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Sophie Cunningham’s political leanings have piqued the interest of many for years. She was still a star for the Missouri Tigers in college basketball when some began referring to her as “MAGA Barbie.” Although Cunningham neither confirmed nor denied the speculations, the nickname has stuck.
A story by the New York Times on Monday shed light on Cunningham's political stance. The Indiana Fever guard said in the interview with NBA reporter Tania Ganguli:
“I’m clearly white and from Missouri, and so I think there was a lot of assumption there.
“All I have to say is I really am right in the middle, and I think a lot of America is like that. In our culture today, you have to choose and you have to be an extremist, and that’s just not me. So I agree with things on both sides; I disagree with things on both sides.”
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Make America Great Again (MAGA) is a slogan originally made popular by the late US President Ronald Reagan in 1980. Donald Trump rode on the same theme in three elections (2016, 2020 and 2024). Owing to a few Instagram stories that seemed to take a shot at Democrat Kamala Harris, many assumed Cunningham is a Republican.
Sophie Cunningham added in the interview that people discussing her political convictions is par for the course, considering her status as a WNBA player. The Fever star insisted that regardless of narratives, she would remain true to herself.
Skip Bayless blasted Sophie Cunningham for allegedly leveraging Caitlin Clark’s popularity to become a social media sensation
Last month, veteran sports analyst Skip Bayless spoke about Caitlin Clark’s “strange” absence on his podcast. He speculated that the point guard’s prolonged absence could be due to a “mental break from all the jealousy” and other off-court issues.
Sophie Cunningham said in her “Show Me Something” podcast in mid-August that Bayless’ take was “literally bulls**t.” Cunningham insisted that the Fever had not lied about the All-Star point guard’s status.
Before September rolled, Bayless got back at Cunningham:
“She quickly befriended Caitlin (Clark); that was smart. And then she assumed the role of Caitlin's on-court and in interviews defender and protector, or public defender. … Then, with the spotlight shining on Sophie 100 times better than ever before, she started making grand entrances into arenas, wearing spicy outfits, some of them provocative and very cool.”
Sophie Cunningham has never shied away from controversy. She has been fined by the WNBA for her comments about the officiating via her tweets or podcast. Only time will tell if she will throw another volley at Skip Bayless.
