Welcome to the absurd reality of Sydney Colson — pure resentment behind a podcast mic.
The former WNBA bench player, who charges fans sitting in the baseline seats, sent a direct message to former teammate Sophie Cunningham and White colleagues across the league, telling them to: “Shut the f— up.”
The former Indiana Fever player jumped on her podcast, “Unsupervised with Syd & TP,” to unleash a tirade aimed squarely at two targets: Cunningham and White Fever fans.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham takes a selfie with fans before a game against the Washington Mystics on Sept. 20, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Targeting Cunningham and other White players who express support for protecting women’s sports, Colson unloaded:
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“Let me just tell you now, for real, for real: for the White players in the league, when you don’t say s—, and even worse, when you say things that are harmful, talking about the trans s—, nobody respects you. Shut the f— up. Shut the f— up. Nobody wants to hear your opinion.”
Colson explicitly targeted Cunningham’s stance on biological men competing in women’s sports, attacking players who claim to value team solidarity while holding those views:
“Listen, if you never speak up about a damn thing when you know it’s impacting the people you claim to love and care about, you know, ‘We’re fighting together as a team, sister,’ blah, blah, blah, and you don’t speak up when things affect them, they don’t respect you. They’re just trying to make it.”
Sydney Colson #51 of the Indiana Fever dribbles during a WNBA preseason game against the Atlanta Dream on May 10, 2025, at Gateway Center Arena at College Park in Atlanta, Ga. (NBAE via Getty Images)
She added:
“And you ought to be ashamed. Y’all ought to be ashamed to act like you’re cool with people, to act like you care about sisterhood, all of these things.”
Colson’s hostility toward her peers matches the disdain she directs at White Fever fans in Indianapolis.
The 37-year-old took a giant swipe at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd, claiming:
“This environment is not discouraging people from showing up and being hateful, racist, homophobic, sexist, or any of those things.”
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Colson demanded everyone “keep this in reality,” accusing fans of ignoring players’ complaints.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham reacts to a call from the referee on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, during Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
“People are being told that things are not based in reality, even though players are documented and on record saying what they have experienced,” Colson claimed.
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She went so far as to call the arena atmosphere “a slap in the face to Black players who are in the organization right now, who have been in it, or who are going to possibly have to be in it.”
But when arena security reviewed video of a fan pointing at A’ja Wilson, it found no code of conduct violation. The fan pointed and yelled, “It’s on you!” after a foul call.
Colson ignored the official security report anyway, treating White fans in Indianapolis as guilty until proven innocent:
“I know that it is not every Fever fan, but it is enough, and it is enough for me to need to tell you that there is a problem that you need to address.”
Sophie Cunningham #8 and Sydney Colson #51 of the Indiana Fever warms up before the game against the New York Liberty during a WNBA game on July 16, 2025 at Barclays Center Arena in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images) (David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images)
The sports media machine, from outlets like The Athletic to commentators like Colson, constantly weaponizes race to attack Indiana fans.
Since Caitlin Clark helped drive the WNBA’s popularity, left-wing sports writers have bristled at traditional fans filling arenas. They look for reasons to villainize sold-out crowds in Indianapolis.
That same animus drives Colson’s treatment of Cunningham on social media. When Chicago’s DiJonai Carrington bloodied Cunningham with a flagrant foul, Colson mocked her former teammate on Threads:
“Love a trans foul.”
Cheering for harm against a former teammate over a basic political disagreement is total garbage.
Imagine a male commentator charging into the baseline seats, getting physically held back by production staff, then hopping on a podcast to tell his colleagues to “shut the f— up.” He would be fired before reaching his car. The sports media elite actively protects Colson after every baseline meltdown.
Theresa Plaisance and Sydney Colson pose for a picture during Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs between the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever on Sept. 29, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. (NBAE via Getty Images)
Media figures like Colson alienate the spectators funding their league’s growth. Turning paying ticket buyers into political punching bags and telling colleagues to shut up is terrible business and toxic for basketball.
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The WNBA has a clear choice. League brass can keep coddling bitter media figures, or stand up for the fans paying for tickets. Drop the double standard and hold Sydney Colson accountable once and for all.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
