“It’s a Joke”: Sophie Cunningham GoFundMe raises $5000 as Fevers guard's quip about fines goes viral

Sophie Cunningham, Indiana Fever guard, has been in the news both on and off the court following some tongue-in-cheek fundraising campaign which she started that has exploded virally.

The campaign, started on Thursday, October 2, had initially intended to raise $1 million to cover Cunningham's numerous fines this WNBA season. The fines included a fine for a scuffle with Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon and for public comments she had made criticizing officiating on social media and her podcast Show Me Something.

The GoFundMe campaign which was titled "It’s a joke …," quickly went viral online, and within hours, donations started to come in, totaling over $5,000 by Friday morning. Cunningham quickly clarified, saying she would pay her fines herself and donate the money to charity instead.

"A yacht would be nice, but whatever we raise here will be going directly to Ronald McDonald House Charities. I’ll take care of my own fines. Y'all are the best," she wrote on X.

To be clear, whatever we raise here will be going directly to Ronald McDonald House Charities. I’ll take care of my own fines. Y'all are the best though🫶🏼

— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) October 2, 2025

Cunningham's light-hearted fundraiser is occurring against the backdrop of increasing discontent around the WNBA. There has been continual discontent with the level of officiating in the WNBA this season, as players, coaches and analysts have raised the issue continuously throughout the season.

A season marked by tension and Sophie Cunningham's response

In the past year, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve received a monetary punishment when she rushed onto the court to challenge a call after Napheesa Collier, her key forward, was injured.

Just after the Lynx were eliminated from the playoffs, Collier, who is also the vice president of the WNBA Players Association, condemned the leadership in the league when she said WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert gave "the worst leadership in the world."

Collier alleged that Engelbert, among other issues, does not care about players’ complaints about the officiating and the finances. Engelbert supposedly told Collier that “the only people that complain about the refs are losers.”

"leadership just issues fines and looks the other way. They ignore the issues that everyone inside the game is begging to be fixed. That is negligence," Napheesa Collier said in a statement.

Napheesa Collier’s full statement today, where she challenged Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA with directness and stunning detail we rarely hear from active players. Worth listening to every word. pic.twitter.com/IRTvTc52EA

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) September 30, 2025

When speaking with the media on Thursday, Cunningham again shared the collective frustration.

"I’m just tired of our league... Our leadership from top to bottom needs to be held accountable. I think there are a lot of people in positions of power in the WNBA who might be really great business people, but they don’t know s–t about basketball," Sophie Cunningham stated.

Even though Cunningham did not expressly name Engelbert, her comments contributed to the swell of criticism in the direction of the commissioner. Caitlin Clark also added her support to Collier’s comments earlier, calling this “the most important in this league’s history.”

Although Sophie Cunningham emphasized her GoFundMe was satirical, the fundraising initiative went viral and exhibited the disparity with WNBA players and the league's leaders. It also showed how players are finding new ways to express their frustrations while getting the support of fans.