Something is rotten in the WNBA as the Sophie Cunningham point situation shows how the league is its own worst enemy

The WNBA and its associated entities continue to be their own worst enemies when it comes to maximizing their product.Any time a good wave comes barreling in, they’d rather watch it crash on the shore than get on and ride it.It’s been obvious since sensation Caitlin Clark was drafted first overrall by the Indiana Fever in 2024.While there’s a never-ending push to help athletes make more money and grow the league into a sustainable enterprise with a large footprint, the WNBA and the player’s union seem most adept at stifling a good moment.The latest is the one around the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham that has launched a thousand memes and imitators.The image of 29-year-old Cunningham — showing her pointing at opponent DeWanna Bonner after a scuffle in a late June match-up between the Fever and the Phoenix Mercury — went crazy viral.The intense gesture lasted 22 seconds but, weeks later, it is still very much ensconced in the ether.Cunningham has posed with young fans eager to reenact the point.When she visited a Special Olympics basketball team, one of the players excitedly mimicked the Fever shooting guard, gushing, “I like when you do this!”It’s been a boon to Brand Cunningham, which has been soaring since the veteran emerged as the Fever team enforcer last year, when she handed down a hard foul against Jacy Sheldon.She was rightfully ejected for the borderline assault — but Cunningham’s stock both on and off the court has never been hotter.Then came the point, which has pushed her to new heights.

She was a ring girl at the July 11 UFC fight between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint Denis, and writer Chuck Klosterman even predicted that she’d run for Vice President of the US before 2050.Too bad the player’s union is throwing cold water on her moment — which is also the league’s moment.They say the viral image cannot be licensed by their business partners.According to journalist Darren Rovell, the union reportedly called it “de...