{
  "id": 13450694,
  "title": "Sophie Cunningham to Athletic Column Calling for Fever Exit: ‘Suck It’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/sophie-cunningham-to-athletic-column-calling-for-fever-exit-suck-it",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-10T15:45:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sophie-cunningham-athletic-column-calling-154502840.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In response to a column in The Athletic, Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham declared, \"Suck it.\" On her No Hestitation podcast, Cunningham responded to a piece by Athletic columnist Candace Buckner, stating she is not worth the \"circus\" she generates around the Fever. Cunningham, an unrestricted free agent, averaged fewer than 8 points per game this season off the bench. The column noted that she contributed to the culture war surrounding transgender athletes, impacting the Fever and Caitlin Clark's experience. Buckner claimed that Cunningham's influence was the reason the Fever and Clark became secondary to a bench player with strong opinions. Cunningham fired back on her podcast, dismissing her critics as \"thirsty\" for attention and emphasizing that she will continue to \"do me.\" Her podcast partner, Drew Hanlen, described The Athletic's story as an \"absolute hate piece.\" Cunningham's outspoken nature has led to another media war on her Unsupervised podcast, where former Fever guard Sydney Colson called her out for her transgender comments. Cunningham averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists this season with the Fever, who were eliminated in the first round of the 2026 WNBA playoffs. Her $665,000, one-year contract with the Fever expired at the end of the regular season. Over her eight-year WNBA career, she has earned $1.3 million in salary with the Fever and Phoenix Mercury.",
  "summary": "WNBA star fires back at critical column by The Athletic.",
  "key_points": [
    "Sophie Cunningham responds to The Athletic column with \"Suck it\"",
    "Cunningham criticizes her influence on Fever culture war and Caitlin Clark's experience",
    "Cunningham's $665,000 contract expired after 2026 WNBA playoff elimination"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Front Office Sports",
        "title": "Sophie Cunningham to Athletic Column Calling for Fever Exit: ‘Suck It’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/sophie-cunningham-to-athletic-column-calling-for-fever-exit-suck-it-13451635",
        "published": "2026-10-10T15:45:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}