Sophie Cunningham/TikTok Sophie Cunninghamis laughing off a fine from the WNBA that she got for criticizing the league's referees in a TikTok. The Indiana Fever star, 28, said on social media Wednesday, July 23 that she was fined $500 overthe video, which she originally shared on Friday on TikTok. The video saw Cunningham in a hotel room singing along to a verse from Sabrina Carpenter's hit "Manchild," which includes the lyrics: "Stupid, or is it slow? Maybe it's: useless." The Fever shooting guard wrote the caption "@ some refs" over the video. In a follow-uppostWednesday, Cunningham blasted the league's decision to fine her over the video. "I got fined $500 for this TikTok," Cunningham wrote alongside a pair of crying laughing emojis. "Idk why this is funny to me… like ok [thumbs up emoji] you got it bud! Cause there's not more important things to be worried about with our league right now." Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty The debate over the WNBA's referees has been the talk of the 2025 season thus far. Last week, ESPN wrotean expansive pieceabout the criticism over the league's officiating made by players and coaches across the WNBA, which pointed to several instances during the first half of the season in which "tensions over officiating have boiled over" on the court. In recent weeks alone, WNBA superstar — and Cunningham's teammate — Caitlin Clark got into a heated exchange with a referee and needed to be held back from continuing to argue with the official. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reesesaidthe league's issues with officiating "has to be fixed" after one frustrating game earlier this month in which she felt there was an imbalance of foul calls against her team. "I am tired of this s---," Reese said. Last month, Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum called the officiating "f–----- absurd." And Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakaseechoedthe calls of many around the league when she said during a recent press conference that players and coaches are "begging for consistency" in WNBA's officiating after a game against the Phoenix Mercury came down to a free throw. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Controversy surrounding referees is nothing new in sports, but as the WNBA grows in popularity and viewership, more scrutiny has also fallen upon the league to increase the quality of its on-the-court product."Everybody's getting better, except the officials," Cunningham said last month, according to theIndianapolis Star. "So we got to find a way to remedy it. I mean, you've heard every coach talk about it, so I don't know what the answer is." During an interview ahead of the WNBA All-Star game earlier this month, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert appeared to signal that change is coming soon, according to the newspaper, telling reporters, "we hear the concerns." "Obviously, consistency is important," the commissioner said. "I realize consistency is the name of the game, so I think it's something we definitely look at and evaluate." Read the original article onPeople
