For the first time in my lifetime, the WNBA is culturally relevant. Not because of how skilled the athletes are, but because of how polarizing it has become in the age of Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham. In the process, left-wing narratives about race and gender are unraveling before our eyes.
The conversation surrounding the league has shifted from whether the NBA should subsidize an organization that loses millions of dollars per year without turning a profit, to concepts such as so-called “white privilege” and “trans inclusion.” This controversy has come to a head over the last week, with two male basketball players identifying as women to declare for the WNBA draft.
Enis Kanter Freedom had a solid 11-year career in the NBA. By no means was he a superstar, but he carved out a role for himself with his scoring prowess, despite being a defensive liability. Royce White was a colossal draft bust. The former first-round pick played nine total minutes over three games. He did not score a single point despite being drafted 16th overall. With all that said, both these guys would put up 1960s Wilt Chamberlain numbers in the WNBA.
Clark and Cunningham have been at the center of the race and gender debates. Clark, undoubtedly the most electric player in the league, is the only woman who could sell tickets — and that has clearly offended the league’s black players, who have been giving the Indiana Fever star the Michael Jordan ”Bad Boys” Pistons treatment. In other words, they’re taking dirty, cheap shots both on and off the court. Cunningham was brought in as an enforcer to protect Clark, but her presence has only poured gas on the flame.
Chicago Sky forward DiJonai Carrington blasted Cunningham on social media last week, accusing her of benefiting from “white privilege” after Carrington was ejected for delivering a forearm strike to Cunningham’s face, sparking debate about anti-white racism in the WNBA. But even more notably, Cunningham’s stance against biological male athletes playing in women’s sports has been the most heated topic of WNBA discussion this year — it’s drawn in protests and ticket sales alike. Earlier this month, an anti-Cunningham sign held up during a game went viral, while another fan was forced to remove their sign supporting Cunningham.
Enter Kanter Freedom and White. The two former NBA players have called the WNBA’s bluff, and exposed the absurdity at the heart of transgender activism. The Left will tell you that a woman is anyone who identifies as one — and you’re a bigot if you question how genuine or valid the identity is. We have seen male athletes dominate across women’s sports, whether in swimming, track and field, cycling, or weight lifting. So why not perform the experiment in basketball as well? That would be the Left’s worst nightmare. A side-by-side comparison between women and men who claim to be women destroys the idea that “transgender women are real women.”
The obvious truth is that transgenderism is not a real thing. One cannot simply become the opposite sex by identifying as such, just as one cannot become another species through self-identification. No amount of cosmetic surgery will ever change this fact. Gender dysphoria is a serious mental condition that rivals only bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in terms of suicide rate — even after receiving genital mutilation surgery. No respectable psychiatrist would recommend affirming a schizophrenic’s delusion — it is medical malpractice to affirm a so-called “trans” person’s delusion as well. These are people who need help. By affirming, normalizing, and promoting their delusions, society is doing them a great disservice.
For every woman whose spot on a sports team is taken by a male, hundreds of people suffering from gender dysphoria are taking their own lives. This is the far greater issue, but if it takes publicity stunts from former NBA players to wake people up to this reality, then so be it.
WHY THE NEW YORK KNICKS’ VISIT TO THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE IS A BIG DEAL
Back in elementary school, my classmates used to joke: “Would you rather the New York Liberty win the WNBA championship, or you find a penny on the floor?” And everyone would pick the penny. Juvenile, yes, but we were juveniles — the point remains, not even New York Sports Pride could make us care about “the W.” Today, stadiums sell out to watch Clark and Cunningham, the two most hated athletes in the sport due to their race and political views.
Cunningham may not be the “MAGA Barbie” many portray her as, but she’s showing the world why “Ken” should never play in the WOMEN’S National Basketball Association.