The eponymous host of CNN’s Laura Coates Live and The Atlantic contributor Jemele Hill joined forces on Monday to make the curious suggestion that Sophie Cunningham is terrible for her defense of women’s sports and that her supporters are hypocrites for supporting an athlete’s political stances. Towards the end of the segment, Hill went so far as to claim that Cunningham’s beliefs are putting people’s lives at risk.Coates observed how some conservatives want Cunningham’s teammate, Caitlin Clark, to join her in denouncing the idea that men who think they are women should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. Coates found this hypocritical, “Don't forget, the Supreme Court also having the backing of the decision of 29 states as well. You mentioned the juxtaposition between the need to hear from Caitlin Clark and the complete horror at the thought of LeBron James speaking up about his views as well as many others.” CNN's Laura Coates does not appear to see the difference between Sophie Cunningham, a female professional athlete talking about women's sports, and LeBron James smearing the country as racist, "You mentioned the juxtaposition between the need to hear from Caitlin Clark and the… pic.twitter.com/sTsOfcYqVk— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) August 4, 2026 She then asked, “And Laura Ingraham was one of the people who did not like the idea of people who didn't just shut up and dribble. And she said this on X: ‘Speaking out against boys and men playing in women's sports is not at all political. She's defending her livelihood and basic commonsense.’ What's your reaction to her statements now?”Cunningham’s political issue directly relates to profession and the next generation of female athletes. James smearing the country and his critics as racist does not. However, Hill was eager to portray James’s crusade as something much simpler, “Well, I would also say it is common sense that unarmed black people shouldn't be killed by the police. I would think that's not a political issue either that there shouldn't be state-sanctioned violence against black citizens. But she somehow thought that was a bridge too far and that was asking too much and that was entirely too political.”Hill also claimed, “And I actually have to thank her because I worked on the documentary that LeBron James's executive produced, called Shut Up and Dribble. I was a narrator and a writer on it, and she gave us the title. So, thank you, Laura Ingraham, because you put money in my pocket, and I appreciate that.”Coates thought that was unbelievably brilliant, “That's like an exponential level of shade. I just love you, Jemele Hill.”Getting to the substance of Cunningham’s beliefs, Hill wondered, “Okay, let's talk about Caitlin Clark, though. Caitlin Clark has been and has seen the backlash against her teammate, Sophie Cunningham, for her stance. Cunningham was also just speaking her mind. Is the backlash against her affair?”Hill insisted she does not have a problem with Cunningham voicing her opinion, but now that she has, she should expect to be criticized for it. She claimed, “My issue with Sophie Cunningham is that she has recently become one of the most popular athletes in the WNBA. She's got a huge platform. She's got a podcast. She is suddenly now the darling of the right-wing community. She uses that platform to punch down on a group of people who are just struggling to exist, and I find that to be despicable.” Later, Hill adds "My issue with Sophie Cunningham is that she has recently become one of the most popular athletes in the WNBA. She's got a huge platform. She's got a podcast. She is suddenly now the darling of the right-wing community. She uses that platform to punch down on a… pic.twitter.com/l8P27VVUrj— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) August 4, 2026 She also lamented, “Listen, she could say that I'm just doing this out of love or I'm doing this to protect girls and women, but her language is very telling and it's very obvious. She wanted to make sure that she left you with the most stark and demonizing image possible. Young, defenseless girls. Big, hulking men in the locker rooms taking advantage of women in sports.”Hill also ridiculed the idea that this is an issue worth worrying about, “And she should know as a female athlete. I would love to hear her thoughts on whether or not in her career, did she think it was trans women that were holding her back or did she think it was funding, lack of opportunity and investment? Because I would guess it was those things and not anything to do with trans girls or women.”She concluded by further mourning, “And considering, by the way, that she has been able to gain this popularity and this platform, to me, it's just really shameful that she hasn't used it more responsibly. I get it, it's her 15 minutes of fame, she's trying to extend it to 20, but your words have real consequences. There are people out there, trans people, who are losing their lives, who are being demonized at every corner in this society. That to me is something—if it sits right with her, if you like it, I love it. It doesn't sit right with me.”The idea that Cunningham’s public stance in defense of her profession is endangering lives is insane. Whether it is James or Cunningham, Hill’s position is that you either agree with her or you don’t care about people dying. Here is a transcript for the August 3 show:CNN Laura Coates Live8/3/202611:52 PM ETLAURA COATES: Don't forget, the Supreme Court also having the backing of the decision of 29 states as well. You mentioned the juxtaposition between the need to hear from Caitlin Clark and the complete horror at the thought of LeBron James speaking up about his views as well as many others.And Laura Ingraham was one of the people who did not like the idea of people who didn't just shut up and dribble. And she said this on X: "Speaking out against boys and men playing in women's sports is not at all political. She's defending her livelihood and basic commonsense." What's your reaction to her statements now?JEMELE HILL: Well, I would also say it is common sense that unarmed black people shouldn't be killed by the police. I would think that's not a political issue either that there shouldn't be state-sanctioned violence against black citizens. But she somehow thought that was a bridge too far and that was asking too much and that was entirely too political.And so, when black athletes started to bring attention to racial injustice, which everybody by the way should care about racism. Racism isn't a political issue, it's a right and wrong issue, but when that happened, Laura Ingraham told everybody to shut up and dribble.And I actually have to thank her because I worked on the documentary that LeBron James's executive produced, called Shut Up and Dribble. I was a narrator and a writer on it, and she gave us the title. So, thank you, Laura Ingraham, because you put money in my pocket, and I appreciate that.COATES: That's like an exponential level of shade. I just love you, Jemele Hill. Okay, let's talk about Caitlin Clark, though. Caitlin Clark has been and has seen the backlash against her teammate, Sophie Cunningham, for her stance. Cunningham was also just speaking her mind. Is the backlash against her affair?HILL: Listen, even if I don't agree with what an athlete has to say, I don't ever champion them having to be quiet or not allowed to express their beliefs. Whether I believe with them or not, I'm consistent in that way. But if you put them out there, they deserve to be critiqued and challenged.My issue with Sophie Cunningham is that she has recently become one of the most popular athletes in the WNBA. She's got a huge platform. She's got a podcast. She is suddenly now the darling of the right-wing community. She uses that platform to punch down on a group of people who are just struggling to exist, and I find that to be despicable.Listen, she could say that I'm just doing this out of love or I'm doing this to protect girls and women, but her language is very telling and it's very obvious. She wanted to make sure that she left you with the most stark and demonizing image possible. Young, defenseless girls. Big, hulking men in the locker rooms taking advantage of women in sports.And she should know as a female athlete. I would love to hear her thoughts on whether or not in her career, did she think it was trans women that were holding her back or did she think it was funding, lack of opportunity and investment? Because I would guess it was those things and not anything to do with trans girls or women.And considering, by the way, that she has been able to gain this popularity and this platform, to me, it's just really shameful that she hasn't used it more responsibly. I get it, it's her 15 minutes of fame, she's trying to extend it to 20, but your words have real consequences. There are people out there, trans people, who are losing their lives, who are being demonized at every corner in this society. That to me is something—if it sits right with her, if you like it, I love it. It doesn't sit right with me.