Sophie Cunningham calls out WNBA refs for not protecting Caitlin Clark after starting fight to protect her
Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham threw a jab at the WNBA and its referees Saturday.
While speaking with reporters about her fiery and physical defense of teammate Caitlin Clark Tuesday against Connecticut Sun players, Cunningham called out the league for "not protecting" Clark during the phenom's young WNBA career.
Cunningham became a viral sensation over the last week after committing a hard foul on Sun guard Jacy Sheldon, who poked Clark in the eye earlier in the game. A brawl between the teams ensued with Cunningham at the center of it for Indiana. Cunningham, Sheldon and Sun guard Lindsay Allen were ejected from the game with about 40 seconds left before the Fever took home the victory.
"During that, it was just part of the game. I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a build-up for a couple years now of them just not protecting the star player of the WNBA," Cunningham said. "At the end of the day, I'm going to protect my teammates. That's what I do."
Lack of equal protection for Clark by referees has been one of the WNBA's biggest criticisms since she entered the league last year.
Clark's rookie year in 2024 included several controversial incidents in which Clark was roughed up by opposing players. Sometimes, referees failed to call a foul, sparking fan outrage.
This season, in a loss to the New York Liberty May 24, Clark took contact from New York's Natasha Cloud on the final play of the game. Referees did not call a foul, prompting Clark to throw her hands up in confusion, and she and Cunningham barked at the referees as the game ended.
A replay showed Cloud pushing her shoulder into Clark's the moment the ball came loose. The Fever were down by two, and a foul would have sent Clark to the free-throw line with a chance to win the game.
Cunningham is taking matters into her own hands to punish players who get too physical, in her opinion, with Clark. And Cunningham also appears to be keeping referees on their toes.
Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah, who built a reputation as an "enforcer" during his career while protecting a young Derrick Rose, told Fox News Digital in September he would urge the Fever to get a player to protect Clark for 2025.
"If I was the owner of the Indiana Fever, I would get a real enforcer in there to protect her," Noah told Fox News Digital.
"Sometimes I feel like she is getting hit because she is a very talented person. … But, at the end of the day, we're in the business of winning games, so if I'm the owner [of the Indiana Fever], I'm getting a real enforcer in there."
Cunningham has become a folk hero to many, and her popularity has skyrocketed in the days since the fight.
Prior to Tuesday's game, Cunningham had fewer than 400,000 followers on TikTok.
At the time of publication, she had 1.2 million on TikTok, and that number is only growing.
She has an estimated increase of more than 300,000 followers on Instagram since the game as well, with a total of more than 800,000 at the time of publication.
With Cunningham earning the nickname "the enforcer" for the Fever, fans counting on her to protect Caitlin Clark can rest easy knowing she is a black belt in the Korean martial art of Taekwondo.
She earned the black belt at the age of 6.
Her father Jim played football at the University of Missouri, and she ended up following in her dad's footsteps on the football field.
A 2014 article by the Columbia Missourian reported Cunningham was the first female to ever score any points for the team in history, when she kicked two of four extra points in place of the team's regular kicker, who had torn an ACL.
Cunningham even handled kickoff duties.
"I was so nervous," Cunningham told the outlet. "I mean, I've never played football before in all my life. Right when I got the ball (on the opening kickoff), I couldn't hear anything. I just put the ball down and kicked it."
Cunningham comes from a family of farmers and credits that upbringing for the person she is today, according to five-part feature series by the University of Missouri.
"So much of our success goes back to what we learned here," Cunningham said of working on the farm. "We loved coming out to the farm to help. We found out how to work hard and work together. It made us farm strong."
