Sophie Cunningham recently accused Black WNBA players of racism as the mid Indiana Fever player continues to feed into narratives that Caitlin Clark won’t.
The last two seasons the WNBA has seen a rise in popularity, which includes a huge spike in viewership and attendance numbers. A huge reason for the jump is Clark, but she isn’t the only reason, as players like Chicago Sky star Angel Reese have also helped raise the visibility. The sudden rise has also brought a racial divide mainly from the fans who support Clark.
Players around the league have gone on record mentioning how her fans act and carry themselves when talking about how physical players are when defending her. In fact players have spoken out about facing racial slurs and online harassment. Who can forget the big mess former ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III made when he said Reese hates Clark following an early season altercation between the two?
Clark’s Teammate Says She’s Not The Only One Other Players Hate
Speaking on the “Show Me Something” podcast, Cunningham who has a propensity saying what’s on her mind, says players in the WNBA are upset because those that look like her and Clark are dominating the game.
“They just don’t like white girls dominating their game. Let’s just call it what it is, racism,” Cunningham said.
Strong words from the former Missouri Tigers star, who joined the Fever this past offseason after spending the first six years of her career with the Phoenix Mercury. Cunningham in many ways is claiming the same thing the league’s Black players have been saying about how they feel they’ve been treated since Clark’s arrival.
Black Players Actually Dominate The WNBA
For Cunningham, who put in 17 points including 4 of 5 from three in the Fever’s huge 77-74 road win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, giving the Fever their season-best fifth consecutive win, to even spew that white players are dominating the league is absurd.
While there are definitely some talented white stars such as New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, LA Sparks scoring machine Kelsey Plum among them, the league’s elite players are still Black.
The WNBA’s two best players — Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who’s the leading MVP candidate, and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson — are Black and the best two-way players in the league. That’s the definition of dominant, and they reign supreme over any other player currently in the WNBA.
Based on player rankings at this year’s All-Star break of the top ten players in the league, only the aforementioned Stewart and Ionescu made the list for white players. Seven of the other eight players left were Black. Another sign of dominance, not Cunningham’s skewed definition.
Cunningham Put Her Foot In Her Mouth Recently
Last month when the league announced that they would be expanding to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia over the next few years and passing on places like Miami, Kansas City and Nashville, Cunningham went in but then attempted to clarify her comments.
“I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or (Cleveland),” Cunningham said. “First of all, I know the history behind the WNBA. I know both of those cities had teams before and they got us where we’re at, so I’m thankful for that, referencing Detroit and Cleveland. All I was really getting at is Broadway, the off-court lifestyle, so I think that is really intriguing.”
“I think Miami is really intriguing. That’s all I was getting at,” she added.
Sounds like the Fever star just likes to hear herself talk and a certain demographic of fans are listening. Cunningham is willing to feed into the narratives Caitlin Clark won’t touch.
