Sports

Golden State Valkyries Head Coach Equates Height And Race To Gender In Support Of Transgender Athletes

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Natalie Nakase WNBA Transgender Sophie Cunningham Height Race Golden State Valkyries
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was glad to be asked about the conversation between Sophie Cunningham and Cheryl Reeve surrounding transgender athletes in the WNBA. She believes “sports is about belonging.”

Fair enough!

The reigning WNBA Coach of the Year compared her height and ethnicity to the inclusion of biological males in women’s sports. She does not want other people to feel the same way that she often did.

Sophie Cunningham and Cheryl Reeve had a conversation about transgender athletes.

With ~15 games remaining in the regular season, nearly every headline that involves the WNBA is focused not on the final score or the on-court play. Nobody is talking about basketball. Nobody cares about who won or lost.

The league has become the epicenter of transgender debate. It started with Sophie Cunningham.

Caitlin Clark’s most outspoken teammate addressed her politics in an ESPN profile that went live on July 21. She said that she is “very much in the middle” and agrees/disagrees with things on both sides of the political aisle. However, she firmly believes that biological men should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. The 29-year-old wants to “protect young girls.”

Although Cunningham’s popularity continues to skyrocket, not everybody agrees with her opinion on transgender athletes. A co-owner of the Seattle Storm was suspended by the WNBA for making a teenage girl cry because she supports Cunningham. WNBA veteran Stefanie Dolson took a direct shot at Cunningham prior to the game. West Wilson, Cunningham’s podcast co-host and lifelong best friend, also offered a rebuttal to the controversy.

Cunningham says that she is not worried about becoming a distraction and perhaps that is true for inside the Indiana Fever locker room. There is no question that she (her stance on transgender athletes) has become a major distraction for the league.

Fans in Portland trolled Cunningham by waving trans flags. A rally in support of the XX/XY agenda got heated on Sunday when a group of counter-protestors converged on the scene.

And then there was the conversation during pregame.

If you were to ask your friends about the score of the game, I would bet that a vast majority of them (if not all of them) would not be able to tell you whether the Indiana Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx or vice versa. They almost certainly know about the discussion between Cheryl Reeve and Sophie Cunningham.

The Lynx head coach is pro-trans. She wore a ‘Trans Kids Belong’ shirt to coach the game in direct response to Cunningham. She also pulled her aside for a chat during pregame.

Here is what Reeve had to say about the viral moment:

Meanwhile, Clark chose not to discuss the topic during the visiting team’s press conference. She only wants to focus on basketball even though her teammate already took the focus away from the court.

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase referenced her ethnicity in her defense of trans athletes.

The continued chatter surrounding transgender athletes is not only confined to games that involve Sophie Cunningham. The league has lost control of the narrative. For better or for worse, players and coaches all over the WNBA are being asked to talk about trans athletes instead of the game they just played. Some are more open to it than others.

Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was grateful for the opportunity to speak on the topic. She appeared to support the idea that biological men should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

“I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women. So I’m all about inclusivity.”

In her defense of trans athletes, Nakase made reference to her height and ethnicity. The former college and professional point guard, a third-generation Japanese-American, became the first Asian American to play in the National Women’s Basketball League at only 5-foot-2.

Because Nakase was so often told no because of her physical restraints and ethnic background, she does not want transgender athletes to receive the same rejection. The 46-year-old sees trans athletes in the same way as short athletes and Japanese athletes.

Is this an apples to apples comparison? Are race and height the same as gender? Let us know in the comments below.