In just her second year in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark is doing more than just boosting the profile of her team and the league. Her Indiana Fever teammates have the brightest spotlight of their careers on them thanks to Clark, and Sophie Cunningham is using it in ways nobody has before.
For the first time in her career, Clark finally has an enforcer who is willing to go to great lengths to defend her. We saw a prime example of that a few days ago when Cunningham started a brawl after throwing Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey to the ground.
The incident didn't involve Clark, but she was the genesis of the brawl. Tensions started to flare earlier in the game when Mabrey seemed to take issue with Clark reacting to a foul and shoved her to the ground. What the exact intentions behind the moment were are a mystery but what we do know is that is ingited a fire in Cunningham to defend her teammate.
That's exactly what she did, but not everyone is onboard with her antics.
The Sun-Fever game is absolutely out of control. #WNBA pic.twitter.com/hMaRdsrSKT https://t.co/jXcrzVDazc
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) June 18, 2025
Some WNBA fans want Sophie Cunningham banned for defending Caitlin Clark
Fans were quick to praise Cunningham for defending her teammate, especially given the discourse around how Clark is treated. Some fans, however, would like to see Cunningham punished for her actions.
In response to the brawl, a petition titled "Remove Sophie Cunningham from WNBA for misconduct" on Change.Org. It's sort of an Arrested Development meme since the petition boasts hundreds of signatures -- a far cry from anything meaningful -- but it's notable in that the groundwork is being laid for Cunningham to be framed as a villain.
As if the lack of signatures on the petition wasn't proof enough, it seems the majority of fans are on Cunningham's side.
There is a wide belief among fans of Clark that she is being mistreated by other players, something that has turned into a bad-faith argument weaponized by bad actors. Subtracting the ugliness of that conversation from the equation, what Cunningham did was no different than what we've seen other athletes in other leagues do for years in defending their teammates or star players.
Cunningham was already a notable name in the WNBA, but this has skyrocketed her to another stratosphere of fame. Whether or not her actions were justified is almost irrelevant, as we've now been given another reason the Indiana Fever are must-see TV.