The Fever Nation is collectively groaning right now. Losing Sophie Cunningham to a season-ending injury means Indiana has now lost its third player to the bug. She has joined Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald, both of whom went down just a week earlier against Phoenix. It has surely been a cruel stretch. But if there’s any silver lining in this storm cloud (and it’s a very thin one), fans must be relieved that at least Cunningham won’t be racking up any more fines, right?

Except… maybe not. Because Cunningham isn’t one to stand back and watch. When the scuffle between Caitlin Clark, Jacy Sheldon, and Marina Mabrey went uncalled earlier this season, she made it clear: “At the end of the day, I’m going to protect my teammates.” And not being on court isn’t going to hold her back. More so, given that she has her own podcast now, which has only brought her fine count to 3 this season.

“I’m officially 3 for 3 on being fined by the WNBA,” Cunningham admitted. “They didn’t like my comments on Paige Bueckers. I didn’t even say anything bad. It’s insane.” For context, here’s exactly what Cunningham said about Bueckers on her Show Me Something podcast last week:

“I love Paige to death, do not get me wrong, I think she’s a hell of a player and like I would love to play with her one day.  But those refs were giving her every freaking whistle last night. Like, you literally couldn’t touch her, and that [expletive] is so annoying to me. And if you’re going to do that, give it to our guards. We know she’s a good rookie and she’s going to get some whistles, but like to get the treatment she got last night, was crazy.”

Apparently, that crossed the line. Whether you think that one deserved a fine or not, you have to agree that Sophie Cunningham’s rap sheet this summer has been…creative:

• June 17: Fined after a flagrant-2 foul against Connecticut sparked a bench-clearing scuffle.
• July 18: $500 for a TikTok where she lip-synced lyrics calling referees “stupid/slow/useless,” even tagging “@ some refs.”
• August 5: $1,500 after blasting officiating as “just so inconsistent” on the premiere episode of Show Me Something.
• August 13: And now, the Bueckers whistle comments.

Notice the trend? After the Connecticut flagrant, every fine has come directly from what she’s said online: TikTok, podcasts, social media. The league clearly wants her to rein it in. Fans, on the other hand, want her to keep the mic hot…

Fans Want Sophie Cunningham to Keep the Mic Hot

… so much that one person even celebrated Sophie Cunningham’s offseason with pure joy: “League clearly don’t realise the more she gets fined the more we respect her. She speaks the truth and can say what she wants in offseason can’t wait lmao.” 

From Stephanie White and Angel Reese to Sabrina Ionescu, the concern has been loud. Just a day ago, the Liberty star spoke up against the free throw disparity between New York and Minnesota. So considering the league-wide issue this has been, amplification isn’t all bad. Moreover, following the All-Star weekend, Cathy Englebert had announced that the league would look into the officiating. Maybe Cunningham’s persistence fast tracks the process.

But don’t worry, until then, the fines won’t be wiping out Sophie’s pockets. The Fever Nation has already brainstormed two solutions. Option 1: Let Caitlin Clark cover it. One fan deadpanned, “Bet you Caitlin Clark is paying those fines happily 😂😂.” And that idea is not as absurd as it sounds. Clark has literally done that before. Take the now-infamous Angel Reese foul game. Clark’s flagrant sparked a mini-curfuffle, and in the chaos Aliyah Boston was slapped with a $200 technical for stepping in. The reigning ROTY was right there to help her out. “I got it for you. Don’t worry. It’s real hefty,” she declared.

And it’s not just teammates, Caitlin Clark has covered her coach’s fines too. In a blowout against the Aces, head coach Stephanie White was T’d up after barking at officials. Postgame, White explained: “Caitlin said she got me, though. She just got a bonus.” So yeah, this theory is not entirely crazy.

Option 2: GoFundMe. If Clark doesn’t pick up the tab, fans think the public will. Suggestions poured in like, “Sophie should literally put a go fund me link in her bio. She would get a lot of money. Much more than the fine.” And it’s not like the logic is wrong. Another person pointed out the absurd cycle: “At this point the WNBA just pays Sophie Cunningham’s salary for formality sake cos they still turn around to collect all the money the following week😅.” 

Here’s the math: Cunningham’s 2025 base salary is $100,000. Her fines so far fall between roughly $3,000–$3,500. It is because she has paid about $400 for the flagrant-2 foul, and $2,600–$3,100 across TikTok, podcast, and Paige-Bueckers commentary. That’s around 0.3% of her entire salary gone to fines alone. Still, not everyone is standing in Sophie’s corner. Some fans admitted, “I’ll still pay all three of those fines…” while others called her latest rant just plain inaccurate.

“Interesting because Paige shot 4 free throws while Kelsey Mitchell shot 7, Aliyah Boston and Howard shot 4 each too. If you just couldn’t touch her that game I’d expect her ft numbers to be up in the SGA range.” The only problem with this math is that free-throw attempts don’t always match foul calls, so technically both sides have a point.

So, is Sophie Cunningham reckless, unlucky, or the league’s unfiltered truth serum? Drop your takes.