The WNBA used to have a hard time getting men to pay attention to its sport. Now, the league has a growing number of men who want to join.
Two men dressed in drag attended Saturday’s game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Minnesota Lynx.
It’s less surprising to see men in drag in Las Vegas than in most other places. It is highly unusual for them to state their intention to join the 2027 WNBA Draft, which they did.
The men’s antics earned quizzical looks from stadium security and more than a few laughs from the assembled crowd.
The issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports has risen to the fore again in recent weeks, after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham told ESPN she believes men should be kept out of women’s sports to ensure a fair and level playing field.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham told ESPN. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Since Cunningham’s comments, former NBA players Royce White and Enes Kanter have expressed interest in joining the WNBA, putting the league’s professed commitment to and support for the transgender community to the test.
Of course, with the Las Vegas dragsters now declaring for the draft, White and Kanter will now face some stiffer competition for a roster spot.