After her viral “enforcer” moment on Jacy Sheldon, Sophie Cunningham turned a $400 fine into a million-dollar social boost—leaving critics, and a failed petition, in total meltdown.

For a few days in mid-June, it seemed like Sophie Cunningham was about to be canceled. Instead, she got rich.

The Indiana Fever guard-forward, now infamous for a hard foul on Connecticut Sun rookie Jacy Sheldon, has gone from rotational role player to viral sensation—and she’s laughing all the way to the bank. A petition to ban her from the WNBA gathered a whopping 303 signatures before collapsing in digital obscurity. Meanwhile, Cunningham racked up nearly a million new followers across TikTok and Instagram and may have generated over a million dollars in merch and sponsor value—practically overnight.

Not bad for a $400 flagrant foul.

The Play Heard ’Round the League

The moment came during a heated rematch between the Fever and the Sun—a game already loaded with tension due to a prior eye-gouging incident involving Caitlin Clark. When Jacy Sheldon delivered another suspiciously aggressive swipe, Cunningham stepped in with what fans now call the “Steven Seagal special”—a spin and takedown that led to an immediate ejection.

She didn’t flinch. In fact, she monetized.

“It’s a Joke”—And a Viral One

Cunningham responded to her ejection with a TikTok video using a Selena Gomez song and the caption, “It’s a joke. The sound was too fitting. Happy game day.”

The post racked up over 3.1 million views in under 24 hours.

Then came the numbers: 700,000 new TikTok followers, 244,000 new Instagram followers, and jersey listings on the official team store marked “unavailable” until July 8. The fever—no pun intended—was real.

According to digital marketing agency STN Digital, the social media surge equates to more than $1 million in promotional value. Her existing sponsored posts, once priced around $10,000, could now command $30,000 each. With brands like Adidas and Quest Nutrition already in her corner, Cunningham’s stock just went through the roof.

The Petition That Went Nowhere

Meanwhile, the “Ban Sophie Cunningham” petition—reportedly launched by furious anti-Fever fans—went viral only in the minds of its creators. As of Friday, the Change.org effort had stalled at just 303 signatures. For context, most Fever highlights easily eclipse that in YouTube views within minutes.

One sports commentator put it bluntly: “That petition is in shambles. Her haters are punching air while she’s signing checks.”

Ouch.

Merch, Money, and Momentum

Beyond follower counts, Cunningham may have already become the second-best jersey seller in the league behind—who else?—Caitlin Clark. Fever merchandise sources estimate that in the 72 hours following the Sheldon incident, Cunningham jerseys either sold out or went on backorder in most sizes.

“It’s unprecedented growth,” said Addison Abdu, her representative and Senior Director of Sports at PRP. “We’ve worked with athletes who’ve gone viral before, but this pace, this type of momentum—it’s new territory.”

And with WNBA All-Star voting open through June 28, many fans believe Cunningham could see a spike in votes, driven not by her stats, but by her story: from overlooked veteran to cultural lightning rod.

The Enforcer Era?

In February, when Indiana signed Cunningham to a reported one-year, $100,000 deal, few outside Missouri or Phoenix noticed. Now, she’s being called “The Enforcer” in online comment sections, TikTok hashtags, and fan-made graphics.

And for good reason. Whether intentional or not, Cunningham has filled a void in the WNBA: the gritty, unapologetic player who brings both physicality and personality to a league desperate for viral moments that don’t involve referees ignoring Caitlin Clark getting elbowed.

The blowback from her foul hasn’t dented her image—it’s forged it.

Final Word

In a league where controversy and competition often collide, Sophie Cunningham has flipped the playbook. She turned a technical into traction, a foul into followers, and a scolding into sponsorship.

And while her critics tried to cancel her with a petition, they instead handed her the best PR campaign money couldn’t buy.

Sometimes, the best revenge isn’t silence—it’s success.