New Delhi, Aug. 2 -- MINNEAPOLIS - The Indiana Fever guard who sparked the most concentrated protest movement in WNBA history took the floor at Target Center on Saturday evening for a game against the Minnesota Lynx. Outside the arena, the largest Sophie Night rally yet had assembled, organized by a national women's sports advocacy group and drawing more supporters than the Seattle and Portland demonstrations that preceded it by a week. Inside, the Lynx head coach had just finished a pregame press conference defending transgender athletes and telling the people gathered outside that they had it wrong.

a crowd marching under Sophie Cunningham's name outside while Cunningham's team played inside, and the opposing coach stepping publicly in...