Sophie Cunningham’s pointing meme is more than just a moment – it’s a movement in women’s sports

I’m not a huge sports person – but I know a good meme when I see one. The one catching my attention lately is Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham pointing her finger with fervor at Phoenix Mercury forward-guard DeWanna Bonner.

The Fever-Mercury game on June 22 was very heated. There were five technical fouls and one ejection during the game that stemmed from one incident.

TL;DR: Bonner and Fever guard Caitlin Clark got into a physical altercation during a play, but only Clark received a personal foul. Cunningham, finding the call to be unfair, made her point heard by staring down Bonner and following her around the court while pointing. Bonner pointed back at Cunningham, and then officials had to separate them to halt any further escalation.

Millions witnessed the result of this scuffle in one way or another. What’s really crazy is that this moment is part of a culmination of seemingly unfair calls against Clark this season. She’s gotten five technical fouls in just 16 games. If she gets eight total, she will have to sit out of a future game. Cunningham’s entertaining moment brings up controversies about referees' seemingly unfair treatment of players.

Another interesting point (no pun intended) in this incident is how incredibly viral it went. Personally, I can’t think of any memes that have come from the league BCC (before Caitlin Clark). What I do think of is the flurry of attention the WNBA has gotten since drafting icons like Angel Reese, Cunningham, and Clark.

The rise of Caitlin Clark & WNBA memes

I’ve followed Clark for a while now, both as a journalist and fellow Iowan. When I started working in news back in 2019, my station in Des Moines covered her quite a bit. She was a star player at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines and had her pick of colleges. Ultimately, she picked the University of Iowa.

Clark stunned on the court with the Hawkeyes. The NCAA reported back in 2023 that Clark was the only player in NCAA women’s tournament history to score 40 points in back-to-back games. She also set a single tournament scoring record with 191 points, passing the previous record of 177 back in 1993. In short, she’s freaking got it.

With Clark’s remarkable skill, the Hawks reached the Final Four of March Madness in 2023. It was the first time the team made it that far in the tournament since 1993. It was the game against Louisiana State University that sparked the memeification of Caitlin Clark.

I think most of us meme-ologists know the “Can’t See Me” John Cena meme. If you don’t, it’s just pro wrestler John Cena waving his hand in front of his face as he says “you can’t see me.” Clark adopted this meme as her own during March Madness and used it repeatedly against her opponents, like LSU’s Angel Reese.

Their rivalry was unmatched during March Madness. The two went head-to-head in the regular season, so the game was a must-see for fans. Reese, seemingly annoyed by Clark, parroted the gesture back at her during their Final Four game. Clips and images of these moments went viral across the internet, sparking discussion on sportsmanship in women’s basketball.

These moments went viral for the same reason as Cunningham’s pointing – it was pure entertainment and easily applicable for others to use for their own jokes. It’s also very important to note the “Caitlin Clark Effect.” As Clark’s notoriety increased, so did ticket sales and interest in women’s basketball.

Here is a look at “WNBA” vs “Caitlin Clark” on Google Trends over the last five years. The search topics tended to go hand-in-hand once Clark was drafted into the league in 2024.

Meanwhile, Cunningham’s name only recently started trending alongside the WNBA in the last five years.

Cunningham started trending more around the time she was crowned as Clark’s “protector” on the court. Her name has become synonymous with Clark’s as the pair’s teamwork and friendship garners more eyes from moments like this. Cunningham is also speaking out against the WNBA for not doing something to protect Clark from being targeted on the court.

So, what is up with these memes?

Overall, sports memes are witty and easily relatable, even for those who may not understand the ins and outs of a particular sport.

What’s even more interesting is that memes like this draw people into a sport they aren’t too familiar with. Yes, I did play junior high basketball, but my 13-year-old brain barely understood what was going on then. Because of this meme, I know what a technical foul is and some of the political aspects of playing the game.

I would be doing a disservice if I didn’t mention other women’s sports memes that have gone viral in the last few years. Meme queens Ilona Maher, Simone Biles, and Alysa Liu are just a few icons that have become household names for their sportsmanship and authenticity in the sports world.

Liu is a very recent example from this year – several of her reactions, performances, and other moments became very memeable during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. My favorite one is the image of her jumping on the podium after winning gold.

To me, these memes also celebrate girlhood. A lot of the time, women and girls are expected to be gentler, poised, and more professional than our male counterparts. It’s exhilarating to see athletes represent other shades of being a woman in a world dominated by men’s athleticism and sometimes brutalism in competitive sports.

What’s the point, then?

Moments like these bring a lot of recognition to the player, team, and platform where they’re shared and discussed. This Sophie Cunningham meme is the perfect example of how a simple gesture can be personalized into a reaction that is applicable in nearly every situation. Besides that, the moment itself is inspiring more discussion about the WNBA and controversies that the players face on the court.

It’s a very refreshing sight when a woman can “act out” and be celebrated for it rather than demonized. May the WNBA continue to delight us with memes like this from every player, and may women’s sports celebrate the athletes behind the memes forever.