Ryan Hampton Attacked Me For Defending Girls. I'm Not Backing Down.
My opponent thinks he found his attack line.
Ryan Hampton is going after me for something I actually believe in: girls deserve a fair shot in their own sports.
I'm not backing down. Not for him. Not for anybody.
Here's what set him off.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is inspiring a wave of young female athletes to speak out on fairness in women's sports — and they're not backing down from the backlash. pic.twitter.com/JEIKmeTfPt
— Fox News Flash (@FoxNews_Flash) July 26, 2026
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham told ESPN this week that she wants to protect young girls in the locker room and on the field, girls “who shouldn't have to go against biological men.”
She said it plainly. No hedging. No apology.
Then she said it again, in front of reporters, before her team took the court against Connecticut.
“I think it's kind of common sense,” Cunningham said. “I think it's really important to protect children. And so I stand on what I said, and I always believed that.”
That's it. That's the whole controversy.
A professional athlete said girls deserve fair competition. And the backlash came fast.
Some critics said she was harming children just by saying it out loud.
Others called for her to be suspended from her own league.
One even set her uniform on fire.
Transgenders are now BURNING Sophie Cunningham jerseys because she doesn’t support biological men in women’s sports..
— American AF 🇺🇸 (@iAnonPatriot) July 24, 2026
I know exactly how that feels.
I co-sponsored Nevada's Protect Girls' Sports initiative for the same reason Cunningham spoke up.
Girls in our state deserve fair competition too. That's not a radical idea. It's the whole point of women's sports in the first place.
We didn't get the signatures in time to make this year's ballot. I'm not going to pretend that isn't disappointing. But this fight isn't over.
We're taking it to the Legislature next session, and if lawmakers won't act, we're going back to the ballot in 2028.
Nevada families aren't going anywhere, and neither am I.
Ryan Hampton wants to make this election about attacking me for saying girls deserve fairness.
Go ahead, Ryan. Say it louder. Let Nevada voters hear exactly what you think a candidate should be attacked for.
I'm in good company.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Cunningham directly, saying it's “ludicrous” that a female athlete gets attacked “for speaking that truth that men shouldn't play in women's sports.”
Author J.K. Rowling shared Cunningham's comments approvingly.
Former college swimmer and women's sports advocate Riley Gaines called Cunningham's stand an act of real courage, coming from inside what Gaines called the most progressive league in professional sports.
That's the company I'd rather keep than the company Ryan Hampton is keeping.
Cunningham isn't a politician. She didn't have to say anything.
She said it anyway, and she's taking the heat for it because she thinks Nevada girls, and girls everywhere, deserve a fair shot.
I running for the State Assembly making that same case, in a Legislature that has refused to even hear the bill.
Ryan Hampton can call that controversial if he wants.
I call it standing up for my daughter, my neighbors' daughters, and every girl in Nevada who just wants to compete on a level field.
I said what I said. I'll keep saying it- in the Legislature and on the campaign trail – until Nevada girls get the fairness they're owed.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
