MAGA Barbie”: Sophie Cunningham Desperately Tries To Clear The Air Amid Backlash From Fans (VIDEO)…
In the high-stakes world of the WNBA, few names ignite as much fury as Sophie Cunningham. The Indiana Fever guard, a seven-year veteran known for her sharpshooting and unapologetic fire, has long been dogged by the moniker “MAGA Barbie”—a biting label born from whispers of her conservative leanings. It all traces back to 2024, when she reposted a Donald Trump Jr. video slamming Kamala Harris amid hurricane chaos, and resurfaced clips showed teammate Natasha Cloud declaring their friendship over Cunningham’s alleged Trump vote. Fast-forward to July 2025: The league’s expansion to Cleveland and Detroit sparked her offhand critique—”Miami, Nashville, Kansas City would draw fans better”—which fans twisted into elitist snobbery against Rust Belt cities. Social media erupted, dubbing her remarks “MAGA-coded” and amplifying the Barbie taunts.
The backlash peaked this week when Phoenix Mercury’s schedule-release video featured Cunningham recreating awkward family photos with teammates. What was meant as quirky fun detonated into outrage: “Quit shoving MAGA Barbie in our face!” trended on X, with memes flooding timelines. Critics resurfaced her follows of right-wing figures like Candace Owens, while supporters hailed her as a “centrist” warrior against “woke” overreach. Even Angel Reese’s superfan, Mariah Rose, piled on, calling out the “controversial” guard’s history.
Enter Cunningham’s response: a terse, two-minute TikTok video dropped Tuesday night, her blonde hair tousled, voice steady but eyes flashing defiance. “I’m right down the middle politically—no extremes, no agendas,” she insists, pivoting to her roots. “Grew up in Columbia, Missouri, cheering for the Tigers. This league lifted me; I lift it back. Labels don’t define me—hoops do.” She name-drops her Caitlin Clark enforcer role from that infamous Sun brawl, framing herself as a team-first fighter, not a partisan puppet.<grok:render card_id=”a51e5a” card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> No apology for the expansion shade or Trump ties—just a crisp call to “focus on the game.”
The clip has racked up 2.5 million views, but the air isn’t cleared; it’s crackling. Supporters flood comments with fire emojis: “Queen slaying the haters! #MAGAorNotWeLoveYou.” Detractors? Ruthless. “Desperate damage control from Trump’s WNBA mole,” one viral reply sneers, while another quips, “Middle? Your feed says red all day.” X threads dissect every frame, from her subtle red hat nod (or is it?) to Cloud’s stony silence in recent team pics.<grok:render card_id=”558a27″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”>
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</grok:render> Sponsors like those cheering her Clark defense now eye the optics warily, per insiders.
Cunningham’s saga underscores the WNBA’s cultural tightrope: a league thriving on social justice cred, yet roiled by players’ personal politics. As the Fever chase playoffs at 8-8, can she rebound from this? Or will “MAGA Barbie” stick like court-side gum? One thing’s certain—the online arena’s more brutal than any All-Star clash. Watch her full response below and decide for yourself.
