Sophie Cunningham has once again found herself at the center of a controversy, this time after some fans claimed her name has been restricted on the WNBA subreddit. Now, one analyst has a bold, if unusual, theory that takes the controversy to the next level.
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WNBA analyst Ben Daniel, speaking on his YouTube channel on August 17, posited a theory about Cunningham’s name supposedly being restricted, adding some unfiltered thoughts about the league’s position.
“I don’t think this is actually a far-fetched idea that behind the WNBA subreddit actually is one of these hating-a** WNBA players that just can’t stand Sophie Cunningham. It’s just a nasty, nasty league. The players in this league are nasty. A lot of the fans around this league are nasty. It just is what it is. The coaches are nasty. The owners are nasty. We have team presidents chastising 16 and 17-year-olds. It just is all nasty surrounding the WNBA.”
The subreddit row began on Sophie Cunningham‘s 30th birthday, when fans noticed posts about her were being filtered, a day prior to Daniel’s video, leading to controversial discussions regarding content censoring. Reddit user Adventurous_Hope_101 reached out to a moderator for r/WNBA, asking them why they banned people from posting about Sophie Cunningham.
“We filter content based on Sophi[e] because it tends to bring out trolls and people that aren’t fans of the W,” the moderator responded in a since viral screenshot, posted by @BrickCenter_ on X. “We have chosen to filter content. If you want to post freely about Sophie, you can go to a different sub.”
Following that, the subreddit posted an official statement on the matter.
“Sophie Cunningham content is not banned from r/wnba,” it said. “Posts about Sophie are welcome when they are related to basketball, including games, highlights, interviews, statistics, marketing endorsements, and other WNBA-related news. Off-court Sophie content can be shared as well… These moderation tools are applied to protect the community and are not being used to ban Sophie Cunningham content.”
It’s important to note that r/wnba is a community-run, unofficial space to discuss the league and its players, and any action taken by them is not representative of the league’s opinions.
Cunningham has become a polarizing personality following her comments on transgender people in women’s sports in a profile from ESPN released on July 21, bringing in both support and criticism from all over the basketball world.
The subreddit filtering reflects a broader divide in the WNBA community — one that boiled over at a July 28 game, the incident Daniel was referring to. During the Indiana Fever‘s game against the Seattle Storm, Storm minority owner Celeste Keaton confronted two young fans. The pair held signs in support of Cunningham’s stance on trans athletes, and following the confrontation, the WNBA suspended Keaton for five games from Seattle’s home games and fined her, with the Storm releasing an apology for the incident.
Regardless, for now, there is no proof that Daniel’s theory about a player being behind Cunningham being supposedly restricted from the WNBA’s subreddit is true. However, with the controversy around her only growing, no one can be sure what comes next.