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Sophie Cunningham dishes out some brutal honesty for her WNBA peers & coach high school football for $180K!
Sophie Cunningham criticised missed lay-ups in the WNBA, calling them a joke and rejecting explanations based on players’ size or athleticism. The article presents her comments as a blunt challenge to her peers, while its author agrees that misses close to the basket are noticeable.
The column also touches on Indiana coach Curt Cignetti’s criticism of how ESPN treats SEC teams in its College Football Playoff rankings, and a high-school football coaching vacancy in Alabama advertised at $180,000. It offers no further details about the coaching role, and the article is framed as a roundup of sports and culture stories.
In short
- Sophie Cunningham questioned why WNBA players miss open lay-ups.
- Curt Cignetti criticised ESPN’s treatment of SEC teams.
- An Alabama high-school coaching job is advertised at $180,000.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Cunningham’s view is that professional players should be expected to convert straightforward chances near the basket, and that missed lay-ups can reflect execution rather than a lack of size or athleticism. Being direct about a basic skill may encourage accountability and higher standards in a league where small mistakes can decide games.
The case against
Lay-ups can look simple but are affected by defensive pressure, fatigue, timing and the pace of play, so treating every miss as a joke may overlook the difficulty of making them in competition. Publicly criticising peers in blunt terms could also undermine trust, while constructive analysis may be more useful for improving performance.