Teen Fans Allegedly Verbally Attacked by Storm Team Owner

During a recent game where the Seattle Storm faced the Indiana Fever, two teenage fans reportedly faced verbal harassment from team owner Celeste Keaton. This incident occurred following the Storm’s 105-95 defeat on Tuesday night.

The girls, who were seated courtside, held a sign that said, “Thank you, Sophie, for speaking up for girls!” Keaton approached them to confront their message.

“Jesus loves everyone,” she stated during the exchange. The two teens shared their experience with Brandi Kruze on the Undivided podcast.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stirred up some controversy with her comments supporting transgender athletes, making the teens’ sign relevant during the game.

Keaton continued her remarks, saying, “I hope Jesus forgives you for the sins you’ve committed and things like that.” She also pointed at her head and labeled one of the girls as “crazy,” saying, “God can save you,” which visibly distressed one fan.

“I’ve never been yelled at like that before,” one girl mentioned. She added, “Some folks were hating on me online, but that didn’t really bother me. I didn’t expect that from her, though. I thought she was nice, until she started screaming and calling us names.”

Along with their support for Cunningham, the girls were wearing shirts from XX-XY, a sports apparel brand created by former gymnast Jennifer Sey, which aims to protect women’s sports.

The girls indicated they felt unwelcome during the game, noting the atmosphere among some of the fans.

“We were nervous the whole time,” one said. “Should we take down the sign? I wasn’t sure. The woman directly across from us and the people next to us tried to distance themselves as much as possible.”