Sophie Cunningham, a WNBA star who plays alongside Caitlin Clark at the Indiana Fever, has been credited with inspiring her former college's football team to victory—even though she was not at the game.
Cunningham, a former student at the University of Missouri, where she played basketball for the Missouri Tigers, remains closely connected to the college and often appears on the giant screen at Mizzou Tigers' football games. One recent appearance appeared to put a rival kicker off his game.
Jumbotron appearance precedes missed kick
As Ethan Head of Troy lined up a 54-yard field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter, Cunningham popped up on the jumbotron, pointing directly in Head's direction. He subsequently missed the kick, which, if successful, would have put Troy within one score of Missouri, who won 27-17.
The miss left fans in hysterics, convinced that Cunningham played a major part in her alma mater's victory. One joked on X: "This needs to become a trend." Another added: "When I saw this I was laughing so hard. I love it." A third commented: "This is 1000% awesome and a high-five to the person who thought of that." A fourth said: "This is going to be epic. Massive trolling incoming."
Cunningham's playoff push with the Fever
As for Cunningham's own sport, the talented guard looks set to play an influential role in the Fever's playoff campaign after logging her highest minute count in a game in over a month. With the regular season heading towards its conclusion, the Fever enjoyed a statement 96-77 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday. Clark and Kelsey Mitchell were unstoppable, with the former netting 27 points and the latter contributing 20.
Meanwhile, Cunningham made a significant impact off the bench, logging 29 minutes, shooting four-for-seven from the field, finishing with 11 points, two rebounds and two assists. It was her highest minute total since a mid-August overtime victory over the Atlanta Dream, when she clocked 32 minutes. Excluding overtime matches, Cunningham's last comparable minute tally dates back to June, during a victory over her former side, the Phoenix Mercury. The Fever are scheduled to face Minnesota again on Thursday.
Growing profile off the court
Cunningham has become a big name off the court too, being spotted at various sporting events and boasting more than 650,000 followers on Instagram. She recently confirmed she was in a long-term relationship with Frank Adams, the head athletic trainer for Grand Canyon University basketball. Adams previously played basketball at Young Harris College.
