Sophie Cunningham, a player for the Indiana Fever, doesn’t mince words when talking about Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA. Cunningham points out that the criticisms towards Clark come not only from fans or social media, but also from some players in the league, something he considers unacceptable.
Cunningham, who played with the Phoenix Mercury last season, when Clark was a rookie, revealed that the locker room planned to focus on the young star.“It bothers me a lot when people say ‘She’s not the face of the league.’ What?” Cunningham stated on her new podcast, “Show Me Something.” “There are very good and well-known people in our league. I’m not belittling them. We have many incredible women in our league. Of course. I totally agree with that. But when people try to argue that she’s not the face of our league or that our league would be where we are without her, they’re stupid. Literally stupid.”
Sophie Cunningham
This season, Cunningham defended Clark on the court during an incident with Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey of the Connecticut Sun. Clark has participated in 13 games this year due to multiple leg injuries, and her 16.5 points per game are below the 19.2 she averaged in 40 games last season, when she was named WNBA Rookie of the Year. However, one of those 13 games, against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, drew 2.7 million viewers, becoming the most-watched WNBA game in 25 years. Teams with smaller stadiums have moved their games to larger arenas for matchups with Clark and the Fever.“I know the conversations Phoenix had in their locker room, like ‘Let’s show her what the W really is,'” Cunningham commented. “I understand it to a certain extent. Every rookie who comes to the league, that’s how you’re going to treat her. But there’s more to her. It’s her second year. Now that I’m on her team and I see it, I say ‘What are people doing?’ It’s too much.”
Sophie Cunningham
“This is what we’ve always wanted as a league, so who cares who gets the credit?” Cunningham said. “And if you’re smart, you know you’re making money off them. … Just be kind. Why can’t people be kind?”
Sophie Cunningham
