In a recent WNBA game, Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham ended up with a bloody mouth after a hard foul by Chicago Sky’s DiJonai Carrington. Sports Illustrated initially suggested it was karma for Cunningham’s past actions. The incident occurred with two minutes left in the first quarter during the Fever’s 90-86 victory.
As Carrington brought her forearm across Cunningham’s face, the foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 2, resulting in Carrington’s ejection. Sports Illustrated titled an article about the event “Sophie Cunningham Got a Bitter Taste of Karma After Drawing Flagrant Foul in Fever-Sky,” sparking strong reactions on social media. The article linked the foul to Cunningham’s comments against transgender athletes in women’s sports.
The story, authored by Kristen Wong, later received an updated title: “Sophie Cunningham’s Enforcer Role Gets Reversed Onto Her With Hard Foul in Fever-Sky.” OutKick approached Sports Illustrated for comments on the title change.
“Last year I did the same thing, and I got kicked out, as I deserved to be kicked out. There’s no reason to even play that card,” Cunningham said when asked about the incident.
Cunningham’s remarks came after Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on Instagram Threads, tagging the Fever. Cunningham addressed this by stating the league is handling it and asserted the incident was unrelated to race.
Indiana head coach Stephanie White defended Carrington, agreeing with the flagrant foul call. White noted Carrington’s competitive nature and stated it was unlikely Carrington intended to hit Cunningham’s neck.
White did not comment on Carrington’s social media post. The situation adds complexity to the ongoing discussions surrounding player conduct and race in the league.
Leave a Reply