{"id":5065,"date":"2026-07-22T06:37:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5065"},"modified":"2026-07-22T06:37:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:37:18","slug":"something-is-rotten-in-the-wnba-as-the-sophie-cunningham-point-situation-shows-how-the-league-is-its-own-worst-enemy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5065","title":{"rendered":"Something is rotten in the WNBA \u2014 as the Sophie Cunningham ‘point’ situation shows how the league is its own worst enemy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The WNBA and its associated entities continue to be their own worst enemies when it comes to maximizing their product.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump-backed candidates, including ex-Giants, Jets kicker Jay Feely, easily win Arizona primaries \u2014 socialist House hopeful gets smoked<\/a><\/p>\n

Any time a good wave comes barreling in, they\u2019d rather watch it crash on the shore than get on and ride it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been obvious since sensation Caitlin Clark was drafted first overrall by the Indiana Fever in 2024.<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s a never-ending push to help athletes make more money and grow the league into a sustainable enterprise with a large footprint, the WNBA and the player\u2019s union seem most adept at stifling a good moment.<\/p>\n

The latest is the one around the Indiana Fever\u2019s Sophie Cunningham that has launched a thousand memes and imitators.<\/p>\n

The image of 29-year-old Cunningham \u2014\u00a0showing her pointing at opponent DeWanna Bonner after a scuffle in a late June match-up between the Fever and the Phoenix Mercury \u2014 went crazy viral.<\/p>\n

The intense gesture lasted 22 seconds but, weeks later, it is still very much ensconced in the ether.<\/p>\n

Cunningham has posed with young fans eager to reenact the point. When she visited a Special Olympics basketball team, one of the players excitedly mimicked the Fever shooting guard, gushing, \u201cI like when you do this!\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a boon to Brand Cunningham, which has been soaring since the veteran emerged as the Fever team enforcer last year, when she handed down a hard foul against Jacy Sheldon.<\/p>\n

She was rightfully ejected for the borderline assault \u2014 but Cunningham\u2019s stock both on and off the court has never been hotter.<\/p>\n

Then came the point, which has pushed her to new heights. She was a ring girl at the July 11 UFC fight between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint Denis, and writer Chuck Klosterman even predicted that she\u2019d run for Vice President of the US before 2050.<\/p>\n

Too bad the player\u2019s union is throwing cold water on her moment \u2014 which is also the league\u2019s moment. They say the viral image cannot be licensed by their business partners.<\/p>\n

According to journalist Darren Rovell, the union reportedly called it \u201cderogatory.\u201d<\/p>\n

In what world is a prolonged, silent point derogatory? Maybe if she added a crotch grab at the end, one could make that argument. But this was cheeky and antagonistic.<\/p>\n

Read more Jon Stewart loses his mind after spotting \u2018a backup Trump\u2019 behind president: \u2018Who the f\u2013k is this guy?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

When you organically have an image that not only resonates with a mainstream audience, but also captures the zeitgeist, you seize on it. <\/p>\n

However, the WNBPA policy \u201cis not to create any apparel that features a confrontation between members of the union.\u201d As Julia Roberts\u2019 \u201cPretty Woman\u201d character said: \u201cBig mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cunningham can create her own merch so long as there is no WNBA or team logo on it \u2014 and I hope she does.<\/p>\n

For a league that is constantly touting its physical toughness, they\u2019re pretty damn soft. The people making the decisions are far too into feelings when they should be pushing to be bigger and better.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re constantly sniffing for micro-aggressions or catering the progressive politics that the league has long embraced, allowing it to overshadow the actual product.<\/p>\n

Just last week, Toronto coach Sandy Brondello referred to Angel Reese as a \u201cprotected species,\u201d which is a common phrase in Bordello\u2019s native Australia.<\/p>\n

Still, the league injected a racial element onto the label, and Brondello was handed down a one-game suspension.<\/p>\n

And then there was the unforced error committed by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who agreed to sit down with legendary interviewer Dan Patrick a few weeks ago. There was expectation that she would be asked about a June 24 incident when the Mercury\u2019s Alyssa Thomas put her fist on Clark\u2019s throat. No foul was called at the time, but Thomas was later suspended for a game after public outrage.<\/p>\n

It was a particularly fraught moment for the league. Even a group of GOP lawmakers sent Engelbert a letter about protecting Clark \u2014 which was just as ridiculous.<\/p>\n

Two hours after the agreed meeting with Patrick, league public relations said it would be a no-go.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought this was going to be a good thing for the WNBA because people still want answers here \u2026 \u201d Patrick said. \u201cAnd yes, would the questions be tough? Yes, yes. And I\u2019m sure that had something to do with [Engelbert canceling]\u2026 So, it\u2019s just disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was classic backwards WNBA. <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

For years, they have been clamoring for the spotlight. They want the money. They want the viewership.<\/p>\n

Finally, people are tuning in and becoming invested. But the league doesn\u2019t want the scrutiny that comes with it. Nor do they want to embrace all the opportunities if it means splitting from their bizarre fealty to equity.<\/p>\n

Read more Tom Brady\u2019s daughter looks just like ex-wife Gisele Bundchen in World Cup photo<\/a><\/p>\n

Who suffers? The players they claim to want to elevate. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The WNBA and its associated entities continue to be their own worst enemies when it comes to maximizing their product.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kirsten-fleming","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nSomething is rotten in the WNBA \u2014 as the Sophie Cunningham 'point' situation shows how the league is its own worst enemy - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5065\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Something is rotten in the WNBA \u2014 as the Sophie Cunningham 'point' situation shows how the league is its own worst enemy - 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