Will uncomplimentary coverage of the WNBA cost you your seat in the press box?

OPINION Will uncomplimentary coverage of the WNBA cost you your seat in the press box? CATHAL KELLY PUBLISHED 53 MINUTES AGO UPDATED 38 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever, seen here during Tuesday's game against the Toronto Tempo at Scotiabank Arena, shared her opinion on transgender athlete participation last month. Those comments have led to an avalanche of attention on her, the Fever and the WNBA. CHRIS YOUNG/THE CANADIAN PRESS 1 COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Through the course of my writing career, I’ve upset many people. It’s kind of what I do. The players don’t (usually) care. They are awash in critics. But the people in charge feel every printed slight. All the general managers and presidents of teams I’ve covered are unhappy when they are inevitably fired, but various degrees of delighted to see the back of me. I once did a profile of an incoming Toronto Maple Leafs executive. Never met the guy. Upon being led into his office, the first thing he told me was that someone in his family had read what I’d written about his arrival and warned him off. “Do you know Cathal Kelly? Because he hates you already,” she’d told him. Not true. Hate suggests deep emotion, which I hold in precious reserve for the people I care about. But I get it. If you are used to being told you’re brilliant, anything short of fawning praise feels like an attack. So we both laughed, agreed that was a crazy position, and had a back and forth about as open-hearted as a KGB interrogation. Cathal Kelly: Everyone but the WNBA has an opinion on what the league should say about transgender participation I don’t think he was delighted with what I wrote about him that time either, but he never said anything. He certainly didn’t try to impede me. Whenever we saw each other, he was more than cordial. If he’d had a go at me I would’ve understood. But then he and I would both have known that I’d won, so he didn’t. I can’t remember anybody trying to shut me up before the fact until this week. That’s when the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo gifted me a career first – they refused me a credential to cover a game. I’d begun to wonder if anybody would ever pay me this compliment. It was on my professional bucket list. I’d applied in good time to cover Tuesday’s game between the Tempo and the Indiana Fever. The request is done through an online…