Sophie Cunningham | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #692

• 0:00 Theo’s intro: No. 8 for the Indiana Fever, and “absolutely hilarious.”
• 0:20 Cold open: Tecovas boots and Theo’s missing “kickers.”
• 1:20 In town for the race, with friends coming down for her first free weekend.
• 1:50 The season’s end: the best-of-three series with the Aces.
• 2:30 “Shots? Duh.” A blowout, a home win, and tough calls back in Vegas.
• 3:10 Theo has been to Fever games the past two seasons.
• 3:40 Dating and drama inside the WNBA: “There’s a web.”
• 5:00 Theo asks about a “lesbian mafia”; Sophie says she’s “strictly dickly,” and to each their own.
• 6:20 On the court you’re trying to win a game, not pass notes.
• 6:40 The sex toy thrown onto the court in LA that hit her left foot.
• 8:00 Teased in the locker room, and the fan banned for life.
• 9:00 Growing up in Missouri in a family of Mizzou athletes: football, basketball, shot put and javelin.
• 9:40 Theo’s one good team photo, and its 1800s filter.
• 10:40 Theo the childhood smoker, who quit the team instead of the cigarettes.
• 11:20 The clip of people smoking through a tracheotomy.
• 13:20 Water down the wrong pipe: is there a word for it?
• 14:00 Was there pressure to play sports in a family like hers?
• 14:20 How many layups did the W miss last year? Theo asks for the stat.
• 15:20 Did she start playing because she was tall?
• 16:00 Every sport with her sister, and knowing at three to five years old she’d go pro.
• 16:40 Her sister Lindsay, and two years together at Mizzou.
• 17:20 Missouri made them eat and lift like football players.
• 18:00 A drunk cigarette now and then, but no drugs growing up.
• 19:20 Ad: PrizePicks.
• 20:36 Ad: Morgan and Morgan.
• 21:40 Phoenix Mercury days: commercial flights, and Theo spotting the team at the airport.
• 22:50 Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner at baggage claim.
• 23:20 “Night and day”: no TV deals, and a black-screen app her parents had to use.
• 24:00 The Clark, Brink, Van Lith and Reese class brought their college audience with them.
• 24:20 Little girls who see someone like them on TV.
• 25:00 She saw the hard years and now reaps the good ones; rookies only know private flights.
• 25:40 Zero security her first five years.
• 26:20 The layup stat: NBA teams miss 7.6 per 40 minutes, WNBA teams 9.6.
• 26:50 “If I could dunk, I’d dunk it every single time.”
• 27:20 Theo changes the subject with Tecovas boots.
• 28:00 The airport swarm, and Sophie’s shout-out to Brittney Griner.
• 28:40 A $5,000 Louis Vuitton bag to the nose, and a black eye.
• 30:00 Theo mistakes “napkins” for a euphemism.
• 30:40 How the Reese, Clark, Brink and Bueckers classes changed things.
• 31:00 Diana Taurasi, “the GOAT of our game,” and sold-out Phoenix crowds.
• 31:20 Indiana’s “nap town” days, and today’s Gainbridge crowds.
• 31:40 Private flights and security now, and why it matters.
• 32:20 The downside of fame: stalkers.
• 33:00 The alleged stalker who shares a name with her miniature donkey.
• 33:20 A judge denies a bail reduction in the case, read on air.
• 34:00 More players can dunk now, including some on the Fever.
• 34:30 Theo’s favorite player to watch: Aliyah Boston.
• 35:00 Fever attendance: 6,300 a game in 2018, 1,700 in 2022, about 16,000 now.
• 35:20 The coliseum years, and the “COVID times” excuse.
• 36:00 Halftime shows, which she never sees from the locker room.
• 36:20 The miniature donkey, and why it isn’t a house pet.
• 36:50 The emotional support kangaroo on a plane.
• 38:20 Theo and “Drewie” want a WNBA team in Nashville: the Studs or the Nashville Licks.
• 39:32 Ad: Shopify.
• 40:40 Commissioner Cathy Engelbert: give her credit, but she’s stepping down.
• 41:40 What Adam Silver does well, and why the W needs a commissioner with a backbone.
• 42:20 “God is my real boss,” and just say hi to the players.
• 43:00 A growth mindset, and the standard for women’s sports leagues.
• 43:40 The Dan Patrick Show on the commissioner skipping a scheduled interview.
• 44:50 “Biden energy,” and the PR staff.
• 45:00 Pressure is a privilege: the league asked for respect, so answer the tough questions.
• 46:20 The shy commissioner, and Theo’s jobs for shy people.
• 46:40 Theo’s buddy and the toll-booth lady.
