‘Suck It’: Sophie Cunningham Hits Back at NYT Piece Demanding Fever Send Her Packing Over Stand for Girls’ Sports
The article discusses Sophie cunningham of the Indiana Fever, a WNBA player known for her outspoken opinions and on-court skills.Despite not being named MVP, cunningham is celebrated for her authenticity and straightforwardness. She gained attention after a controversial commentary in The Athletic, where some critics accused her of making divisive statements about gender and sports. The piece sparked backlash, including support from tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who defended Cunningham’s right to express her views.Cunningham responded to the criticism during a podcast, expressing indifference to negative opinions and emphasizing her focus on her game and personal integrity.She champions the idea of staying true to oneself regardless of public opinion and criticizes media and critics who she believes lack firsthand sports experience. Her bold stance and unapologetic attitude have made her a prominent figure in ongoing debates about free speech and gender in sports.
She was not named the Most Valuable Player in the WNBA, but Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever recently reminded fans that no one can hold a candle to her in the Straight Talking League.
The impetus came from The Athletic, which said the genteel art of dribbling cannot be suitably appreciated by the cognoscenti amid such scandalous breaches of the rules of liberal etiquette as those committed by Cunningham in saying guys should not play sports against women.
Writer Candace Buckner was aghast that in an age when Gender Derangement Syndrome is a national disease — and in a sports world in which Colin Kaepernick’s inability to stand for the national anthem was hailed as defining moment in history — Caitlin Clark’s on-court wizardry takes a “backseat to a bench player with big opinions.”
@TheAthletic @CandaceDBuckner You’ve always loved bench players with big opinions: https://t.co/8t6tnLoFXN
— Progressing California (@ProgressingCali) October 7, 2026
“So if the Fever ever want to go back to being a basketball team again and follow the lead of rivals openly clashing with the forces trying to hijack their league, then Cunningham has to go,” she wrote.
The piece was trashed by many, including tennis legend Martina Navritalova.
“Buckner seems to forget the W in @WNBA stand for women. There was nothing wrong with what Sophie said originally. It’s the response from WNBA that made it blow up. The policy is the problem, not Sophie Cunningham,” she posted on X.
As noted by Awful Announcing, Cunningham touched on the piece during her most recent podcast appearance, saying “I don’t even care.”
“I literally don’t even care what anyone says about me anymore,” Cunningham said, illustrating her awareness of the proverb likening opinions to a standard part of human anatomy.
“If you’re going to live by the praise, you’ll die by the hate…I’m going to continue to do me…suck it”
Words to live by. Very wise.
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) October 10, 2026
“Because I’ve said this so many times, if you’re going to live by the praise, you’re going to die by the hate,” she said.
Cunningham noted that media experts in basketball provide a variant on the saying that those who can do, suggesting those who cannot, opine for a living.
“And the majority of these people have never picked up a ball in their entire lives. And they’re just thirsty to, you know, have attention or be relevant in some type of way,” she said.
🚨 Cunningham ATTACKED for telling the truth.
@dandakich: “It’s time for the league to step in.”
“It’s time to protect the stars, and the star is Caitlin Clark and the star is Sophie Cunningham.” https://t.co/uoz3YHV1Bv
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 10, 2026
“No matter what anyone says to me, I’m going to continue to do me. I know what I bring to the table. It’s not always in the stat sheet,” Cunningham said.
To sum it up, Cunningham delved into the language of the common people that might be less lofty than that used in The New York Times’s sports mouthpiece, but was unmistakably direct in a closing comment deserving of a drum roll.
“And so for you to like not say I’m effective or any of that, whatever, suck it.”
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