WNBA Co-Owner Curses at Teen Girls Over Pro-Women's-Sports Sign
Left says
- •Teenagers should never be personally berated or cursed at by an adult team official regardless of the political message on their signs, and the Storm and WNBA were right to swiftly condemn the behavior and suspend and fine the co-owner.
- •The underlying debate over transgender inclusion in women's sports is complex and painful for many, and Sophie Cunningham's stance has been read by some as dismissive of transgender people's dignity even though she insists she isn't motivated by hate.
- •Framing this single incident as representative of the entire WNBA or 'the woke left' overlooks that the team's ownership and league leadership immediately apologized and disciplined the co-owner, showing accountability rather than endorsement of her conduct.
- •Fans and players expressing frustration with the political messaging brought into a game reflects real exhaustion with sports events becoming flashpoints for divisive social issues, even if the co-owner's specific reaction was inappropriate.
Right says
- •Two 16-year-old girls peacefully supporting a player and wearing shirts advocating for female-only sports were subjected to cursing, screaming, and religious-tinged shaming from an adult team co-owner, which is an alarming abuse of power.
- •Arena security allegedly dismissed the girls' attempt to report the harassment, telling them to email the front office instead of intervening, raising concerns about whether the venue adequately protects young fans.
- •The incident fits a broader pattern of hostility directed at Sophie Cunningham and her supporters simply for stating that biological males should not compete in women's sports, a position framed as basic fairness rather than hatred.
- •The swift suspension and fine issued by the WNBA validates that the co-owner's conduct was indeed outrageous and confirms the girls' account was credible, undercutting any suggestion they exaggerated the confrontation.
Common Take
High Consensus- Celeste Keaton, a Seattle Storm co-owner, cursed at two 16-year-old girls holding a sign thanking Sophie Cunningham for 'speaking up for girls' during a July 28 game against the Indiana Fever.
- One of the teens was left in tears following the confrontation, and the incident was first reported by independent journalist Brandi Kruse.
- The WNBA suspended Keaton from the team's next five home games and fined the Storm, while majority owner Ginny Gilder issued a public apology.
- Sophie Cunningham publicly praised the girls for standing up for their beliefs and called the co-owner's behavior 'truly embarrassing.'
The Arguments
Right argues
Two 16-year-old girls peacefully expressing support for a player and for female-only sports were cursed at and religiously shamed by an adult team co-owner, a clear abuse of power that the swift league discipline itself confirms was outrageous.
Left counters
The Storm and WNBA did not defend or minimize the conduct — they apologized immediately and imposed a suspension and fine, showing the institution treated it as a genuine violation rather than something to excuse, which undercuts the claim that this reflects broader league complicity.
Left argues
No adult, regardless of how strongly she disagrees with a message, should curse at or berate teenagers, and the league's quick, concrete accountability measures show that principle was upheld rather than ignored.
Right counters
Accountability after the fact doesn't erase the fact that arena security allegedly brushed off the girls' attempt to report harassment in real time, telling them to email the front office — suggesting the protective systems failed when it mattered most, not just one owner's temper.
Right argues
The incident fits a broader pattern of hostility toward Sophie Cunningham's position — which she insists is about fairness, not hate — including alleged booing, thumbs-down gestures from players, and a man calling the girls 'trash,' suggesting the co-owner's outburst wasn't an isolated aberration but symptomatic of a hostile atmosphere.
Left counters
Even if Cunningham frames her stance as pure fairness, many transgender advocates experience the underlying policy push as an attack on their basic dignity and participation, so the 'just fairness, not hate' framing sidesteps the real harm the message causes some people, even when the reaction to the girls was clearly excessive.
Left argues
Treating this single ugly incident as proof that the WNBA or 'the woke left' is fundamentally hateful or hypocritical ignores that the team's ownership condemned the behavior immediately, unlike a genuine institutional endorsement of harassment.
Right counters
The speed and clarity of the punishment is precisely what proves the girls' account was credible and the conduct indefensible — it's not exculpatory for the broader climate, since multiple accounts describe players and fans, not just one owner, treating the teens with hostility that went unchecked until media attention forced a response.
Right argues
Sophie Cunningham's own response — that she believes in love and safe space for everyone while still holding her position — shows the fairness argument and basic kindness aren't mutually exclusive, undermining the narrative that her supporters are motivated by bigotry.
Left counters
Cunningham's stated intentions don't change the real-world effect of her position, which many transgender people and allies read as excluding them from full participation and dignity in sports regardless of how gently it's phrased.
Challenge Questions
These questions target genuine internal contradictions — meant to provoke honest reflection.
Right asks Left
“If the league's swift suspension is cited as proof the co-owner's conduct was uniquely outrageous, why did it take viral media pressure rather than the venue's own security or the team's internal reporting process to trigger that accountability?”
