The WNBA had one of its most exciting games of the season on Sunday when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever took on Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream in what is emerging as one of the premier rivalries in the league. It was a back-and-forth affair the entire way, with the Fever ultimately winning in overtime to tie the season series at 2 apiece for the year. Naturally, Clark and Reese both turned in superstar performances.
Clark finished with 26 points and nine assists, and Reese scored 15 points and snatched 14 rebounds. However, as great as the on-court performances were on Sunday, some people refuse to let the conversation be about the actual basketball being played.
The discourse surrounding the league has largely been about transgender athletes participating in women’s sports following Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s comments on the matter in a July ESPN profile, and although Cunningham herself has tried to recenter the focus on the actual basketball being played, it doesn’t appear to be happening.
Two fans wore shirts with XX on them to represent women’s chromosomes, but were allegedly forced to cover or remove them during Sunday’s contest. Conservative sports pundit Clay Travis took exceptoin to the news after finding out.
“Wow. So (the WNBA) doesn’t know what a woman is, but shirts that reference women’s XX chromosomes are banned at games?! This entire league is a disgrace,” Travis posted on X.
Wow. So @WNBA doesn’t know what a woman is, but shirts that reference women’s XX chromosomes are banned at games?! This entire league is a disgrace. https://t.co/WPQatAsAhq
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) August 17, 2026
What Travis may not realize is that the league has already released a statement on anyone attempting to hijack the narratives and conversations surrounding the league to advance their own agendas.
“Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online,” the league said via statement.
“We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”
When the focus is on the great product being displayed night in and night out rather than the divisiveness that thrives online, everyone wins and the league flourishes the way it should.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.