A video of the national anthem being played ahead of the Indiana Fever‘s recent meeting with the Atlanta Dream has been going viral this week.
The Fever came away with the win, but the on-field action has not really been the main topic of discussion in the days since.
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Instead, a lot of it has centred around Sophie Cunningham being the only player to put her hand on her heart as the national anthem was playing.
Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Sophie Cunningham praised after national anthem video shared
In the clip which has been shared by multiple accounts on X/Twitter, Cunningham is standing slightly away from the rest of her teammates, none of whom have their hands raised.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Dream squad are not believed to have taken to the court while the anthem was ongoing.
This has led to Cunningham receiving praise, while the WNBA has faced backlash.
One fan asked: “Why is the other team not on the court? What is wrong with the WNBA??”
A second fan tweeted: “Sophie Cunningham is the only good thing about the WNBA. Will support her but done with everything else.”
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“God Bless her. No excuse for the others. Disgusting,” added another.
A fourth commented: “Sophie stood alone with hand on heart. That quiet move speaks loud.”
Another suggested: “Totally disrespectful. Let them go live over in Europe or anywhere else and let’s see how they feel then.”
“She’s Americas Sweetheart!! We stand behind you,” added a sixth while tagging Cunningham on X.
A seventh wrote: “Why won’t these people just leave the country for the one they respect? Shame on @WNBA.”
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