A WNBA player who recently reached the echelons of everyday fame says she was just fined $500 for criticizing referees in a TikTok video.
If you follow the WNBA even peripherally, you’ve probably heard about Sophie Cunningham. She played for the Phoenix Mercury for six years before she was traded to the Indiana Fever. She’s since gained popularity among WNBA fans for her on and off the court support for teammate Caitlin Clark. In one viral incident, Cunningham grabbed Connecticut Sun player Jacy Sheldon and shoved her to the ground after Sheldon reportedly poked Clark in the eye earlier in the game. The incident got millions of views on social media, Cunningham’s jerseys started selling, and she’s since garnered over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok.
There’s been talk amongst Fever fans that referees have been too tough on Clark specifically, and Cunningham has been particularly loud in her teammate’s defense. She said the league’s referees don’t adequately protect Clark, who she calls “the star player of the WNBA,” from fouls and rough play. Cunningham seemingly pushed that support one step further this week with a TikTok video poking fun at referees, which she says led to a $500 fine.
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Despite the fine, the TikTok video is still online.
The video is part of an ongoing trend on TikTok where users sing along to a Sabrina Carpenter song saying, “Stupid! Or is it… slow? Maybe it’s… useless?” She voiced the words in a camo matching set with the text “@ some refs” over it. The video has 1.3 million views. The majority of the comments are in support of Cunningham’s viewpoint, saying things like “We will pay your fine” and “we all in love with the enforcement,” referring to her protection of Clark.
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In a post on X, Cunningham said: “I got fined $500 for this TikTok 🤣🤣 idk why this is funny to me… like ok 👍🏼 you got it bud! Cause there’s not more important things to be worried about with our league right now”.
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This isn’t the only controversy Cunningham is currently navigating. Beyond being Clark’s enforcer, which is laden with plenty of its own controversy, she’s also been called “MAGA Barbie” for her alleged political leanings. She also commented on the WNBA’s expansion plans, in which the league announced it would create teams in Detroit, Cleveland, and Philadelphia in the coming years, saying “I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit.”
