CLEVELAND, Ohio — Or should I say, Cincinnati. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham confused the two cities when asked about WNBA expansion this week. And she has better homes in mind for the league’s new teams.
“... You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?” Cunningham told reporters. “Are they gonna get excited to play and draw fans? I do think that Miami would’ve been a great one. Everyone loves Florida. Nashville is an amazing city.
“... But man, I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or Cincinnati.”
We interrupt this boring page of an old playbook — Miami over Cleveland, revolutionary idea — to bring you a silver lining: Cunningham’s Cleveland potshot will hasten the new franchise’s rise, even if it hurts fans’ feelings today.
No need for Land-splaining Cleveland’s rich theater district, underrated foodie scene or host of cool museums to Cunningham (though you’d think an Indiana resident would understand that “flyover country” is filled with hidden gems). Nope. Today we’re saying thank you for the fuel that escapes so many expansion teams.
Three years before tip-off (2028), the Cleveland WNBA fanbase already has a rival, a rallying cry, a reason to unite.
New fans need someone to sports hate.
Disclaimer: Sports hate stays on the court. Boo Cunningham, call out her airballs, root against her Indiana Fever this postseason. But let’s leave it at that. Cool?
Cool. Because when channeled correctly, the tension between road villains and home fans creates a concert of fiery crowd interactions.
Think cupped ears to a quieted arena or hard fouls that look dirty when committed by the wrong player. Listen to the home fans raise their roar as a road villain argues with the ref. When the official blows their whistle and signals a “T,” the volume peaks.
Poetry.
The best crowd villain verses require patience, however, even for a city with WNBA history. Yes, the old Cleveland Rockers (keep this name, please) encountered their own enemies from 1997-2003. But most of those threads have been cut two decades later. New teams need time to develop an identity, bolster a fanbase and identify what (or who) those fans don’t like.
Not this one. Not after Cunningham called out Detroit and, um, that town in Ohio. What’d you say the name was? Cincinnati?
Try Cleveland, the new home of pro women’s basketball, where fans show more passion than South Florida gets sun. Cunningham will learn soon enough. Just give it a few seasons.
By 2028, the crowd at Rocket Arena will be waiting for her. Fans will recall her dismissive comments. And they will have a reply.
Until then, save your breath correcting her Midwestern misnomers. We see you, Cavs star Donovan Mitchell. You too, Cavs/future WNBA team owner Dan Gilbert. We appreciate your social media defenses of Cleveland’s summers and sports ecosystems.
But leave some room for the city to stand up for itself. Let the fans greet their own villain. And leave Cunningham a thank-you note for the WNBA buzz she generated in town.
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