Sophie's Choice
In America, everyone gets a voice, and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham chose to use hers, for better and for worse.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." - The US Constitution’s First Amendment
When Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham publicly weighed in on the flashpoint issue of Trans athletes competing in sports, her comments were met with enraged criticism by some and enthused praise by others.
Great! Let’s go! Let’s talk and be heard - everyone of us.
That’s the idea of the whole thing. Discussion. Discourse. The sharing of what we think, regardless of what it is that we think - that’s the whole game. Everybody gets a voice here. That’s a thing in America. Too few use the damned thing. Too few are willing to take a position, because taking a position is risky.
Here’s another thing in America - we don’t have to agree with her - we can speak up too. And further, we don’t have to listen to her. We don’t have to watch her games, or follow the WNBA or read any of the coverage. Use the remote control or the off or mute button.
Each of us has the absolute power to speak and to ignore - to agree and march with her, or to offer protestations, or to shut it out and move on with our lives.
This notion shouldn’t be all that hard to comprehend and put into practice…
Shut up and dribble?
No. You don’t have to. You don’t have to shut up and dribble - you don’t have to shut up at all. You’ve never had to. You’ve only been told that by closed-minded un-American dolts or highly-compensated carnival barkers who either don’t understand the rights we all enjoy in this country, or choose to ignore them because they don’t fit their immediate narrative or corporate profit plans.
These are true things and have and always will be true here, and that’s what we shouldn’t lose sight of. Because in all the debates and demonstrations and demonizations that have followed, the one thing that we can and should celebrate in this whole business is the practicing by a citizen of free speech.
That’s what’s important here - not what she said - but that she gets to say it.
