Clay Travis has increased his challenge to the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, offering $10 million if the defending champions agree to play a boys high school state championship basketball team. In a social media post Monday, the OutKick founder said the matchup would be a head-to-head game against a team of his choice and that the Aces would receive the money if they won.
The offer is tied to a heated debate inside women's basketball over transgender athletes and gender eligibility. It follows weeks of reaction to Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham's statement that women's sports should be reserved for women and not for biological males. Cunningham has been booed as a visiting player, and during one game she was elbowed in the face before being called for a foul. Some fans have also displayed signs that were hostile toward her.
«Important announcement: I am upping my offer, $10 million dollars for a head-to-head basketball game between the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces and a boy's high school state title team of my choice,» Travis posted. «If the Aces beat my team, I will give them $10 million.»
Travis framed the proposal as a test of what he called the league's stated political views and ideology. He said that if there is no meaningful difference between male and female athletes, the Aces should have little trouble beating a teenage boys state title team. He also said he has made similar offers in the past and decided to increase the amount on Monday afternoon. He suggested the game could be educational for coaches and players who have said they are unsure about the science.
The financial stakes are significant. The Aces' estimated annual revenue is about $33 million, making the proposed $10 million payout equal to nearly one-third of the team's yearly total. Travis described the game as a chance for the Aces to add about 30 percent to their revenue in a single night.
The dispute has drawn in coaches and players around the league. Fever head coach Stephanie White, when asked about males competing in women's sports, said: «I don't know that I would say I'm educated enough from a scientific standpoint. I don't ever believe that exclusion is the answer. I just don't.» She also said she grew up playing with boys. Several other coaches publicly disagreed with Cunningham's position, and players wore shirts with messages widely seen as pointed critiques of her comment. Some team social media accounts celebrated those shirts.
Travis argued that the league will not accept the offer, saying WNBA teams know the outcome but their political commitments prevent them from acknowledging biological differences. He described the proposal as a way to force the issue into the open. There has been no public acceptance of the offer from the Aces, any other WNBA team, or the league itself. The offer remains on the table as the defending champions confront a debate that extends beyond the basketball court.
