Sophie Cunningham may be getting booed on the basketball court, but Riley Gaines says there is something happening behind the scenes that explains why the WNBA star isn't backing down: her growing faith in Jesus Christ.
Gaines offered a surprisingly personal glimpse into Cunningham's spiritual journey while speaking at Turning Point USA's Faith Forward Pastors Summit in Santa Barbara, California. The former NCAA swimmer revealed that she has been talking with Cunningham and watching her relationship with God deepen over the past several months.
And according to Gaines, Cunningham's recent baptism wasn't merely a public gesture.
"She got baptized, which I can say in speaking to her and watching her relationship grow with the Lord over these past few months has been really, really powerful and really, really beautiful," Gaines said.
Gaines even bestowed a rather enthusiastic new title on the Indiana Fever guard: "America's sweetheart."
"Every video, every clip, every interaction that seems to surface online about her, she just gets cooler and cooler," Gaines said.
But underneath the viral clips and growing public profile, Gaines says Cunningham is developing convictions that are giving her the courage to withstand some very unfriendly crowds.
Booed Every Time She Touched The Ball
Gaines recently attended the Fever's game against the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis and said the reception Cunningham received was impossible to miss.
"Every single time Sophie stepped on the court, was subbed in, touched the ball, threw the ball. Anything she did, she got booed by the entire arena," Gaines recalled. "That would be really hard."
Cunningham has attracted national attention after publicly opposing biological males competing in women's sports. But Gaines insists the basketball player never planned on becoming a political activist.
She wanted to play basketball.
So Gaines asked her how she keeps going when the criticism follows her onto the court.
Cunningham's reported answer revealed just how much faith has entered the equation.
"She says, 'Riley, what I'm standing for is far bigger than anything in this arena,'" Gaines recalled.
Gaines said Cunningham then explained that her position is increasingly rooted in her understanding of biblical creation.
"She says, 'But where I'm coming from is understanding how men and women are different biblically, how we were created intentionally and uniquely in God's perfect image, and how amazing is it that we have a Creator who doesn't make mistakes.'"
Then Cunningham reportedly took it even further.
"That's how I'm able to stand firm, because I'm not fighting for anything of this world or anyone in this arena," Cunningham told Gaines. "I'm fighting for the hope and the promise of eternal life."
For Gaines, that wasn't just Christian rhetoric. She believes she can see the effect Cunningham's faith is having on the way she handles the pressure.
"You see that courage exuding from her every time she's on the court," Gaines said.
Gaines Says Cunningham's Faith Is Growing
The comments add another layer to Cunningham's increasingly public Christian faith.
Her baptism had already attracted attention, while Cunningham has also publicly pointed to Jesus and resisted attempts to define herself primarily through political labels. Now Gaines is suggesting there has been a quieter spiritual story developing away from the cameras.
Gaines wasn't merely praising Cunningham for taking a position she agrees with. She specifically described watching Cunningham's "relationship grow with the Lord" over a period of months.
For a professional athlete suddenly finding herself pulled into one of America's fiercest cultural debates, Gaines believes that growing faith is becoming Cunningham's anchor.
And that may be the most revealing part of Gaines' story.
Cunningham isn't claiming the boos don't matter because she's tougher than everyone else. According to Gaines, she is saying something much bigger: the crowd doesn't get the final word.
Her reason for standing firm, Cunningham reportedly told Gaines, is rooted in "the hope and the promise of eternal life."
