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ENT9
WED · 2026-07-29 · 23:23 GMTBRIEF NSR-2026-0730-97315
News/Storm apologize after co-owner berates t/Seattle Storm apologize for an exchange between a co-owner a…
NSR-2026-0730-97315News Report·EN·Human Interest

Seattle Storm apologize for an exchange between a co-owner and 2 fans

The Seattle Storm has apologized for an exchange between one of its co-owners and two fans during a game against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday. The team did not specify the co-owner involved or the nature of the comments made.

By  ANDREW DESTINAssociated Press (AP)Filed 2026-07-29 · 23:23 GMTLean · CenterRead · 5 min
Seattle Storm apologize for an exchange between a co-owner and 2 fans
Associated Press (AP)FIG 01
Reading time
5min
Word count
1 055words
Sources cited
0cited
Entities identified
9entities
Quality score
100%
§ 01

Briefing Summary

AI-generated
NEWSAR · AI

The Seattle Storm has apologized for an exchange between one of its co-owners and two fans during a game against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday. The team did not specify the co-owner involved or the nature of the comments made. Majority owner Ginny Gilder stated that the organization apologizes for the incident and is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all fans feel welcome and respected. The incident occurred on a night that also saw a demonstration outside the arena supporting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and a ballot initiative concerning transgender athletes in Washington schools. Cunningham had previously voiced support for barring transgender girls and women from participating in girls' and women's sports.

Confidence 0.90Claims 5Entities 9
§ 02

Article analysis

Model · rule-based
Framing
Human Interest
Social Justice
Tone
Measured
AI-assessed
CalmNeutralAlarmist
Factuality
0.80 / 1.00
Factual
LowHigh
Sources cited
0
No named sources
FewMany
§ 03

Key claims

5 extracted
01

A person held a “trans people belong in sports” sign.

factualAP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
Confidence
1.00
02

A fan held a sign for Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in reference to her comments on transgender athletes.

factualAP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
Confidence
1.00
03

People gathered in support of Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham following her comments on transgender athletes.

factualAP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
Confidence
1.00
04

Fans waved signs referencing Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.

factualAP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
Confidence
1.00
05

Seattle Storm apologize for an exchange between a co-owner and 2 fans.

factualSeattle Storm
Confidence
1.00
§ 04

Full report

5 min read · 1 055 words
Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm apologize for an exchange between a co-owner and 2 fans 1 of 4 | Fans wave signs referencing Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the second half of a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 2 of 4 | People gather in support of Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham following her comments on transgender athletes before a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 3 of 4 | A fan holds a sign for Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in reference to her comments on transgender athletes as a fan wearing Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm gear holds a competing sign during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 4 of 4 | A person holds a “trans people belong in sports” sig during the first half of a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 1 of 4 | Fans wave signs referencing Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the second half of a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 1 of 4 Fans wave signs referencing Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during the second half of a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 4 | People gather in support of Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham following her comments on transgender athletes before a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 2 of 4 People gather in support of Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham following her comments on transgender athletes before a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 4 | A fan holds a sign for Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in reference to her comments on transgender athletes as a fan wearing Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm gear holds a competing sign during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 3 of 4 A fan holds a sign for Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in reference to her comments on transgender athletes as a fan wearing Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm gear holds a competing sign during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 4 | A person holds a “trans people belong in sports” sig during the first half of a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) 4 of 4 A person holds a “trans people belong in sports” sig during the first half of a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm and the Indiana Fever, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Seattle (AP) — The Seattle-storm" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="56252" data-entity-type="organization">Seattle Storm apologized Wednesday for an exchange that took place between one of its co-owners and two fans during the team’s 105-95 loss to the Indiana Fever.The Storm didn’t elaborate on the nature of the incident and didn’t say which Storm co-owner was involved. “We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night’s game. We apologize that this happened,” Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder said in the statement released Wednesday. “Everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect.”The incident occurred Tuesday night during an evening that began with a demonstration outside Climate Pledge Arena. The team didn’t say if the exchange was related to the protest. Ahead of the game, a crowd of a few dozen gathered to both support Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and to promote a statewide ballot initiative, IL26-638, that would bar transgender students from participating in girls’ athletics at Washington schools. Some members of the group carried signs in support of Cunningham or wore T-shirts depicting the XX and XY chromosomes. Some of them were also inside the arena during the game. Cunningham voiced support for barring transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports in an ESPN article published last week. Cunningham was booed by Storm fans when she checked into Tuesday’s game, as well as when attempting her first free throws of the night. 2 MIN READ 1 MIN READ 1 MIN READ Cunningham was not made available to answer postgame questions. Kelsey Mitchell and Monique Billings addressed the media instead, alongside head coach Stephanie White.When White was asked about the rally and Cunningham’s recent comments, a Fever public relations representative intervened with the following statement:“Neither our organization nor Sophie had any knowledge of this demonstration and no contact with its organizers,” the statement said. “Our only goal as a team, whether at home or away, is to win basketball games and make Fever fans for life, and we are united in that mission.”Storm head coach Sonia Raman also briefly addressed a question about the pregame protest following her team’s seventh consecutive loss. “Seattle and this organization and Climate Pledge, we always want to be an area where people feel welcome coming into this building,” Raman said. “I think we’ve always done a really good job with that. So, I know our organization was working closely with Climate Pledge and the security just to make sure that everybody feels safe and included and welcome when they walk in this door.
§ 05

Entities

9 identified
§ 06

Keywords & salience

8 terms
transgender athletes
1.00
seattle storm
0.90
indiana fever
0.90
wnba
0.80
sophie cunningham
0.70
caitlin clark
0.60
fan exchange
0.50
sports
0.40
§ 07

Topic connections

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