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+--- Thread: Article WNBA owner accused of attacking teen girls supporting Sophie Cunningham (sports) (/thread-20985.html)
WNBA owner accused of attacking teen girls supporting Sophie Cunningham (sports) - C C - Jul 30, 2026
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Storm apologize after co-owner berates teen girls for support of Cunningham: The Seattle Storm has issued an apology statement, one day after one of their co-owners verbally accosted two teenage female fans with expletives because they were holding signs supporting the views of Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham during a home game against the Fever.
The teenagers each had a sign, one saying, “Thank You Sophie for speaking up for girls!” Cunningham recently went to bat for the protection of women’s sports and keeping them female-only. Independent journalist Brandi Kruse reported that minority owner Celeste Keaton told the girls they were “f—ing insane”.
“We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night’s game,” Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder said in a statement on Wednesday. "We apologize that this happened. Everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect.”
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AFTER PARTY
https://youtu.be/pd5QNpZKGP4
INTRO: Emily Jashinsky is joined by Jennifer Sey, founder & CEO of XX-XY Athletics and author of “Levi’s Unbuttoned,” to discuss the backlash facing WNBA star Sophie Cunningham after she defended women's sports. They respond to a recent incident in which two teenage girls wearing XX-XY apparel were confronted and verbally berated by a Seattle Storm co-owner. Jennifer argues the encounter illustrates how hostile the debate has become, while also pointing to signs that public opinion is shifting in favor of protecting women's sports, and more…
VIDEO EXCERPTS: And this old crotchety woman cursed out a 16-year-old girl. We have the video. Let's watch Jen. This is the here's sound from it.
[...] So what was your reaction when I texted you that that is the owner of the team? It's just sad. We were like what? We were shocked. It's disappointing, though, too, cuz she's also a woman, and she just kind of cussed out two 16-year-olds that were just trying to have fun.
[...] And these women will go after you on the court. I mean, Sophie has shown she can get in a fight, and she can hold her own. But she is putting herself at risk, and she's standing her ground.
So I just want to be clear that the world is shifting. There's more support. Like the fact that this rally could happen and there was no violence against the people who were standing up for women's sports and that we outnumbered the other side 10 to 1. Huge.
Yet Sophie stands alone. There's been no cascade of support for her amongst other professional athletes in any league. There's been no support from the league. There's been no support from the brands. There's just been an opportunity. There's just been the recognition that they can make money off of her.
That's what Adidas is doing. They're like, "I can monetize this, but I'm not going to support her, right? We're not going to support her."
So, the world is moving. It's changing in a good way. But what Holly and her friend had to endure -- like what is wrong with these people? What is wrong with that old lady? Keep your [ __ ] to yourself. You don't like it? So what? We have to look at your shirts and all your dumb [ __ ] that you wear all the time. Like we're not afraid anymore. We're going to wear our shirt, too.
Which is the whole point, this brand is to make it normal and cool to stand up and say women deserve their own sports. And it's not a merch company, and we're not an advocacy organization.
WNBA owner accused of attacking teen girls supporting Sophie Cunningham ... https://youtu.be/pd5QNpZKGP4