{"id":711843,"date":"2026-06-18T16:59:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T16:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/711843\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T16:59:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T16:59:23","slug":"sophie-cunningham-is-willing-to-sacrifice-her-knees-to-earn-more-money-in-the-wnba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/711843\/","title":{"rendered":"Sophie Cunningham is willing to \u2018sacrifice\u2019 her knees to earn more money in the WNBA"},"content":{"rendered":"

The WNBA\u2019s <\/a>rapid rise continues to reshape the league in significant ways, and one of the biggest changes on the horizon is an expanded regular-season schedule.<\/p>\n

Beginning in 2027, teams will play 50 regular-season games instead of 44, creating additional revenue opportunities but also increasing the physical demands on players.<\/p>\n

Sophie Cunningham Discusses Team Travel Logistics and Calls for Improvements<\/p>\n

Indiana Fever <\/a>guard Sophie Cunningham understands both sides of the equation. While she admits the added workload could take a toll on athletes, she believes the league\u2019s financial growth justifies the extra commitment.<\/p>\n

Cunningham addressed the topic during an appearance on USA Sports Broadcast, where she gave a candid assessment of how the expansion could affect players physically.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy knees are already starting to hurt a little bit more,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cI\u2019m just going to say that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if we\u2019re going to be getting paid that amount of money, then you\u2019re expected to play more games. I think it\u2019s fair. I think you\u2019re going to see the season expand into November, and I\u2019m all for it. If you\u2019re getting paid that, then you\u2019ve got to put a product out there for longer for people to enjoy. I\u2019m all for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her comments come as the WNBA enters one of the most transformative periods in its history.<\/p>\n

Attendance records continue to fall, television ratings have surged, and sponsorship interest has never been stronger.<\/p>\n

The league\u2019s new media-rights agreement, reportedly worth more than $3 billion, is expected to generate significantly more revenue and eventually lead to larger player salaries.<\/p>\n

For Cunningham, that reality changes the conversation.<\/p>\n

Rather than opposing a longer schedule, she sees it as part of the natural evolution of a league that is finally beginning to receive the financial backing many players have sought for years.<\/p>\n

Growth brings opportunity, and new challenges<\/p>\n

The expanded schedule is designed to capitalize on growing fan demand, but it also raises legitimate concerns about player health.<\/p>\n

Injuries became a major talking point after the WNBA moved to a 44-game season. Numerous stars missed time throughout the year, including Indiana teammate Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.<\/p>\n

Cunningham herself dealt with an MCL injury that sidelined her late in the season and prevented her from participating in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The concern is not simply about individual injuries but cumulative wear and tear. More games mean more travel, more back-to-backs, and fewer recovery opportunities throughout the season.<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon acknowledged those concerns while supporting the league\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is what it is. It\u2019s the growth of the league,\u201d Hammon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at it in that lens, it\u2019s good. We\u2019ll have to see if they allow even more roster spots and stuff like that, because that\u2019s a lot of wear and tear on a group, especially when you start mixing in World Cup and all this other stuff. But more money, more games. That\u2019s the way it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hammon\u2019s comments reflect a growing discussion around roster expansion. As the WNBA adds games and welcomes new franchises, many around the league believe larger rosters will become necessary to help manage player workloads.<\/p>\n

The scheduling itself could also become more complicated. Several WNBA teams share arenas with NBA franchises, meaning a longer season may push games deeper into the fall and create more competition for venue availability.<\/p>\n

Despite those concerns, league leadership remains optimistic.<\/p>\n

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently pointed to unprecedented fan interest as a major reason behind the decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemand for the WNBA has never been greater, and expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league,\u201d Engelbert said.<\/p>\n

The financial benefits are difficult to ignore. More games create additional television inventory, increased sponsorship opportunities, and extra home dates that generate ticket revenue.<\/p>\n

Those factors could ultimately lead to larger salaries and stronger revenue-sharing opportunities for players.<\/p>\n

The expansion of the schedule also aligns with the league\u2019s broader growth strategy. The WNBA plans to add additional franchises before the end of the decade, creating a larger national footprint and further increasing demand for content.<\/p>\n

For Cunningham, the tradeoff is straightforward. The longer season may put extra stress on players’ bodies, but it also represents progress for a league that has spent decades fighting for greater visibility and compensation.<\/p>\n

If achieving that growth means putting a few extra miles on her knees, the Fever guard appears more than willing to make that sacrifice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The WNBA\u2019s rapid rise continues to reshape the league in significant ways, and one of the biggest changes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":708089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-711843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/708089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}