The WNBA has spent years demanding passionate fans, but Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham now claims that the league is pushing these very people away. This comes after the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces’ Game 2, when A’ja Wilson found herself in an altercation with a fan. Cunningham, however, sees the situation a little differently, and her opinions caught the attention of Caitlin Clark’s biographer, Christine Brennan.

Brennan, the author of On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sport, reposted the Fever guard’s comments and revealed that she has been hearing similar concerns in her reporting.

“Some will be angry I reposted this. But there is a reason I did: I’m hearing some of the same things in my reporting since A’ja went after a fan. Bottom line: there is a palpable realization (finally) that Cathy Engelbert’s WNBA looks ridiculous pushing away/not wanting new fans.” Brennan wrote on X.

Brennan’s comments come after Cunningham spoke out about the fan behavior at Fever games on the October 3 episode of her No Hesitation podcast.

“Us women in sports… 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, we do deserve it,” Cunningham said.

“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 you’re going to go for him for just pointing, saying that you fouled? Grow up. What are we doing? We asked all these things, and then once people come out and support us, we get mad,” the 30-year-old added.

The reason Sophie Cunningham’s comments resonated so strongly with Brennan goes back to what unfolded at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. With just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Wilson and Cunningham became involved in a physical sequence that ended with Cunningham being called for a foul after the two got tangled up.

But as soon as the call came, the Aces star rushed towards the stands behind the basket, where she was caught exchanging words with a Fever fan. As the situation escalated, Wilson’s teammates and officials had to step in and separate the two. Wilson was ultimately assessed a technical foul.

A’ja Wilson later explained that the confrontation was about the fan stepping toward her and pointing at her after the foul. However, the Indiana Fever offered a different piece of information after the game.

The organization revealed that the arena security spoke with the fan and witnesses and determined that there had been no violation of the Fan Code of Conduct, before adding that they considered “the matter closed.”

Now, whatever happened in that moment may simply have been the heat of the game. Still, the WNBA rulebook states that “any coach, player, or trainer who deliberately enters the spectator stands during the game will be automatically ejected.” Wilson, however, avoided ejection or any further punishment beyond the technical foul.

Still, Sophie Cunningham’s argument wasn’t that players should simply accept anything from fans. Instead, she questioned whether the league can simultaneously ask for more passionate support and then push back when that new audience behaves like fans in other major sports.

And for Brennan, that is precisely why the episode matters. Her criticism extends beyond Wilson and one fan, pointing instead toward a larger concern about how the WNBA handles the growing attention it has spent years trying to attract.

So, for a league that has spent years calling for more investment and engagement, the growing fan culture comes with complications the WNBA can no longer avoid. And Brennan’s reaction suggests that the Wilson incident has become about more than one exchange at the baseline – it has sparked a broader conversation about whether the league is truly ready for the passionate audience it has worked so hard to build.