Jemele Hill criticizes Riley Gaines over comments about Minnesota Lynx fans

Analyst Jemele Hill publicly challenged activist and former swimmer Riley Gaines following remarks made about fans at a WNBA game. During an appearance on The Big Weekend Show, Gaines described the crowd at an August 2 Minnesota Lynx versus Indiana Fever contest as “disgruntled lesbians” and claimed the league intentionally featured fans with transgender flags on the arena jumbotron. Gaines attended the game to support Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who has faced criticism for her stance against transgender athletes in women’s sports. Hill highlighted what she described as a contradiction between Gaines’ stated goal of protecting women’s sports and her derogatory language toward a segment of the female fan base. Martina Navratilova also publicly responded to the characterization, questioning the choice of language used by Gaines to discuss the supporters. The exchange occurs as the WNBA prepares for the upcoming playoffs following a scheduled break.

• 9:11 AMYahoo Sports — Riley Gaines Just Said Something About WNBA Fans That Has Everyone Losing Their Minds
• 7:55 AMYahoo Sports — Jemele Hill ruthlessly calls out Riley Gaines’ brutal take on ‘female sports fans’