The Indiana Fever’sWNBA season surpassed all expectations, culminating in a hard-fought loss in Game 5 of the semifinals against the eventual champions, the Las Vegas Aces. It was the best season for the franchise since 2015, despite their best player, Caitlin Clark, only participating in 13 games (her last in July) and their key addition, Sophie Cunningham, also sustaining an injury in August.
The future looks bright; with a full, healthy roster, the Fever could have potentially defeated the Aces. However, the off-season future remains uncertain as disputes between the players and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert over salary increases threaten to prolong the break and potentially impact the structure of the WNBA next year.
Cunningham Outshines Clark in Google Annual Search
Clark’s phenomenal fame experienced a slight dip in her second professional year, largely due to being sidelined for most of the season. Even so, she still received the most votes in WNBA All-Star Game history and remains the country’s most popular female athlete overall.
However, her new teammate, Sophie Cunningham, appears to have caught up in terms of viral popularity. Sophie first won the hearts of fans (and Clark) during a viral moment when she fiercely defended Clark mid-game against an opponent who committed a flagrant foul, a moment that circulated widely on social media, earning Cunningham the nickname “Clark’s bodyguard.”
Fast forward, Sophie has landed her own podcast, and in Google’s annual “Year in Search” report, which recently released the 10 most-searched athletes in the U.S. for 2025, Cunningham came in at No. 7 and was the only woman athlete to make the top 10. This is an interesting coincidence, as Clark was also the No. 7 most-searched athlete last year (2024), though she trailed Olympic athletes Simone Biles and Imane Khelif.
The Athletes Who Drove 2025 Search Traffic
The list of the most-searched athletes in the U.S. was topped by Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whose dramatic drop in the draft, from being a projected top-10 pick to a fifth-round selection, kept him trending for at least three days.
He is followed by undefeated boxer Terence Crawford, whose highly publicized fight and victory over Canelo Álvarez was likely the main driver of his searches. Next is NBA first-overall pick Cooper Flagg, who had a great March Madness run and is enjoying an excellent start to his professional career. Spots four, five, and six are all occupied by NFL players. Giants rookies Cam Skattebo and Jaxson Dart, along with defensive star Micah Parsons (5th), who was part of the blockbuster trade between the Cowboys and the Packers.
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