Sophie Cunningham Denies MAGA Label, Says She Is 'in the Middle'
Updated
Updated · The Cut · Jul 22
Sophie Cunningham Denies MAGA Label, Says She Is 'in the Middle'
3 articles · Updated · The Cut · Jul 22
Summary
ESPN’s new profile quotes Sophie Cunningham rejecting assumptions that she is MAGA or broadly conservative, saying she is “very much in the middle” and agrees and disagrees with both parties.
Cunningham said the speculation grew because she had not flatly denied being conservative before and because, in her view, people made assumptions about her as a white player from Missouri.
She also denied hating trans people, but paired that with support for “protect[ing] women’s sports” and opposition to trans women competing against cisgender female athletes.
That stance lands in a broader U.S. fight over transgender sports participation, after the Supreme Court in June upheld state bans on trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.