Sophie Cunningham finger paints a vivid picture of MAGA mindset

     Unlike you, I've actually been to a WNBA game. Ten years ago, at the invite of a Chicago Sky publicist. I thought it would be fun outing for myself and my wife, and it was, in a low-key way. The crowd was small but enthusiastic. The action on the court was spirited. We had great seats — little tables on the floor behind the net, in fact. We got free popcorn, and an orange and white basketball signed by the lanky Sky star at the time, Elena Delle Donne, who powered the team past the Seattle Storm, 92 to 88.

     The game did not create in me a fervent interest in women's basketball. Which is not insult to women's sports. I'm not captivated by the men's NBA either.
     But even I have noticed the ongoing saga of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, whose presence has supercharged the league. Her opponents seem to really hate her, because of — and I base this on my professional research, not personal bias, so don't blame me for these options — 1) her raw talent; 2) her $28 million contract with Nike; 3) her heterosexual orientation; 4) her white race; or 5) all four.
     As a result Clark gets poked in the eye more than Curly Howard of the Three Stooges, and she is constantly being bludgeoned to the floor while refs gaze at the ceiling, if Instagram is any guide.
     All of which could still be safely left to the sports pages. But Instagram has a way of holding your face in certain cultural moments, and Sunday my feed was inexplicably filled with Clark's teammate, Sophie Cunningham, pointing her finger.
      That's it. Pointing. At an opponent. In a very cool, focused manner.
     Perhaps you've seen it. Perhaps some background is in order.

     In a June 22 game, Clark was issued a technical foul after scuffling with Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner. The call caused Cunningham to calmly point at Bonner, with an "I see you" look. Bonner started raging, and pointing herself, and demanding Cunningham stop pointing at her, prompting Cunningham to keep pointing, her face serene, rhythmically wagging her finger.
     It might have been another dust mote in the media whirlwind. But the image gained traction online, and on June 30 the White House jumped in, tweeting Cunningham talking about the incident on a podcast, paired it with Donald Trump, also pointing — because everything has to be about him.
     Now Cunningham's is the finger that launched a thousand memes.
     Cunningham crossing the Delaware in place of George Washington. Cunningham as Helen of Troy. Cunningham at the water's edge, ordering a boatload of dodgy looking refugees to "Go the fuck home."
     Why? Well, again theories: Cunningham is 1) tall and blonde, in the mold of the Fox News feminine ideal; 2) she's from Missouri, which led some to assume she's conservative, though there's no sign of that; 3) she's white, admonishing a Black player, causing some on Instagram to decide she's calling out DEI; 4) apparently straight, in a sport where that isn't always the case.
     Cue that patented mind-reading trick the right has perfected, Cunningham's viral moment was deemed a finger in the eye of sputtering liberals.

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