Well, butter my biscuits and call me surprised! It seems even WNBA games aren't safe from a little courtside drama. The Seattle Storm's recent 105-95 loss to the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night came with a side of off-court controversy when co-owner Celeste Keaton allegedly went absolutely wild on two teenage fans. And by "wild," we mean verbally assaulting them and calling them "f-ing insane." Yikes.
Tears and Accusations
According to reports, the whole kerfuffle started when Keaton approached the two young women who were calmly (or, you know, as calmly as one can be at a basketball game) sitting courtside. Their "crime"? Holding up a sign that read a glorious "Thank you, Sophie for speaking up for girls!"
Now, for those not in the loop, that "Sophie" refers to Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. Cunningham recently stirred the pot with her outspoken views against transgender women competing in women's sports – a stance that, clearly, resonates with these particular fans.
But Keaton wasn't there for a friendly chat. Oh no. The Storm co-owner reportedly led with a rather pointed, "Jesus loves everyone." And it only went downhill from there. The two girls spilled the tea about the interaction to Brandi Kruze on the Undivided Podcast, revealing Keaton's alleged follow-up: "I hope Jesus can forgive you for what sin you’ve done, for something like that." She then reportedly jabbed at her own head while proclaiming, "we’re ‘effing insane.'" Just for good measure, she apparently added, "God can save you," which, unsurprisingly, left one of the fans in tears.
Can you imagine being a fan, just trying to show some support, and then getting a full-blown sermon – and a cussing out – from an OWNER? Talk about a buzzkill.
"I've Never Been Yelled at Like That"
One of the rattled teenagers recounted her shock: "I’ve never been yelled at like that." She further elaborated, "I’ve had people hate on me on the internet, but it doesn’t really affect me as much, because it’s people online. But that just caught me by surprise because I thought she was going to be nice, and she started screaming at us, and cussing at us."
Oof. That's a rough welcome to the world of professional sports, kids.
Adding another layer to this onion of drama, Brandi Kruse herself took to X (formerly Twitter) to share her dismay. She posted, "Last night, @seattlestorm co-owner Celeste Keaton cursed out two teen girls for wearing @xx_xyathletics shirts, calling them 'f*cking insane.' One of them was in tears. I tried to get security involved and was told I should email the front office." So, not only did this happen, but it sounds like getting immediate assistance was, shall we say, a challenge.
The XX-XY Connection
Beyond the sign, the girls were also repping XX-XY Athletics shirts. For the uninitiated, XX-XY is an athletic apparel company founded by former gymnast Jennifer Sey, whose entire mission, according to their website, revolves around "protecting women’s sports and spaces." So, yeah, it's pretty clear where these fans (and their choice of apparel) stand on the ongoing debate about transgender athletes in women's sports.
It seems their message, however respectfully delivered via a sign, wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms by everyone at the game. The teens mentioned feeling "on edge" throughout the game, and not just because of the co-owner's outburst. "The whole time we were kind of on edge," one elaborated. "I was like, should we put our sign down? I don’t know. The lady sitting right across from us, and the two people sitting beside us, were turning their backs and trying to sit as far away from us.”
So, what started as a simple act of fan support morphed into a deeply uncomfortable and tearful experience for these young women. It's a stark reminder that sometimes, the biggest drama isn't always on the court. We'll be keeping an eye on this one to see if further statements or actions come from the Seattle Storm organization regarding their co-owner's alleged behavior. Stay tuned, because honey, something tells us this isn't the last we'll hear about it!
