Sophie Cunningham dissed A’ja Wilson after the Las Vegas Aces star’s tense altercation with one of the Indiana Fever fans during Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs. Watching the Fever star call out the four-time MVP had Clay Travis boldly endorsing her for the WNBA commissioner’s position.
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“Sophie Cunningham should be the commissioner of the WNBA because she just makes sense,” Travis said on his show. “I agree with every single thing she says… Bravo, Sophie Cunningham. I’m endorsing you as the next commissioner of the WNBA because what the WNBA needs is just some basic common sense.”
In the latest episode of her “No Hesitation” podcast, Cunningham addressed the viral incident that involved her and Wilson. During the last quarter of Game 2, Wilson was fighting to get herself in position on the offense, while Cunningham defended her. Moments later, the Fever star fell on the floor and was also called for the foul.
While walking towards the baseline, Wilson rushed to confront a fan who was out of his seat and pointing his finger towards her, signaling that the foul was on her. The Aces star had to be pulled away from the scene by her team.
The fan was removed from his seat, but was called back later. After the game, Wilson told reporters that irrespective of what the fan said, she won’t tolerate a man “taking steps towards me and pointing” at her.
According to Cunningham, Wilson was rejecting the increased fan engagement that accompanies the equality WNBA players have demanded.
“We yell from the rooftops that we want equality, that we want to be treated like the men, that we want all this stuff and we deserve all these things and we do,” she said on her podcast. “We do deserve it. But if you’re asking for all these fans to come, and you have new fans who are real sports fans, and they come and do something that a sports fan would probably do if you’re on the opposing team, and then we’re going to go after them for just pointing and saying that you fouled, like, grow up.
“What are we doing? We ask all these things, and then once people come out and support us, we get mad, and it’s inappropriate. Then we athletes need to be treated better, and these fans need to be more supportive and not say anything negative.
WNBA’s growth is beyond argument. The fanbase has seen exponential growth, and so has the media coverage. This extensive fan engagement also brought an unprecedented player-fan dynamic that Wilson wanted filtered. For Cunningham, Wilson should have been suspended rather than being assessed a technical, a brutal take that Travis also agreed with.
Cunningham’s argument assumes players must accept all fan behavior as the price of growth. However, calling for absolute equality between WNBA and NBA is also problematic for some. According to Rachel DeMita, there is a difference between tense player-fan interaction in the WNBA and NBA.
“I do think for the women’s game we have to be even more careful about it than we are in the men’s game because of just the men-women dynamic,” DeMita said about the altercation.
During the postgame presser, Wilson pointed out that she had an issue with the situation because it was a “man.” The Aces star hasn’t been this heated with a female fan. However, Aces players’ interaction with the Fever fanbase also adds a layer to the incident and suggests the incident may have been more fraught than Wilson’s account indicates.
During the Aug. 6 matchup, two fans were initially removed from Gainbridge Fieldhouse arena after Jackie Young pointed out two fans. They were called back, but chose to leave again of their own accord. Indiana fans have generally been hostile towards Wilson and Co.
The player-fan dynamic (especially the Fever fanbase) has been a controversial issue during WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s tenure, while the Fever fanbase has largely been painted in a negative light. Travis calling for Cunningham’s appointment as the commissioner is hyperbolic, but it’s not hard to see what kind of face he would want to be sitting at the top.