Particle.news
Download on the App Store
17 ARTICLES
·
3h ago

Seattle Times Columnist Resigns After Paper Refuses to Run Sophie Cunningham Piece

It signals a clash over editorial standards versus columnist independence in coverage of transgender athletes.

Image
An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham walks across the court during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, August 2, 2026, in Minneapolis, Image 2 shows Matt Calkins, Sports Columnist for The Seattle Times, smiling in an outdoor setting, Image 3 shows Spectators at a Fever Storm basketball game hold up signs, including one that reads, "Thank you Sophie for speaking up for girls!"
Sports columnist Matt Calkins resigned from The Seattle Times after the newspaper declined to publish his column on Sophie Cunningham and transgender athletes.
Collage of a basketball player being interviewed and a headshot of a smiling man with red hair.

Overview

  • Matt Calkins resigned from The Seattle Times on Thursday after editors told him a draft defending Sophie Cunningham’s position on sex‑separated sports would not run.
  • Calkins immediately published the rejected column on his Substack, drawing on interviews with two Washington student‑athletes, 16‑year‑old Ahnaleigh Wilson and Frances Staudt.
  • The Times told Calkins the draft was rejected for a procedural reason — that he had not notified editors in advance — a rationale Calkins disputes and says followed several earlier spiked columns.
  • The episode is linked to the wider WNBA controversy in which Storm co‑owner Celeste Keaton was fined and suspended for cursing at a teen spectator who supported Cunningham.
  • Calkins received quick public support and at least one public job offer from Sport & State founder Clay Travis, and the dispute has intensified debate over newsroom gatekeeping, free speech and policy on transgender athletes.