The firestorm against the WNBA is getting hotter by the minute after the league continues to downplay the on-court violence against its star players; it's also grappling with how to define the "W" in WNBA after Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham says she'd like to help protect girls from having biological males invade their sports.
In short, the league looks like it's run by a bunch of amateurs who aren't worthy of having megastars like Cunningham and her teammate Caitlin Clark donning its uniforms and gracing its courts.
After watching "flagrant foul" after "flagrant foul" being committed against players like Clark and Cunningham – with Cunningham being the most recent victim of the escalating dangerous play after she was clotheslined by Chicago Sky's DiJonai Carrington while going in for a layup – fans and onlookers are left wondering when the WNBA will grow a pair and stop the madness.
SEE ALSO: Sophie Cunningham Gets Clotheslined, Then Her Own Coach Makes It Even Worse
Instead of reining in the bad behavior and using its superstars to help the league grow and expand into new cities, the WNBA seems to have curiously adopted a business model that appears to encourage the brutalization of its best players. It's almost like they don't recognize the gold mine they have on their hands with players like Clark and Cunningham and would prefer to put themselves out of business than defend their white, hetero megastars.
Will it take outside authorities taking action to make the WNBA get its act together, protect its players, and punish the on-court thugs?
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sure seems to think so. The WNBA doesn't currently have a team in the Sunshine State and there's possibly a very good reason for that, according to Uthmeier, who remarked after seeing the violence against Cunningham:
"The WNBA knows better than to play games down here in Florida, because I’ll be charging people with assault."
For reference, this is what he was responding to:
The price of standing for girls and women pic.twitter.com/9E5KWjuWg4
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 9, 2026
The WNBA has had teams in Florida before, but it's been a while.
Florida previously had two clubs, but the state has not been home to a WNBA franchise for over 20 years. The Orlando Miracle played in the league from 1999 to 2002, but relocated to Connecticut, where they currently play as the Connecticut Sun.
Farther south, the Miami Sol (yeah, technically that would be another team with the name "Sun") played from 2000 to 2002.
Florida is a prime market for a WNBA expansion team because it is one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing states, and both South Florida and Central Florida give the WNBA access to huge population bases, corporate sponsors, an already-established NBA infrastructure, and year-round sports audiences.
They'd be stupid not to act on such an opportunity, but first they might want to figure out how to keep their players from committing fouls that have state attorneys general promising criminal charges.
These kinds of challenges to the WNBA are good and necessary because the league has shown precious little interest in policing itself. If league officials won't protect their biggest stars, perhaps a little public pressure from fans, politicians, and potential future markets will get their attention.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy RedState's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member