Last week, WNBA player Sophie Cunningham went viral for joining the voices of outspoken female athletes like me by standing up for female-only sports and spaces.
“I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” Cunningham said in an ESPN interview.
Headlines quickly broke trying to reframe Cunningham’s statement as an anti-transgender one, when Cunningham’s words were simply pro-women and pro-female sports. Everyday Americans know that, which is why she’s quickly become a champion for girls and women across the country.
For me, this issue is personal. In college, I was forced to compete against a trans-identified male athlete who took a podium place from female athletes. Those women dedicated countless hours to training, sacrificed years to early mornings and strict regimens, and invested tremendous physical and mental effort into their sport. They deserved the opportunity to compete on a level playing field and earn awards, recognition, scholarships, prize money, and championship opportunities.
Since graduating, I have coached both high school and Division I athletes in cross country and track and field. Through coaching, this issue has become even more meaningful to me. I see how hard girls and women push themselves to shave seconds off of their races. Each victory requires hours on the track, individualized training plans, strategic decisions, and a strong partnership between coach and athlete. Together, coaches and athletes work toward goals that often come down to a matter of seconds—or even fractions of a second.
Watching athletes commit themselves to that process only reinforces my belief that women deserve protected competitive spaces where they can showcase the results of years of hard work and dedication.
This is just common sense. But in the same week that Cunningham stood up for female athletes, former professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe went on “The View” to declare that it’s “an attack on women in society” to keep women’s sports female-only and require competitors to compete under their sex. Rapinoe faces few consequences for her position: she’s no longer on the field where she could lose opportunities to a male athlete or, worse, suffer severe injury at the hands of a stronger and more aggressive male competitor.
For famous female athletes like Rapinoe to use their platform to argue against the very categories that earned them their fame and accolade is a betrayal of the next generation of girls and women.
That’s why Cunningham’s decision to publicly stand up for her belief that women’s sports and spaces should be protected is an important moment for this ongoing fight. Change begins when individuals are willing to speak up for what they believe. Athletes who use their voices to advocate for their convictions help shape the conversation and influence the protection of women’s sports.
Just a few years ago, speaking up for female sports could cost an athlete sponsorship deals, media opportunities, and the public friendship of fellow competitors. But today, Cunningham’s new shoe line with Adidas is selling out. She has since also doubled down on her previous statement with the now-iconic line, “I said what I said.”
The tide has turned for female athletes, and common sense is winning. However, when females across the country are still being forced to share their sports and private spaces with males, it’s also clear that powerful voices like Cunningham’s are still needed to stand against unfairness and injustice.
With President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order and the Supreme Court ruling that states can protect female-only athletics, it’s time for female athletes to claim what is rightfully theirs. It’s time for states and Congress to act to protect women’s sports and spaces.
Sophie Cunningham recognizes this. Who will be the next woman ready to speak truth, stand up for women’s sports, and join us?
