Sophie Cunningham faced persistent boos during the Indiana Fever’s 101-95 victory over the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday night, but the guard answered the hostile reception with a productive performance and a gracious message afterward.
The game marked Cunningham’s first visit to Canada.
Each time she touched the basketball, sections of the Toronto crowd responded with boos.
Cunningham remained composed and converted all three of her three-point attempts, contributing to an important road win for Indiana.
Rather than criticizing the Toronto crowd after the final buzzer, Cunningham publicly praised the atmosphere and accepted the mixed reception as part of professional sports.
Speaking after the victory, Cunningham made a point of recognizing both the Tempo supporters and the city of Toronto.
“I want to shout out the Tempo crowd and the city,” she said. “We’ve had so much fun.
The crowd was absolutely amazing.”
Cunningham acknowledged
that athletes cannot expect universal support, particularly when playing away from home.
“I think that’s what sports is all about,” she continued.
“You’re going to get boos and you’re going to get cheers.”
Her response followed a game in which the crowd repeatedly expressed its displeasure whenever she became involved in the action.
Cunningham did not allow that reaction to affect her shooting, finishing three-for-three from beyond the arc.
She also spoke about her role alongside Indiana’s leading players, saying she wanted to contribute while enjoying the experience.
“The Big Three are going to do their thing every night,” Cunningham said.
“Like I said, I’m just gonna come, have some fun, maybe inspire some young girls to come beat me one day.”
Cunningham’s performance and postgame remarks showed that she was prepared to absorb the crowd’s reaction without turning it into a complaint.
The reception in Toronto followed Cunningham’s earlier comments to ESPN about transgender participation in women’s sports.
Cunningham said she had received criticism from people who believed she opposed transgender individuals, a characterization she rejected.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” Cunningham told ESPN.
“And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’”
She said her position was based on extending love while also speaking honestly about the protection of women and girls in sporting environments.
“I think that I am here to extend love,” Cunningham continued.
“But I also think with that love is truth, being honest.”
She then explained the concern at the center of her position.
“And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” she said.
Those comments have remained part of the public discussion surrounding Cunningham.
A Minnesota Lynx coach wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt when the team faced the Fever last month.
Whatever motivated individual members of the Toronto crowd, their response was unmistakable throughout Tuesday’s game.
Cunningham answered by making every three-point shot she attempted and helping Indiana leave Toronto with a six-point victory.
Her decision to praise the opposing crowd afterward reinforced her message that boos and cheers both belong within the competitive atmosphere of sports.
The Fever guard left her first game in Canada with a victory, an unblemished three-point shooting record and another firm response to those who object to her public position on women’s sports.
