Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham was fined $500 for a TikTok video criticizing WNBA referees. In the clip, the 28-year-old appeared to be in a hotel room, lip syncing to a soundbite from singer Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Manchild.”
The audio sings, “Stupid or is it slow? Maybe it’s useless.” Cunningham pointed around the room with each adjective and wrote “@ some refs” over the clip.
Posted on July 18, the video has since gained 1.2 million views on TikTok. Five days later, Cunningham took to X and laughed at the consequence she faced for the social media post.
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“I got fined $500 for this TikTok. idk why this is funny to me,” Cunningham wrote. “Like ok, you got it bud! Cause there’s not more important things to be worried about with our league right now.”
It’s not the first time the Fever have come under fire following comments on league officiating this year; Cunningham’s penalty came just months after Indiana coach Stephanie White revealed in May that she was also fined for criticizing referees.
After a loss to the Washington Mystics, White was asked if she thought the WNBA should protect athletes from “intentionally rough play.”
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“Obviously, I think we can get better in certain areas as far as how we call the game, consistency with how we call the game,” White responded. “Are we going to say that we want a free-flowing offensive game, or are we going to have tough, grind-out physical games? And whatever way it is, the players will adjust and coaches will adjust, but we can’t have it be one way one quarter and another way, another quarter.
“I don’t think collectively, as a whole, the league has to step in and do something. I just think that there has to be some improvements in certain areas,” She continued. “Are we trying to get me fined again? Because I did just get fined.”
Apart from the way games are called, players have been advocating for better play amid talks of a new collective-bargaining agreement. During the WNBA All-Star game on Sunday, players took to the court wearing shirts donning the text, “Pay us what you owe us.”
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Their protest came after players openly spoke about their demands in recent months and dissatisfaction with the state of talks amid the All-Star break. Players stood their ground regarding the distribution of money in the WNBA, as the league is reportedly set to earn $200 million per year from its media rights and charge a $250 million fee from each of the three incoming expansion teams.
