Last night’s Sun vs Fever game threw us back to the ’80s with the rough and tough style of play. Okay, maybe that was an understatement… It was the wild, wild west out there! Caitlin Clark matched up against her age-old rival of Jacy Sheldon, and sparks flew between the two, leading to words, fingers, and players being thrown around. But what role did Indiana’s backup guard, Sophie Cunningham have to play?

Well, aside from her on-court contributions, the six-foot-one point guard was at the heart of the biggest conflict last night. Late in the fourth quarter, she made sure Jacy Sheldon regretted her showdown with CC. While the Connecticut Sun guard was running the fast-break, Cunningham literally wrapped her up for a hard foul! If you didn’t know that she did martial arts, you know now.

It took the referees some time, a fact that was heavily criticized, but they managed to separate the fight and awarded three ejections–Lindsay Allen, Jacy Sheldon, and Sophie Cunningham. Of course, this was quite a polarizing incident, and had plenty of fans calling for Cunningham’s head.

However, every action has an equal opposite reaction, and it seems like Indiana fans love her loyalty. According to a tweet from national reporter Rachel DeMita, Sophie Cunningham jerseys have completely sold out following last night’s altercation.

And it seems like Indiana fans love her loyalty! According to a tweet from @CClarkReport on X, Sophie Cunningham jerseys sold out completely after last night’s altercations. “Sophie’s jersey is SOLD OUT” The host of the Courtside Club posted on X a few hours ago.

However, even though the response from the fans at home is quite positive, Cunningham certainly hasn’t made herself any friends after this altercation. One Connecticut Sun fan created a petition to get her kicked out of the league, and Rachid Meziane had his own words to share.

Connecticut Sun head coach slams Sophie Cunningham for ‘disrespectful’ act

Everyone has been saying that Caitlin Clark needs a protector, and for good reason too! The six-foot-tall Indiana Fever guard deals with a lot of contact on a day to day basis, kind of like how Michael Jordan did when he started out. Chicago’s GOAT was blessed to have Charles Oakley in his beginning years, and that’s the kind of a dynamic that fans are looking at for CC.

And yesterday, Sophie Cunningham truly showed she could step up to the mark! However, the revenge foul that she committed on Jacy Sheldon was quite dangerous, and a lot of people didn’t like it, including the Sun head coach. In the postgame press conference, Connecticut HC Rachid Meziane called the foul ‘stupid’ and ‘disrespectful’.

His comments were quite scathing towards both Cunningham, and the decisions taken by the officials. “I did not understand,” Meziane said. “When you are winning the game by 17 points and you are doing this to me, stupid foul, this is just disrespectful. And I do not know how Lindsey and Jacy get ejected from the game when they did nothing.” And it was a fair point.

However, like any good enforcer, Cunningham didn’t seem to back off after the incident. She posted an Instagram story with her arms held out, seemingly showing how unaffected she was. While this game will definitely have repercussions for the Indiana Fever backup guard, it has done wonders for her stardom and public presence.

After all, Indiana fans always admire loyalty, and Cunningham took it a step beyond any expectations fans had from her. It will be interesting to see how her role on the team evolves going deeper into the season, as she is only just now getting into rhythm after battling injuries and scandals.