Left asks Right
“If the right insists Cunningham's position is 'just fairness' and not hostility toward transgender people, how should that position be distinguished from the practical effect of excluding a group of people from competing as the gender they live as, and why does that distinction not need to be argued rather than assumed?”
Outlier Report
Left Fringe
Activists and commentators who argue Cunningham's position is inherently transphobic hate speech regardless of her disclaimers (e.g., some WNBA-aligned progressive sportswriters and LGBTQ advocacy accounts on social media) represent maybe 15-20% of the left, with most Democrats/liberals still disapproving of cursing at teens even if they disagree with the sign's message.
Right Fringe
Commentators like Brandi Kruse and some Blaze/Daily Wire voices frame this as proof of systemic 'woke' hatred across the entire WNBA or left broadly, an extreme extrapolation that maybe 20-25% of the right would fully endorse, while most conservatives simply see it as one bad individual actor.
Noise Assessment
High noise ratio: right-leaning outlets amplified this heavily as a culture-war flashpoint with detailed follow-up coverage, while the actual public reaction (documented in the piece itself via ordinary fan tweets) largely converges on 'cursing at kids is bad' regardless of the sports policy debate, suggesting real public opinion is less polarized than the media framing implies.
Sources (10)
<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/teen-girls-say-wnba-co-owner-cursed-at-them-for-holding-sign-thanking-sophie-cunningham-during-game.jpg?id=67554040&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C21%2C0%2C187" /><br /><br /><p>The woke backlash against WNBA player Sophie Cunningham <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/fearless/sophie-cunningham-men-womens-sports" target="_blank">defending</a> women in sports has seemingly morphed into fury against two teenage girls who held up a sign at a game Tuesday in Seattle, where the Seattle Storm were taking on Cunningham's Indiana Fever.</p><p>The sign read, "Thank you Sophie for speaking up for girls!" and the girls wore shirts from the XX-XY athletics brand that promotes opposition to biological males in women's sports.</p><p class="pull-quote">'We weren't trying to be political. We were just trying to support Sophie.'</p><p>"We were being super respectful. We were just holding our signs and cheering for both teams," one of the teens said to investigative journalist Brandi Kruse.</p><p>The teens said an older lady confronted them, told them that "Jesus loves everyone," and then called them "f**king insane" while pointing to her head.</p><p>"For you to come here and pull this s**t," she reportedly added.</p><p>Kruse posted video on social media <a href="https://x.com/BrandiKruse/status/2082500178226155685" target="_blank">of her interview</a> with the girls from outside the Seattle Storm arena. Kruse also identified the culprit as Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton.</p><p>"One of them was left in tears," Kruse said of the girls. "I tried to get security involved and was told I should email the front office."</p><p>One of the teens said she was shocked by the co-owner's behavior.</p><p>"She's also a woman, and she just kinda cussed out two 16-year-olds that were just trying to have fun. We weren't trying to be political. We were just trying to support Sophie," she added.</p><p>The team responded to reports of the incident with a <a href="https://x.com/sportsrapport/status/2082539539617181727" target="_blank">statement</a> from majority owner Ginny Gilder.</p><p>"We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night's game," the statement reads. "We apologize that this happened. Everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect."<strong></strong></p><p><strong>RELATED: </strong><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/armour-caitlin-clark-emmett-till" target="_blank"><strong>Caitlin Clark puts black lesbians at risk of death, USA Today writer suggests — and cites Emmett Till lynching</strong></a></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" style="display: block; padding-top: 56.25%;"></span></p><p>Kruse asked one of the teens to sum up her takeaway from the incident.</p><p>"Maybe we're not being very hateful, and maybe they should work on being more kind to people, even though our opinions differ," she said. "Because we were being respectful and kind people, and I don't care if you think something else. It's your opinion, but obviously she was not happy."</p><p>Kruse <a href="https://x.com/BrandiKruse/status/2082339052158603360" target="_blank">said</a> she would continue to investigate the incident.</p><p>"As usual, the people preaching 'love and inclusion' prove to be the most hateful bigots of all. I will have much more ... and none of the culprits will be spared my fury," she added.</p><p>The Fever beat the Storm, 105-95.</p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em></p>
‘Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.’
After cursing out teen girls supporting female-only sports, Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton has been fined and suspended from attending the WNBA team’s next five home games. The punishment was confirmed by the WNBA on Wednesday evening, according to Fox News. The same day, Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder apologized in a statement for Keaton’s ...
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Talk about a big-league blowup. Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton allegedly hurled a series of expletives at a pair of teenage girls during Tuesday night’s game, leaving one of the 16-year-olds in tears after they showed support for Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham while wearing XX-XY Athletics gear. Independent journalist Brandi Kruse broke the jaw-dropping ...
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