Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham received backlash for her remarks about the WNBA’s recent decision to add teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia by 2030. In a statement earlier this week, the league confirmed these cities would be new expansion markets, prompting Cunningham to question if players would genuinely want to play there. “I don’t know how excited people are to go to Detroit. Cleveland, too,” she mentioned to reporters.
While talking to the press, Cunningham defended her comments, emphasizing her solidarity with “blue-collar workers” from those cities. She noted, “I know WNBA history. Both cities have had teams before. I think it’s kind of interesting because for me, it’s mostly about the off-court lifestyle.” She expressed interest in other cities like Miami, suggesting it would be fun to see teams outside traditional NBA markets.
In response to the criticism of her comments, Cunningham stated, “The people who hype you will also be the ones who tear you down. So I’m just going to stick to my views; that was my personal opinion.” Interestingly, she hails from a farming family in the South, and her background plays a role in her perspective. She mentioned in a feature about her roots that much of her success can be attributed to the values learned on the farm: “We worked hard and found a way to work together. It made us stronger.” She referred to her grandparents affectionately as “Mo Mo and Po Po.”
Despite the pushback, Cunningham proposed alternative expansion markets, indicating that Miami and Kansas City might present better opportunities. “Where do they want to play? What excites people? Miami sounds great; who doesn’t love Florida? Nashville is also appealing. Kansas City has its potential,” she expressed, casting some doubt on the league’s expansion strategy.
She concluded with a caution: “We don’t want to rush into expanding the league if it means teams aren’t going to be competitive.” It reflects a more complex view on expansion—one that balances the excitement of new locations with the importance of maintaining strong competition.
