Anti-woke star Sophie Cunningham is once again under fire from the WNBA’s increasingly woke establishment. The league’s players’ union has barred licensees from using her viral finger-pointing image on any union-approved merchandise, according to Front Office Sports.
The photo came from Indiana’s June 22 win over Phoenix, when Mercury veteran DeWanna Bonner and Fever superstar Caitlin Clark tangled before Cunningham and Bonner pointed at each other. The heated matchup produced six technical fouls, but Cunningham’s defiant gesture quickly became iconic.
The WNBA’s surge in popularity has been driven largely by Clark, a white athlete thrust into the spotlight, and that rise has put both the Fever and their enforcer Cunningham in the crosshairs of woke players’ agendas.
The union claimed its licensing policy forbids apparel that profits from “confrontations” between players. “For licensed apparel, we generally do not feature or look to monetize player conduct from a confrontation between our members,” a WNBPA spokesperson said.
Cunningham, who has spoken out against transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, has become a lightning rod in a league that has openly embraced progressive activism. In a July ESPN profile, she said girls “shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” defending her stance as protecting female athletes and locker rooms.
Her viral image even appeared in a White House video, and on July 3 she acknowledged its global reach: “I think everyone around the world is posting it,” she told reporters.
The WNBA is doubling down on its woke agenda, spotlighting causes from racial justice to LGBTQ+ activism and gender equity. In 2022, the players’ union went further, issuing a statement backing transgender athletes competing in the sport according to their chosen gender and even pushing legal advocacy on the issue.
