WNBA Refuses Eligibility Change After Ex-NBA Draft Stunts

Players' union president Nneka Ogwumike said outside interests are driving the argument. "It's super unfortunate because we're now in a time where I think there's a lot of different agendas that are being used for something perhaps bigger and broader that people can't see now that they're using women's sports for," she told the AP. "It's very concerning, but what I really do hate is that we are using a very nuanced conversation — and evolving conversation — to continue to marginalize these groups that we advocate for."

Hall of Famer Dawn Staley cast the scrutiny as a growth pain. "All the big pieces and all the things that are happening from a racial standpoint, from an officiating standpoint are great. They're great because the NBA went through it — the NBA went through all of it," she said. "So this is just badges of honor. Will we get through it? We will get through it."

Hall of Fame inductee Candace Parker said the online abuse can no longer be ignored: "I think it was more swept under the rug in the past, but now it's not because you can't. We can't tell every player to just deal with it. That's not how it works."

On the right, the criticism is that the league is dodging. RealClearPolitics argued in a Aug. 14 column that the WNBA "should clarify that only women can play." A Fox News/OutKick column by Jonathan Alpert defended Cunningham, writing that her position — that women's sports should be based on biological sex — "reflects laws in over two dozen states." A Washington Examiner column called the Kanter Freedom and White declarations a deliberate test of the league's undefined rule.

On the left, Salon argued the controversy is manufactured, noting the league's popularity is climbing while the coverage fixates on a player who does not exist. Seattle Storm center Stefanie Dolson and Reeve have publicly backed transgender athletes. Many players have declined to comment at all.