A WNBA fan has accused the New York Liberty of ‘censorship’ and attempting to alter her scoreboard message in support of pro-women’s sports brand XX-XY Athletics.
Julie Potter, a lesbian hip hop artist, claims she was among a group who paid more than $2,000 for 25 tickets for Saturday’s clash between the Liberty and Indiana Fever at Barclays Center.
They were heading to Brooklyn to support Sophie Cunningham, who has been at the center of a storm after claiming she wanted to ‘protect young girls’ from ‘biological men.’
Potter told Outkick that she also paid $100 to display the following message on the scoreboard at halftime: ‘Thank you Jennifer Sey! XX-XY Athletics will Save the Day!!’
XX-XY Athletics, founded by retired gymnast and author Sey, claims to ‘Stand Up for Women’s Sports.’
According to Potter, the Liberty initially approved the message and took her payment, only to reach out on Friday and inform her that the wording of her message had been changed to: ‘Thank you Jennifer Sey, thank you for all you do for XX-XY Athletics.’
A WNBA fan has accused the New York Liberty of ‘censorship’ and attempting to alter her scoreboard message
Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark will face the New York Liberty in Brooklyn on Saturday
In response, the WNBA fan reportedly asked the Liberty to display her original message or hand back her money.
Outkick claims the Liberty offered her a refund and explained that ‘scoreboard messages are limited to positive, celebratory content, and submissions that may intentionally or unintentionally violate that spirit are not eligible for display.’
That did not go down well with Potter, who responded, per Outkick: ‘Unfortunately, this is censorship. My message was approved and payment was accepted.
‘You then changed it without giving me any opportunity to revise or respond… why would I pay to let you speak for me?’
Potter claims she deliberately avoided using Cunningham’s name to avoid ‘triggering’ the team. ‘I said nothing derogatory,’ she told Outkick. The Daily Mail contacted the New York Liberty for comment.
Earlier this week, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert accused people of ‘trying to use the league to sow divisiveness’ amid the recent culture war.
Cunningham’s comments sparked a huge backlash, including from opposing coaches, with Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wearing a ‘Trans kids belong’ T-shirt when the two teams met.
The Fever guard has been met with boos at most games while protests and counter demonstrations supporting her have become commonplace at games around the country.
Protests around transgender athletes have erupted at WNBA games around the country
Cathy Engelbert has spoken out over the culture war currently engulfing the WNBA
At a recent game, fans wearing T-shirts supporting her stance were told to cover them up by league security in an incident the WNBA later admitted ‘shouldn’t have happened.’
Engelbert has faced huge criticism for her handling of the issue, which has seen the WNBA’s eligibility policy challenged by two former NBA players attempting to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft.
‘We’re being the center of political football for people who have never watched the WNBA, never have written about the WNBA or reported on the WNBA,’ Engelbert said.
‘People are trying to use the league to sow divisiveness. There’s always going to be haters out there and we denounce it. The vitriol has got to stop against our players… but that’s what happens when you have made it as a legitimate sports media and entertainment product.’
