How did being a good teammate become so controversial?

How did Sophie Cunningham simply living her life and being a good teammate turn into a reason for somebody to say she should lose her job? That is really what we are talking about here. Candace Buckner of The Athletic says the Indiana Fever should move on from Cunningham because she has become “too combustible” and her opinions are “too turbulent” to be paired with Caitlin Clark.

And once again, Cunningham is back in the headlines not because of something she did, but because of what someone else is saying about her. The reaction to Buckner’s column then became its own story.

But what does “too combustible” really mean? It is hard to square with what Cunningham has actually done. She stood up for a teammate, became popular because fans appreciated it, and later answered questions about what she believes. Other people took those answers and turned them into weapons in a culture war basketball is now deeply embroiled in.

Go back to where this started. Cunningham did not become famous because she went looking for a political fight. She became famous after Caitlin Clark was poked in the eye and knocked to the floor during a physical game against Connecticut, and Cunningham made it clear she had her teammate’s back. Fans noticed, and her Instagram following jumped by nearly 300,000, her TikTok following climbed from about 300,000 to more than 1.2 million. Her Fever jersey also sold out.

That is the irony here. Buckner says Indiana needs to get back to basketball, but Cunningham’s rise into the spotlight started with basketball. She was being a good teammate on the court.

Then came a........

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