Doesn’t seem to be letting the media outrage bother her.
Over the past year or so, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has become one of the most recognizable faces of the WNBA. Obviously being teammates with Caitlin Clark doesn’t hurt, but the Missouri native has exploded on social media – and of course, over the past few weeks, has found herself at the center of a firestorm for speaking out against biological men playing in women’s sports.
But Sophie has seemed pretty unbothered by the media circus she’s found herself in.
In fact, after a recent Indiana Fever game, fans were surprised when she showed up to a nearby bar – and even joined the band for a patriotic tribute.
A video posted to TikTok shows Cunningham hopping up on the bar with singer Clayton Anderson and belting out the final verse of Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red White & Blue.”
@_heather33
And the comments pretty much say it all:
“How does she keep getting cooler and cooler everyday”
“She is our newest American treasure!”
“Just when I thought I couldn’t love her more…”
“She is just unapologetically living her best life”
“America’s sweetheart!”
“The real Miss America right there”
Of course the moment comes just a week after Cunningham unexpectedly found herself at the center of another controversy, this time thanks to a hard foul from Chicago Sky forward DiJonai Carrington:
The two exchanged words on the court, and Carrington was ultimately assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game. But after being ejected, Carrington continued to fan the flames when she blamed her ejection on “white privilege” in a post on Threads. (I guess her and Jason Isbell are the only two people still using Threads regularly).
Cunningham weighed in on Carrington’s response to the fouls, pointing out that she had been ejected for the same thing during a game last year:
“I think the league is taking care of that. I mean, this has nothing to do with race. Last year I did the same thing, and I got kicked out, as I deserved to be kicked out. There’s no reason to even play that card.”
And she also said players use the Fever for attention given the team’s popularity:
“I do think when people play the Fever, we’re nationally televised, there’s a lot of eyes on us. People just want attention. And that’s her just trying to get attention.”
Seems like none of the drama is bothering her too much – and the Fever currently sit fourth in the league and scored a 98-87 win over the Dallas Wings last night.
Keep doing you, Sophie.
WNBA Suspends Team Owner For Cursing Out Teenage Sophie Cunningham Fans
Honestly I’m surprised they did anything.
The WNBA has experienced a surge in popularity over the past few years, thanks in large part to the arrival of Caitlin Clark with the Indiana Fever back in 2024. But it seems like the league just keeps finding ways to shoot itself in the foot.
Clark’s popularity has elevated the WNBA to new heights, with has obviously benefited everybody, from the league to the players. A rising tide lifts all boats, right?
But it seems like the league has no interest in capitalizing on that newfound popularity, consistently leaving out Clark when it comes to their promotional material, underranking her among her peers, dismissing her impact in the media and allowing aggressive physical contact against her on the court to go unchecked.
Aside from Clark, one of the most recognizable players in the league right now is her Indiana Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham. The 29-year-old was recently featured as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, but also made headlines this month when she spoke out against biological men playing women’s sports.
In an ESPN article, Cunningham made her stance on the hot-button issue clear:
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’ I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
And after (predictably) receiving backlash from the left and the media for her position, Cunningham doubled down, calling it “common sense.”
Well this week, Cunningham and the Indiana Fever were in Seattle for a matchup against their WNBA team, the Seattle Storm. And some of the opposing team’s players even used the opportunity to take a thinly-veiled shot at Cunningham, which was then promoted on the team’s social media account:
But there were also several fans in attendance to show support for Cunningham, including two teens holding signs thanking her for speaking out on behalf of female athletes.
According to the young girls though, one of the Seattle Storm’s co-owners came up to them during the game to express her displeasure with their signs, calling them “f—ing insane.”
The owner involved in the incident was reportedly Celeste Keaton, the wife of team co-owner Lisa Brummel. And after news of the incident went viral, the team’s majority owner Ginny Gilder issued a statement to Front Office Sports seemingly confirming reports of the confrontation and apologizing for Keaton’s actions:
“We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night’s game. We apologize that this happened. Everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect.”
And now, the WNBA has stepped in to take action, suspending Keaton from attending the next five Seattle Storm home games and fining the team for their owner’s actions.
Speaking on the incident after it became public, Cunningham called the team exec’s actions “embarrassing” and indicating that she intends to reach out to the fans involved:
“I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind.
Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon … yay for gifts.
Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.”
Good for Sophie. And it’s embarrassing that she’s handling the situation with more maturity than the owner of a WNBA team.
