As Sophie Cunningham has leaned in to a role as Caitlin Clark’s proverbial on-court bodyguard, her marketability is soaring.
The Indiana Fever guard is set to announce a podcast deal with Colin Cowherd’s The Volume digital media company today, Front Office Sports has learned.
Cunningham will cohost Show Me Something with sports reporter turned reality show star West Wilson of Bravo’s Summer House. (The two high-school friends grew up together in Columbia, Mo.) Launching today, their weekly podcast will feature guests from the worlds of entertainment, sports, and lifestyle.
“It’s an exciting time for the WNBA, and we’re thrilled to grow The Volume’s portfolio with a show that celebrates women’s sports, pop culture, and friendship,” Dane Aagaard, chief revenue officer for The Volume, said in a statement to FOS.
Cunningham’s deal with Cowherd’s company is only the latest in a banner summer. Playing alongside Clark, a WNBA supernova, has shone a sizable spotlight on Cunningham. Ever since she stood up for Clark by brawling with the Connecticut Sun’s Jacy Sheldon and Lindsay Allen on June 17, her stock has exploded with media companies as well as Madison Avenue.
The podcast debuted with a bang Wednesday, with Cunningham saying that it “really pisses me off” when people say Clark is “not the face of the league.”
“There’s really good, well-known people in the league,” she said. “I’m not discrediting them. We have a lot of badasses in our league…But when people try to argue that she’s not the face of our league, or that our league would be where we’re at without her, you’re dumb as shit. You’re literally dumb as fuck.”
The seventh-year guard is averaging seven points a game halfway through her first season with Indiana.
The 28-year-old’s enforcer image and social-media hot takes give her an edge. That’s increasingly appealing to media platforms and marketers looking for rising stars. Consider:
- Playing off her reputation as the Fever’s defender, home-security company Ring signed Cunningham to an endorsement deal. “In light of recent events, you guys know how serious I am about protecting my girls on the court,” says Cunningham in a Ring promotional video. “But what’s protecting my home court, aka my actual home? The obvious choice is Ring.”
- Cunningham just made waves by showing up for a game against the archrival Chicago Sky on July 27 wearing a T-shirt declaring, “Hot Girls Eat Arby’s.” Cunningham then fired off a cheeky Instagram post for her new sponsor, noting, “look who has the meats now #ArbysPartner.” Besides Ring and Arby’s, Cunningham is also sponsored by Adidas.
- Cunningham’s social media profile has exploded with fans since she positioned herself as a protector and friend of Fever phenom Clark. She’s up to 1.6 million followers on TikTok, 1.1 million on Instagram, and 188,000 on X/Twitter.
If Cunningham ever wants to try a different league, Women of Wrestling (WOW) founder David McLane wants to hire the Fever enforcer. “She’s the Marty McSorley to Wayne Gretzky—and she is a stunning athlete,” he said.
