The recent popularity of Sophie Cunningham for pointing at DeWanna Bonner during a tense moment has led to her trying to sell merchandise about the moment. Cunningham received a lot of attention for that viral moment when her Indiana Fever faced off against the Phoenix Mercury. However, the WNBA Players Association made a ruling against her selling merchandise with the point for a unique reason.
Front Office Sports revealed the logic behind the decision here:
“The WNBPA will not allow partner brands to monetize Sophie Cunningham’s viral point, saying it generally does not “feature or look to monetize player conduct from a confrontation between our members.” Cunningham can still independently license the moment.”
The point involving Bonner makes it a trickier subject for the union to block any merchandise made with official partnered WNBA brands. Cunningham can still make independent merchandise or find other avenues to monetize the brand.
The Indiana Fever somehow finds their way into most WNBA controversies. Suspensions over fouls on Caitlin Clark and general reaction to her complaints have been major stories this season. Cunningham has joined Clark as a polarizing figure around the league to see Indiana constantly under the microscope with extra coverage.
Why Sophie Cunningham Has Become Controversial
The political involvement of officials paying attention to the WNBA has caused a lot of friction between the fan base this season. Cunningham has been praised by right wing figures for representing what they want to see from the WNBA, and the noteworthy viral tense moment added to that.
The White House praised Cunningham at a time when Republican politicians wrote a letter to the league demanding that Clark stop getting fouled hard. Cunningham has even been deemed “MAGA Barbie” as an online nickname that she recently addressed for the first time.
Indiana remains a great team expected to contend led by Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell as the big three. Some fans also flat-out dislike Cunningham for getting a lot of attention despite being a role player. Boston and Mitchell getting less coverage than Cunningham sees many fans wanting to hold it against the latter.
Sophie Cunningham Must Deliver On The Court
One thing that can’t be denied is that Cunningham has become a bigger star within the league after the meme. Even if she can’t sell WNBA related merch with the meme, her jersey has reached a new high to become one of the top sellers so far this season.
Cunningham deserves some credit for becoming a more reliable role player for the Fever during a season with higher expectations. Indiana benefits from having a reliable scorer off the bench who can efficiently hit three-pointers when called upon.
The WNBA will see quite a few teams in the mix for title contention, and every player must step up for the Fever to have a viable chance. Only the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, and New York Liberty are currently favored over Indiana to win the NBA Championship. Cunningham and the rest of the team will forget all of the season’s drama if they can make the WNBA Finals.
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