Sophie Cunningham Fined for Criticism of Referees
Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham has been fined $500 for a TikTok post criticizing the league’s referees. The news was confirmed via her X account.The original TikTok video showed Cunningham lip-syncing to the lyrics of a song that said: “Stupid. Are they slow? Or maybe useless?”. The video included the phrase “@some referees”.
The TikTok post, made on July 18, has accumulated 1.3 million views. Cunningham shared the news of the fine on X, adding laughing emojis and commenting: “I was fined $500 for this TikTok… I don’t know why this makes me laugh… Ok, I get it! As if there weren’t more important things to worry about in our league right now.” The refereeing work has been a topic of debate in the league this season, with several players and coaches criticizing the inconsistency in the referees’ decisions.Cunningham has also been in the news recently for her apparent role as protector of her teammate, Caitlin Clark. She was ejected after a physical altercation with Connecticut’s Jacy Sheldon last month, following a confrontation between Sheldon and Clark during the game. Sheldon was also ejected.Everyone is improving, except the officials. We have to find a solution. I’ve heard all the coaches talking about this, so I don’t know what the answer is.
Stephanie White, Fever coach
