Riley Gaines went to a WNBA game.
That was apparently enough to start another massive fight.
The former NCAA swimmer and women’s sports advocate attended the Indiana Fever’s game against the Minnesota Lynx and later described what she saw in the crowd surrounding Sophie Cunningham.
Let’s just say Gaines did not exactly leave Minnesota impressed.
Her description of the crowd immediately set off another firestorm, with Gaines referring to some of the people she encountered as “disgruntled lesbians.”
And then the heavy hitters showed up.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova publicly pushed back on Gaines, arguing that the comments demeaned women while Gaines was claiming to advocate for them. Jemele Hill also piled on, criticizing Gaines over the characterization of WNBA fans.
Gaines, meanwhile, has shown no indication that she plans to back away from the broader fight.
She has spent years making women’s sports one of her primary causes, and the WNBA has become one of the biggest stages for that debate.
She even recently documented another trip to see the Fever, discussing Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham and the increasingly complicated politics surrounding the league.
But this time, Gaines didn’t just comment on the WNBA.
She walked into the building and became part of the story.
And judging by the reaction, the internet is nowhere near finished talking about it.