• 47:20 Theo’s note to a bank teller.
• 48:20 Bank suckers and the pneumatic tube.
• 49:00 How many points could Theo score in a WNBA game?
• 49:40 Power forward, “slight forward,” and six points off the bench.
• 50:40 Why the W has so much energy, and how the media stirs it up.
• 51:20 Her new podcast with Drew Hanlen, No Hesitation: real basketball talk.
• 52:20 Real basketball journalism versus clickbait.
• 53:40 A good answer feels like sticking a gymnastics landing.
• 54:00 “90% of WNBA drama is made up.”
• 55:40 Teams that don’t like each other, and the second-job grind.
• 56:40 The clip of her wrapping up an opponent, and blaming the refs.
• 57:40 Do refs have licenses? A game that was “too much.”
• 59:00 Rivalries make for good games.
• 59:40 The famous point: is there a technique?
• 1:00:00 Pointing isn’t rude: directions to Johnson’s farm.
• 1:01:00 She gets paid to shoot threes, like the six Theo saw her hit.
• 1:01:40 Ref 41, the Pointer Sisters detour, and “don’t you point at me.”
• 1:02:20 Pointing for 22 seconds, with fresh nails, and the merch that followed.
• 1:03:00 Fans used to ask for a headlock photo; now they want the point.
• 1:03:20 Do players have second jobs? NBA money versus WNBA money.
• 1:04:00 NBA minimums: $1.3 million for a rookie, $3.8 million for a 10-year veteran.
• 1:04:20 Her $28,000 rookie year after tax.
• 1:04:40 A Seattle player who worked at a grocery store, and the new CBA.
• 1:05:00 Average and median WNBA salaries, and the $1 million earners.
• 1:06:00 Does anyone in the league have an OnlyFans?
• 1:07:00 What takes women out of the league.
• 1:07:20 Playing overseas for the money: China, Russia, Turkey and Spain.
• 1:08:00 Project B, the new offseason league she’s joining.
• 1:08:20 “That’s Plan B.”
• 1:08:40 Why she earned more from endorsements and broadcasting than overseas.
• 1:09:00 The WNBA calendar: training camp in April through early October.
• 1:09:40 Theo’s favorite on the Toronto Tempo, Izzy Harrison.
• 1:10:00 Marina Mabrey in a Las Vegas hotel pool during summer league.
• 1:10:50 Fans now scan WNBA rosters for “the hot one.”
• 1:11:20 Theo saw her at a UFC event in Vegas, her first.
• 1:11:40 A joke to Dana White, and “you’re up in five minutes.”
• 1:12:00 The best-energy fight, the Paramount deal, and the McGregor moment.
• 1:13:20 Walking the ring is harder than it looks: respect the ring girls.
• 1:14:00 A rookie mistake: gasping at a kick in a silent arena.
• 1:14:40 Knockouts versus chokeouts.
• 1:15:05 Teams walking off during the anthem, and her support for veterans.
• 1:16:40 “I need 20 seconds of your best behavior.”
• 1:17:00 Taking stands in a league that doesn’t all agree.
• 1:17:20 Theo’s idea for groups inside the league, and her call for unity.
• 1:18:00 Rivalries are healthy, from SEC days at Missouri to the pros.
• 1:18:30 What if every team were a state team?
• 1:19:20 Do fans flirt from the stands? In a game you can’t hear the crowd.
• 1:20:20 “Let me cross you up,” and Theo’s “heart of a lesbian” clip.
• 1:21:00 Faith: baptized as an adult, raised Catholic, now non-denominational.
• 1:22:00 Prayer, and staying “prayed up.”
• 1:22:40 “There’s nothing you can or can’t do that’s going to separate you from God’s love.”
• 1:23:40 Is the media unfair to Christians? A revival among athletes.
• 1:25:00 Faith among athletes versus comedians.
• 1:25:40 Religious guests, and history and science.
• 1:26:00 Trying to book the Pope, prison phones, and Amish Timothy.
• 1:26:40 Love Island? No.
• 1:27:40 Family planning in the W: often the partner carries.
• 1:28:40 Surrogates, “the greatest assist,” and more expansion-team names.
• 1:29:20 Fresh halftime acts beyond Young M.A.
• 1:29:40 Has anyone played pregnant?
• 1:30:40 Maternity pay: 100% of base salary under the new CBA.
• 1:31:20 Under older deals, pregnancy was treated like an injury.
• 1:32:40 Where does a man meet Sophie Cunningham? Petco and hamsters.
• 1:33:20 Theo’s hamster sales outside raves.
• 1:33:40 Dating athletes: the schedule, and why male athletes are scary.
• 1:34:40 No Hesitation is out, five or six weeks in.
• 1:35:00 Offseason plans, and Kelsey Mitchell finishing school.
• 1:35:20 Project B: 10 days on, in China, Singapore, Spain and Germany.
• 1:36:00 Thanks, and the outro.

