'Stupid,' 'slow,' 'useless'? Fever's Sophie Cunningham fined for TikTok poking fun at WNBA refs
But the league has decided players using references to "some refs" being "stupid," "slow" or "useless" on social media won't stand.
Indiana Fever starter Sophie Cunningham posted Wednesday she was fined $500 for her TikTok post lip-synching to Sabrina Carpenter's "Manchild."
The clip included the lyrics: "Stupid/Or is it ... slow?/Maybe it's ... useless"
Cunningham posted: "this is funny to me… like ok 👍🏼 you got it bud! Cause there's not more important things to be worried about with our league right now"
On June 18, Fever coach Stephanie White took the officials to task, saying: "Everybody's getting better, except the officials. So we got to find a way to remedy it. I mean, you've heard every coach talk about it, so I don't know what the answer is.'
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said ahead of the All-Star Game the league evaluates officials every game, and they're looking into ways to improve it.
'We hear the concerns, we take that input, and every play is reviewed, we spend hours and hours on hours,' Engelbert said. 'Obviously, we then use that to follow up with officials training. Obviously, consistency is important … I realize consistency is the name of the game, so I think it's something we definitely look at and evaluate.'
The league and the players' association have begun negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement. The current one ends after this season. Players wore "Pay us what you owe us" T-shirts before last weekend's All-Star Game.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
22 minutes ago
- New York Post
Mets' Starling Marte ‘didn't miss a beat' in return from injury
Access the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Try it free SAN FRANCISCO — Starling Marte was contributing offensively for the Mets before he hit the injured list in early July, and since his return, he has regained that momentum. The veteran DH now has six hits in his 10 at-bats since his activation from the IL last week after going 2-for-3 with a walk in the Mets' 5-3 win over the Giants on Sunday. Marte missed two weeks after receiving a gel injection for discomfort in his right knee. 'He's been huge,' manager Carlos Mendoza said before the victory. 'He continues to give us solid at-bats against lefties, righties. He goes down and missed a few days, and then he comes back and seems like he didn't miss a beat.' 3 Starling Marte #6 of the New York Mets reacts after hitting a double in the top of the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on July 26, 2025 in San Francisco, California. Getty Images Marte entered play with a .262/.364/.412 slash line with four homers and 20 RBIs. In the starting lineup again Sunday, Marte reached base three times for the second straight day. Mendoza's other option would have been to start Mark Vientos as the DH. 'I am going to try to keep [Marte] in the lineup, but at the same time, I am going to continue to monitor him,' Mendoza said. 'I'm going to continue to give him days off and get his feedback. He's usually pretty honest with us, so we'll go game by game and series by series.' 3 Starling Marte #6, Juan Soto #22 and Ronny Mauricio #10 of the New York Mets celebrates in the dugout after Soto hit a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the seventh inning at Oracle Park on July 27, 2025 in San Francisco, California. Getty Images Paul Blackburn was sharp in a potential final rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse. The right-hander allowed one earned run on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk over 6 ¹/₃ innings. Blackburn, who is rehabbing a shoulder impingement, could next rejoin the team as a long reliever/sixth starter, but Mendoza indicated a decision won't be reached until at least Monday. Delivering insights on all things Amazin's Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Edwin Díaz extended his scoreless streak to 17 innings since June 6 by pitching a scoreless ninth Sunday. He loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter but pitched out of trouble to earn his 23rd save in 25 chances this season. 3 Mets pitcher Edwin Díaz celebrates against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, July 27, 2025. AP The All-Star closer has allowed only one earned run over his past 32 appearances, owning a 4-0 record with 17 saves since April 23. Jose Siri, who has been sidelined since April with a fractured left tibia, still isn't close to resuming baseball activities, but it's still expected he will play again this season, according to Mendoza. Siri's workouts have consisted of running in a pool to strengthen the leg.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The reason Wings' Paige Bueckers isn't playing vs. Aces
The post The reason Wings' Paige Bueckers isn't playing vs. Aces appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Dallas Wings will play the first of a back-to-back at home on Sunday afternoon against the Las Vegas Aces. Wings guard Paige Bueckers has been ruled out, as Dallas looks to get her a rest day. There was no injury listed, so the assumption is that Bueckers will be available for Monday night's game against the New York Liberty. However, the Wings' injury report for that game will not be released until Monday. Myisha Hines-Allen (leg), Maddy Siegrist (knee) and Tyasha Harris (knee) have also been ruled out for Sunday's game in addition to Bueckers. Bueckers hinted that she may not participate in back-to-backs earlier in the season due to a lingering knee issue, and sure enough she is being held out of Sunday's contest for rest-related purposes. 'I've been dealing with patellar tendinitis since I was in high school,' Bueckers told reporters in early July in reference to missing the second of a back-to-back. 'In a sense, you're managing it at all times. There's no day where it probably doesn't hurt. But to be on the second night of a back-to-back where I just played 38 minutes, it usually never feels great the day after the game. 'But we usually either have an off day or a light practice day to where I can recover… Assuming I would either have to play a lot of minutes or be managed, we thought it was the smart thing to do to rest and recover.' So why have Paige Bueckers play on Monday (assuming she's available for the Liberty clash) as opposed to Sunday? Well, the Aces are just 12-13 and have been struggling in recent action. Meanwhile, the Liberty entered their game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks with a 17-6 record, good for first place in the Eastern Conference. Only the Wings know why they made their decision, but perhaps Dallas simply preferred to have Bueckers available against the best team in the East as opposed to a mediocre team in the West. That is only speculation, however. Regardless, Bueckers will certainly be missed on Sunday afternoon. The Wings will try to get the job done despite her absence at 4 PM EST in Arlington, TX. Related: Li Yueru gets 100% real on trade request from Storm to Wings Related: Paige Bueckers reveals dream sponsorship she'd use to 'get the most'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Golden State Valkyries vs. Connecticut Sun: live game updates, stats, play-by-play
Tina Charles scored 24 points, Bria Hartley and Marina Mabrey both added 15 and the last-place Connecticut Sun rolled to a 95-64 win over the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday. The Sun (4-20) had a season high for points thanks to season bests of 12 3-pointers, 53% overall shooting (35 of 66) and 14 steals. French rookie Leila Lacan had six steals in just her sixth game.
