Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) reacts to a foul in the first half of an WNBA basketball game against the Atlanta Dream Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Brynn Anderson/AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
The Dallas Wings have played two games at American Airlines Center this WNBA season, but when the Indiana Fever come to town for the first time this summer Thursday, there might be extra activity in and outside the venue.
Over the last several weeks, supporters and critics of Fever guard Sophie Cunningham have gathered at the team’s games to rally for or against her stance on transgender participation in women’s sports.
The controversy, one of many that has put the growing league in headlines this summer, began after Cunningham expressed support for barring transgender girls and women from girls and women’s sports in an ESPN article published in late July. Cunningham has doubled down on her comments despite the backlash, which has included boos from fans at Fever away games.
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One group, Texas Values, has already advertised on social media a rally in support of Cunningham ahead of Thursday’s game at AAC.
“Come rally with us in Dallas to Save Women’s Sports!” the account wrote in an Aug. 13 post on X. “Let’s welcome WNBA player and Save Women’s Sports leader Sophie Cunningham to Texas and show her that Saving Women’s Sports is a Texas Value! Join Texas Values as she comes to Dallas to play the Dallas Wings.”
Dallas would be the latest city where this activity has taken place.
After the Fever’s road game against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on July 28, the WNBA fined and suspended Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton from attending the team’s next five games after she reportedly confronted a pair of fans with signs supporting Cunningham.
Cunningham critiqued Keaton in a post on X.
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“I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY,” she wrote. “Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind.
“Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon … yay for gifts. …. Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.”
When the Fever played the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center on Aug. 2, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a shirt reading “Trans kids belong” and fans in the stands sported tops that said “Trans kids belong in sports.” Other fans held signs that read “Love is truth” and “Thank you Sophie.”
Reeve and Cunningham spoke at midcourt before the game, but the Lynx coach did not share the specifics of the conversation.
“Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,” Reeve said.
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Since then Cunningham supporters have gathered outside arenas in Chicago and Atlanta.
What could happen in Dallas on Thursday is yet to be seen, but the game would have drawn attention regardless of the controversy. The Wings and Fever have become unofficial rivals with Dallas star Paige Bueckers and Indiana phenom Caitlin Clark — both recent No. 1 picks and two of the top scorers in the league — often pit against each other.
They each scored 29 points in the Wings’ 98-87 loss to the Fever last Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a contest Dallas starters Azzi Fudd and Jessica Shepard both sat out. Dallas edged Indiana 107-104 on the road in May’s season opener.
The Wings and Fever are two of the WNBA’s most popular teams, with the former slated for 36 nationally televised games in 2026 and the latter a record 44.
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Dallas played Indiana twice at American Airlines Center in 2025, drawing a sold-out crowd of 20,409 last June.