• 21:40 Before the boom — Commercial flights, no security, games her parents could barely stream, and a Louis Vuitton bag to the nose in an airport swarm.
• 30:40 The Caitlin Clark era — Sellouts, private flights and security arrived with the new class, and so did stalkers. Theo reads the Fever’s attendance jump.
• 40:40 The next commissioner — Sophie gives Cathy Engelbert some credit, holds up Adam Silver as the model, and Theo plays the Dan Patrick clip.
• 50:40 Made-up drama — Why she says 90% of WNBA drama is invented, and why she started No Hesitation with Drew Hanlen.
• 59:40 The 22-second point — What happened with ref 41, why she held the point, and the merch that followed.
• 1:03:20 The money — A $28,000 rookie year, NBA minimums, the new CBA, playing overseas and Project B.
• 1:11:20 A surprise ring-girl walk — Her first UFC event, a joke to Dana White, and five minutes to get ready.
• 1:21:00 Faith — Adult baptism, prayer, and athletes speaking openly about Jesus.
• 1:27:40 Family planning in the league — Partners who carry, playing pregnant, and maternity pay under the new CBA.

WNBA Official Game Basketball (Wilson) — Closest match for the ball behind all those missed layups Theo pulls stats on. Amazon 14:33

Indiana Fever officially licensed T-shirt — For Fever fans, as Theo reads attendance jumping from 6,300 to about 16,000 a game. Amazon 35:00

The Pointer Sisters – Greatest Hits — Theo’s detour during the famous-point story. Amazon 1:01:47

Tracheotomy smoking — The clip Theo pulls up of people smoking through a tracheotomy. Wikipedia 11:40

The 2024 WNBA draft class — Clark, Brink, Van Lith and Reese, and the audience they brought from college. Wikipedia 24:00

Missed layups — The stat: 7.6 missed per 40 minutes per NBA team, 9.6 in the WNBA. Wikipedia 26:20

The Fever attendance boom — Theo reads the Fever’s home averages, from about 1,700 a game in 2022 to sellouts now. Wikipedia 35:00

The emotional support kangaroo — A viral clip of a kangaroo holding its own plane ticket. Wikipedia 37:20

Expansion-team names — Theo’s pitches: the Studs, the Nashville Licks and, later, the Surrogates. Wikipedia 38:40

The skipped Dan Patrick interview — The commissioner’s canceled appearance, as told on his show. The Dan Patrick Show 43:40

NBA versus WNBA pay — NBA minimums, her $28,000 rookie year, and what the new CBA changed. WNBPA 1:04:00

Playing overseas for the money — Why WNBA players used to spend winters in China, Russia, Turkey and Spain, and why fewer do now. WNBA 1:07:20

