Sports media outlet considers Sophie Cunningham more polarizing than Megan Rapinoe
"She’s too turbulent to be paired with Caitlin Clark," Candace Buckner wrote in the headline."[I]f the Fever ever want to go back to being a basketball team again and follow the lead of rivals openly clashing with the forces trying to hijack their league, then Cunningham has to go," she added.THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.
If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.The column portrays Cunningham as an outspoken agitator whose growing profile has become a distraction for the Fever.
As evidence, Buckner cited comments Cunningham made earlier this year in an ESPN article about trans athletes competing against girls.Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham reacts to a call from the referee on Tuesday, Sept.29, 2026, during Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)For background, Cunningham said she "loves" all communities but believes it is important to "protect young girls" and that they "shouldn’t have to go against biological men" in sports.WNBA players and members of the media subsequently framed those comments as transphobic.We emphasize that particular comment because, beyond it, Cunningham has hardly been the political lightning rod her detractors depict her as.THE ATHLETIC COLUMN URGING INDIANA FEVER TO PART WAYS WITH SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM DRAWS WIDESPREAD CRITICISMMost of Cunningham’s public persona consists of playing basketball, dancing on TikTok, and trying on outfits.
One could argue that her personality and attractive appearance have contributed to her supposed polarizing status.As Sydney Sweeney could attest, a certain corner of the media and social media seems uniquely irritated by attractive blonde women who refuse to apologize for ...