size includes people in favor of Cunningham’s position and counter-protesters, who have also come out to support the inclusion of transgender athletes. The pregame protests have been mostly civil. However, Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was fined and suspended for five games after last Tuesday’s contest, when two girls sitting courtside in support of Cunnigham said Keaton cursed at them and called them insane.Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve has been the most prominent voice in opposition to Cunningham. Reeve spoke for nearly five minutes Saturday about the importance of inclusion and taking exception to the narrative of transgender athletes being the biggest problem facing women’s sports. While wearing a shirt that read “Trans kids belong,” Reeve even had a pregame conversation with Cunningham on Sunday, and said they discussed how to use their platforms.The common thread among everyone speaking out this week was that the WNBA prides itself on being a safe space for everyone. So what does that look like in practice? Peaceful protest is lawful anywhere in the U.S., no matter the message. But a league with a large population of queer players and fans has a different level of comfort when it comes to opinions that favor the exclusion of LGBTQ+ community members.The Fever have been under the spotlight ever since Caitlin Clark arrived in the W two years ago. There is a weight to that, but one the Fever embraced; they went into 2025 saying “every game is a home game” and treated the season like a concert tour. Now, the attention that is following the team — and specifically Cunningham — feels heavier, and more of a burden. Clark wasn’t available to the media for the first three days after the protests started. Even if Cunningham claims this isn’t a distraction for Indiana, there was a weird, tense energy in the building when I was in Portland, not the excitement that tends to accompany a Fever crowd, even on the road.The WNBA has an opportunity to show some leadership and take control of a conversation that is being overtaken by outside actors. While allowed, there is no reason for WNBA games to be the site of demonstrations that espouse anything but inclusion. Blockbuster: Plum shows out in Mercury debutDespite our high hopes for an active trade season, the noise heading into Sunday’s deadline turned out to be mostly sound and fury. But there was one major transaction, as an active All-Star was traded for a second consecutive season; this time it was Kelsey Plum.