Project B — The new global offseason league she’s playing in. Wikipedia 1:08:00

Ring girls at the UFC — Sophie’s first UFC event in Las Vegas, where a joke to Dana White turned into a ring-girl walk. Wikipedia 1:11:40

UFC on Paramount — The new deal that added commercial breaks, and a DJ moment in the ring. Paramount+ 1:12:10

Anthem walk-offs — Teams leaving during the anthem, and why she stays to honor veterans. Wikipedia 1:15:05

Adult baptism — Sophie was baptized as an adult after being raised Catholic. Wikipedia 1:21:05

Non-denominational Christianity — Where she lands now: “more Christian.” Wikipedia 1:21:30

Love Island — A rumor Theo heard; Sophie watched one episode and stopped. Wikipedia 1:26:45

Surrogacy — How some couples in the league have kids, and “the greatest assist.” Wikipedia 1:28:40

Maternity leave in the WNBA — Players now get 100% of base salary on maternity leave; older deals treated pregnancy like an injury. WNBA 1:31:00

Las Vegas, Nevada — The playoff loss to the Aces, a hotel pool sighting during summer league, and her first UFC event. Wikipedia 2:50

Los Angeles, California — Where the sex toy hit her foot on the free-throw line. Wikipedia 6:45

University of Missouri, Columbia — Sophie’s hometown school, where her whole family played sports. Wikipedia 9:05

Phoenix, Arizona — Where she started with the Mercury and the games always sold out. Wikipedia 21:52

Indianapolis, Indiana — Once “nap town,” now a Fever crowd. Wikipedia 31:30

Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis — The Fever’s arena, now “people’s Super Bowl.” Wikipedia 31:40

Corteva Coliseum, Indianapolis — The state-fair coliseum the Fever played in around 2022. Wikipedia 35:10

Nashville, Tennessee — Where Theo wants to start a WNBA team. Wikipedia 38:35

Toronto, Ontario — Home of the new Toronto Tempo. Wikipedia 1:10:05

• PrizePicks (19:20) — link.prizepicks.com/LME0/TPW · code TPW · play $5, get $150 in lineups if you win (play responsibly).
• Morgan and Morgan (20:36) — forthepeople.com/THEO · free case evaluation; paid advertisement.
• Shopify (39:32) — shopify.com/theo · free trial.

• 0:00 Theo Von — His profile page, all the This Past Weekend notes, and his tour dates. The Comedian List: Theo Von · All This Past Weekend notes · Tour dates
• 0:00 Sophie Cunningham — Her profile page, then her podcast No Hesitation. The Celeb List: Sophie Cunningham · No Hesitation on YouTube
• 22:45 The Phoenix Mercury greats — The two stars Sophie came up with. Diana Taurasi · Brittney Griner · Phoenix Mercury on Wikipedia
• 24:00 The class that changed the league — The players Sophie credits with bringing the audience. Caitlin Clark · Angel Reese · Cameron Brink · Hailey Van Lith · Paige Bueckers · 2024 WNBA draft on Wikipedia
• 34:34 The Fever — Sophie’s teammates who come up, and where to follow the league. Aliyah Boston · Kelsey Mitchell · Indiana Fever on Wikipedia · WNBA.com
• 40:45 The commissioners — The two league heads, and the show that got stood up. Cathy Engelbert · Adam Silver · Dan Patrick · The Dan Patrick Show
• 1:05:25 The $1 million club — The top earners Theo reads out, and the players’ union behind the new CBA. A’ja Wilson · Napheesa Collier · WNBPA on Wikipedia
• 1:08:00 Offseason leagues — Project B, which Sophie is playing in, and Unrivaled, the three-on-three league. Project B on Wikipedia · Unrivaled on Wikipedia
• 1:09:50 The Toronto Tempo — The expansion team Theo has been watching. Isabelle Harrison · Marina Mabrey · Toronto Tempo on Wikipedia
• 1:11:30 The UFC night — The people behind Sophie’s ring-girl walk, and where the fights are. Dana White · Conor McGregor · UFC.com
• 1:29:25 Young M.A — The halftime act Theo name-checks, and her best-known single. The Celeb List: Young M.A · “Ooouuu” on Wikipedia