Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has sparked reactions from Cleveland and Detroit after questioning the WNBA’s decision to expand to those cities. On Tuesday, Cunningham expressed doubt about how excited people would be to visit Cleveland or Detroit. In response, Cleveland’s social media highlighted Fever star Caitlin Clark’s positive comments about the city during the 2024 Final Four. Detroit’s account emphasized its strong sports culture and the former Shock franchise’s attendance success. The WNBA announced Monday that Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia will host new teams by 2030, expanding to 18 teams. Toronto and Portland are set to join next season.
CLEVELAND (AP) — The folks in Cleveland and Detroit are pushing back on Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham with some civic pride after Cunningham questioned the league's choice of expansion to those markets.
The social media accounts for each city posted responses to Cunningham, who said Tuesday she wasn't sure “how excited people are to be going to Detroit or (Cleveland).”
The X account for Cleveland posted a video of Fever star Caitlin Clark talking about having a good time in Cleveland during the 2024 Final Four in college, noting: “Sophie, your teammate doesn't seem to think Cleveland is too bad!”
As for Detroit, the city posted on X about the former Shock franchise's strong attendance record and noted: “Detroit is a sports town.”
The WNBA on Monday announced its plans to add three more expansion teams by 2030. The league already had plans to add franchises in Toronto and Portland next season. The three new teams will play in Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030), giving the league 18 teams.
Cunningham, a seven-year veteran who spent her first six years in Phoenix, expressed skepticism over the latest choices, two of which — Cleveland and Detroit — have already seen WNBA franchises come and go.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba
