Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton learned the hard way that you don’t mess with the fans of WNBA superstar Sophie Cunningham. Keaton received a massive fine and a suspension for her team’s next five home games after being involved in an incident where she allegedly called a pair of teenage Cunningham fans “f***ing insane” during a game on July 28, 2026.
Cunningham, who is becoming a bit of a folk hero following her statement about needing to protect young girls and women alike from transgender men participating in women’s sports, also addressed the situation in a post published on X the following day. “I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men,” the WNBA star wrote.
“Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind. Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon. Yay for gifts. Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is,” Cunningham continued. Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder put out a statement following the incident, apologizing for the co-owner’s comments.
“We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night’s game. 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,” the statement went on to say.
According to a report from OutKick, two teen girls went to the game sporting XX-XY Athletics gear to honor Cunningham boldly supporting efforts to protect women’s sports. The two even got an opportunity to sit courtside. However, things went sideways when Keaton got involved, transforming the girls into viral sensations and helping, inadvertently, to push their cause even more to the forefront.
The team organization put out an apology statement after the incident as well. During the game, Keaton allegedly shouted insults at the two teenage girls. Additional footage of the situation also shows them in a confrontation with another fan at the game. The story has gained so much traction on social media that even legendary “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling slammed Keaton.
“These young women are heroines. They’re peacefully protesting against the grotesque unfairness of men playing in women’s sports. The only people who are ‘f*cking insane’ here are those making a mockery of fair sport for women and trying to bully girls like this into silence,” Rowling wrote in her post. Prominent conservative influencers and others on social media also showed support for the two girls.
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“Women are our own worst enemy. It’s remarkable,” influencer and collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines said. The evening began with a rally outside Climate Pledge Arena in the city of Seattle where those in favor of keeping men out of women’s sports expressed support for Cunningham supporting the cause. A small group of liberal counterprotesters also showed up to show their support for transgender inclusion.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video