Sophie Cunningham has always been known for smiling at life and taking things lightly, especially when she is on the court. Now that the Indiana Fever has officially been eliminated from contention in the WNBA title race-after falling on Tuesday, September 30, in a thrilling back-and-forth matchup against the Las Vegas Aces-she has returned to her humorous ways.
With her trademark playful touch, the Fever guard, who missed the end of the season due to a knee injury, suggested she might as well open a GoFundMe account so fans could help her cover the long list of fines she accumulated this season for criticizing the league.
Cunningham posted the comment on social media shortly after Napheesa Collier openly criticized WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Cunningham’s criticism of officiating
Throughout this season, which is now close to its conclusion with the Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury set to begin Friday, October 3, Cunningham has been an outspoken critic of league officiating.
Back in August, she was fined for comments regarding Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers and the way she was being officiated. Soon after, Cunningham received a $500 fine for taking direct aim at referees in a video posted on her social platforms. As if that were not enough, she was later hit with an additional $1,500 fine for remarks made on her podcast.
Considering how modest WNBA salaries are compared to those in the NBA, losing that much money over the course of one season is no small issue. With a laugh, Cunningham joked that maybe the only solution would be to launch a GoFundMe campaign to pay off what the league has taken away from her paychecks.
Napheesa Collier’s criticism of Caitlin Clark
Following the Minnesota Lynx’s elimination, their star forward Napheesa Collier unleashed her own set of criticisms, particularly aimed at how Caitlin Clark is being treated within the league’s financial structure.
I also asked [Engelbert during a discussion earlier this year] how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin [Clark], Angel [Reese], and Paige [Bueckers], who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years.
Collier explained.
[Elgelbert’s] response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’ And in that same conversation, [Engelbert] told me, ‘Players should be on their knees, thanking their lucky stars, for the media right deal that I got them.’ That’s the mentality driving our league from the top.
Cunningham quickly echoed Collier’s frustration, criticizing Engelbert herself on Instagram.
As the season winds down, the debates around players, league management, and money have not cooled off, in fact, they appear to be heating up even more.
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