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NBA Legend Makes Strong Caitlin Clark Statement During Fever Season
NBA Legend Makes Strong Caitlin Clark Statement During Fever Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kevin Garnett knows what it takes to compete every night. The NBA legend played from 1995 to 2016 with the Timberwolves, Celtics and Nets. Before his pro career, Garnett was a dominant force at Admiral Farragut Academy in Chicago. Advertisement Known as one of the league's toughest players, Garnett constantly dealt with opponents who tried to challenge him, both physically and verbally. Now, 'The Big Ticket' has weighed in on WNBA star Caitlin Clark, who's in her second season with the Indiana Fever. Speaking on KG Certified, Garnett shared his thoughts: "It's a privilege to be a in a position where others are hating on you. When others are hating on you it means you're doing something right." Garnett finished his career with 26,071 points and 14,662 rebounds. He won an NBA title in 2008, earned league MVP honors in 2004 and made 15 all-star appearances. He was the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year and led the league in rebounding four times. Advertisement While Clark plays a very different game than Garnett, the former Iowa star is already carving out a legacy. She's faced intense physical play as teams try to disrupt her rhythm, but she continues to rise. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22).© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images In 47 WNBA games, Clark is averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game. She's coming off one of her tougher outings, shooting just 21.4% from the field with six turnovers in a loss to the Golden State Valkyries. The Fever remain on the road, heading to Las Vegas and Seattle before returning home. Despite some growing pains, Clark is proving she belongs among the league's best. Related: Insane Caitlin Clark, WNBA Trend Surfaces After Indiana Fever's Sixth Loss Related: Caitlin Clark Sends Clear Message to Lexie Hull in New Post on Wednesday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Ortiz pitches Guardians to 4-2 win over Athletics
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Luis Ortiz struck out 10 in six scoreless innings of two-hit ball and José Ramírez capped a four-run second with his 900th RBI as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Athletics 4-2 on Saturday night. Bo Naylor and Johnathan Rodríguez had back-to-back RBI doubles off Athletics starter Mitch Spence (2-2). Steven Kwan and Ramírez added run-scoring singles for a 4-0 lead. Ortiz (4-8) walked two and matched his season high for strikeouts. He allowed 14 hits and 10 earned runs in his two previous starts covering 10 2/3 innings. Emmanuel Clase pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 17th save in 20 opportunities. Austin Wynns had an RBI double off reliever Cade Smith in the seventh for the Athletics. Brent Rooker led off the eighth with a triple against Hunter Gaddis before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Max Muncy. Spence made 22 relief appearances before making his fourth straight start. He gave up four runs and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings. He permitted just two runs — on solo homers — and pitched five innings in each of his first three starts. Cleveland (38-37) won for the third time on a nine-game trip that ends Sunday. The Athletics (32-47) fell to 15-26 at their temporary home, Sutter Health Park. With runners on second and third in the seventh, Smith struck out Denzel Clarke and retired Jacob Wilson on a line drive to first base to keep it 4-1. The Athletics have scored 335 runs to the Guardians' 283, but A's pitchers have given up 459 runs — 150 more than Cleveland. Guardians RHP Slade Cecconi (2-3, 4.15 ERA) starts Sunday opposite Athletics lefty JP Sears (5-6, 5.45) to close out the series. ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Ortiz pitches Guardians to 4-2 win over Athletics
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Luis Ortiz struck out 10 in six scoreless innings of two-hit ball and José Ramírez capped a four-run second with his 900th RBI as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Athletics 4-2 on Saturday night. Bo Naylor and Johnathan Rodríguez had back-to-back RBI doubles off Athletics starter Mitch Spence (2-2). Steven Kwan and Ramírez added run-scoring singles for a 4-0 lead. Ortiz (4-8) walked two and matched his season high for strikeouts. He allowed 14 hits and 10 earned runs in his two previous starts covering 10 2/3 innings. Emmanuel Clase pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 17th save in 20 opportunities. Austin Wynns had an RBI double off reliever Cade Smith in the seventh for the Athletics. Brent Rooker led off the eighth with a triple against Hunter Gaddis before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Max Muncy. Spence made 22 relief appearances before making his fourth straight start. He gave up four runs and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings. He permitted just two runs — on solo homers — and pitched five innings in each of his first three starts. Cleveland (38-37) won for the third time on a nine-game trip that ends Sunday. The Athletics (32-47) fell to 15-26 at their temporary home, Sutter Health Park. Key moment With runners on second and third in the seventh, Smith struck out Denzel Clarke and retired Jacob Wilson on a line drive to first base to keep it 4-1. Key stat The Athletics have scored 335 runs to the Guardians' 283, but A's pitchers have given up 459 runs — 150 more than Cleveland. Up next Guardians RHP Slade Cecconi (2-3, 4.15 ERA) starts Sunday opposite Athletics lefty JP Sears (5-6, 5.45) to close out the series. ___ AP MLB:
