Sophie Cunningham had a weekend that most athletes only dream about. On Saturday she was a ring girl at UFC 329. On Sunday she went 6-of-7 from three-point range and dropped 20 points in 23 minutes off the bench as the Indiana Fever destroyed the Las Vegas Aces 109-75. And somewhere in between, a prominent writer decided she’s destined for the vice presidency.
Chuck Klosterman, the author of “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs” and a guy who thinks about pop culture for a living, went on The Ringer’s podcast with Bill Simmons and made a prediction that had Simmons cracking up.
“Sophie Cunningham, in the next, maybe, I’m going to say, 2050, is going to be vice president of the United States,” Klosterman said. “I don’t know what party she’ll be in. I don’t know anything about her political views, but she will be the vice presidential candidate, at least a candidate.”
Simmons, who rarely gets caught off guard, was genuinely amused. “She’s definitely likable. I thought that finger-pointing thing was one of the funniest things that’s happened in like three years,” he said.
That finger-pointing thing is a reference to a June incident where Cunningham got into it with Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner and pointed her finger in Bonner’s face with maximum sass. It became an instant meme. Cunningham and UFC star Max Holloway recreated it at UFC 329 on Saturday, which probably helped fuel Klosterman’s theory.
What makes Klosterman think she’s VP material
He didn’t stop with the initial prediction. He actually explained himself, even if the explanation was gloriously weird.
“I don’t know what it is. It’s something about the fact that she wears those sleeves on the court. Something about the way she triggers inbound plays at the end of games makes me think she will be someone’s ideal vice president. She’s a damn likable personality,” Klosterman said.
It’s not the kind of take you hear every day about a WNBA player who’s averaging around 9 points per game this season. But Klosterman doesn’t deal in normal takes.
Cunningham has also been called “MAGA Barbie” by some online after showing support for Donald Trump. She’s become friends with UFC president Dana White, a known Trump ally. That political angle might be part of what Klosterman sees, even if he claims not to know her actual politics.
For now, Cunningham is focused on basketball. The Fever are rolling and she’s a big part of their bench production. Whether she ends up a heartbeat away from the presidency in 2050 is anyone’s guess. But she’s definitely got the attention of some influential people.
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