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Fever's Cunningham backpedals on WNBA expansion comment
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Fever's Sophie Cunningham backpedals on WNBA expansion comment

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham probably wishes she bit her tongue when discussing the WNBA's picks for its expansion cities. 

On Monday, the WNBA confirmed it plans to add expansion franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia by 2030. Cunningham didn't seem thrilled with those choices.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play? Where are they gonna get excited to play and draw fans?" Cunningham told the media Tuesday. "It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

That comment upset fans in both cities. Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper even called her out for it. Cunningham subsequently attempted to clarify she wasn't trying to disrespect Detroit or Cleveland on Thursday.

"First of all, I know the history of the WNBA. I know that both those cities have had a team before and they got us where we're at, so I'm thankful for that," Cunningham said, via longtime Fever reporter Tony East. "All I was really getting at was Broadway [in Nashville], the off-court lifestyle and so I think that's really intriguing. I think Miami's intriguing. That's all I was getting at."

Cunningham then suggested that it might benefit the league to explore new markets without an NBA team, such as Nashville. Cleveland and Detroit already have NBA teams (Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons).  

"I think people totally misread the situation. I would never speak down upon middle-class, blue-collar working people," Cunningham said. "That's where I come from. I'm from Missouri. I get that I'm in Indiana, and that's kind of why I'm hinting at Broadway sounds fun, Miami sounds fun. That's all I was getting at."

Cunningham seems like she was trying to say she just wanted the league to consider all its options. Perhaps if she had articulated that differently the first time, it wouldn't have offended fans in both cities.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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