‘Face of the WNBA’ Caitlin Clark Gets Targeted More than Others, Reveals Sophie Cunningham

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has become superstar point guard Caitlin Clark's unofficial veteran enforcer.

‘Face of the WNBA’ Caitlin Clark Gets Targeted More than Others, Reveals Sophie Cunningham

Sophie Cunningham claims Caitlin Clark faces a lot of physicality (Image via FirstSportz)

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Ever since Caitlin Clark came into the WNBA, she has been subjected to a lot of physicality. Opponents know they are dealing with a speedy point guard who can create separation with her awareness and quick agility.

Some of that physicality was a result of frustration as opponents tried to slow her down, but could not until they used force to stop her. Some of those plays began to be noticed by fans, and they called for the Indiana Fever to invest in an enforcer.

This season, the franchise invested in veteran stars to come in and help the young core take the next step in their development. One of them, Sophie Cunningham, was speaking on the inaugural episode of her podcast, Show Me Something, where she revealed what Clark faces.

You have seen players in our league trying to toughen up Caitlin. Even when I wasn’t on her team, I know the talks that Phoenix (Mercury) had in the locker room, ‘We’re gonna show her what the W really is.’ Every rookie coming into the league, that’s how you are gonna treat them. But there’s just more for her.

Sophie Cunningham said

The 28-year-old added that now that she is with the Indiana Fever, she can see clearly that other teams are doing too much to try to slow Clark down. This revelation sort of confirms the notion many fans had that the superstar point guard was being targeted a lot.

Even though some players have tried to dispel such theories, Cunningham’s experiences give an insight into what opposing players feel about someone who is literally the ‘Face of the WNBA’.

Sophie Cunningham reiterates Caitlin Clark is ‘Face of the League’

This is Sophie Cunningham‘s 7th year in the WNBA. She has essentially seen the league go through its bridge moment, where older greats such as her teammate Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Candace Parker, and others have retired.

Then she witnessed A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, and Sabrina Ionescu take over as the next generation. The Missouri native is now bang in the middle of an era when the next generation of young stars is staking their claim.

As Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Cameron Brink vie to make their mark, there is a tussle for who is the true ‘Face of the WNBA’. Cunningham has a straight answer to clear that confusion.

It really pisses me off when people are like, ‘She (Caitlin Clark) is not the face of the league.’ There’s really good, well-known people in our league. I’m not discounting them. But when people try to argue that she is not the face of our league, or our league would be where we are at without her, you’re dumb as s**t. You’re literally dumb as f**k.

Sophie Cunningham said

Some might cross off the 28-year-old’s understanding of this situation as that of a biased teammate. However, her words are backed up by proof, which other players and their fans tend to ignore.

Being in Caitlin Clark’s corner has benefited Sophie Cunningham

Before Sophie Cunningham came to the Indiana Fever, she had around 200K followers on average across her social media platforms. Being a role player, she also did not have many major endorsements to boast.

Sophie Cunningham manhandling Jacy Sheldon
Sophie Cunningham manhandling Jacy Sheldon (Image via WTHR/X)

After manhandling Jacy Sheldon in the game against the Connecticut Sun, her world changed overnight. Her social media profiles saw a flurry of followers, and within 24 hours, she had more than a million followers on both Instagram and TikTok.

Soon, brands came calling. Adidas, Ring, and most recently, Arby’s, came knocking on her door with endorsement deals. Now, she has received a call from veteran sports analyst Colin Cowherd‘s ‘The Volume’ media company.

The podcast she was speaking on, Show Me Something, is a result of that call. The 28-year-old now has a podcast deal, which should give her the voice that many fans felt she needed. It seems being Caitlin Clark’s enforcer has its own benefits.

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