After emphasizing personal growth over political identity on her social media, WNBA star Sophie Cunningham isnt standing for the vitriol she seems to have received from some internet trolls.
On Wednesday, a day after Democrats dominated the midterm elections, Cunningham reposted a diatribe from entrepreneur Andy Frisella on her Instagram Story.
“One of the strangest things about our culture is how much faith weve placed in to change our lives and how little faith weve placed in our own ability to do the same. People will spend months arguing about who should lead the country while spending zero time considering how they could better lead themselves ⦠and THAT is a much bigger problem than most people realize,” Frisellas post read.
“Because the strength of a country is ultimately a reflection of the character, discipline and standards of the people who make it up. Thats you. Politics is downstream of culture. We can keep changing the people in charge, passing new laws and arguing over which party has the answers ⦠but until we change the culture fostering, producing and tolerating the problems we have as a society, nothing fundamentally changes.
“A population of weak, unhealthy, uninformed and dependent people is a hell of a lot easier to control than a population of strong, healthy, educated and self-reliant people. Your responsibility is to become the exact opposite of everything they want for you to the best of your abilities. Your REAL best. In my opinion thats our obligation as Americans.
“A culture of personal excellence is the foundation of a great country. There is no election, politician, policy or law that can substitute for that ⦠and the best thing about that is the same behaviors that make you a better American also make your own life better quickly. If we want a better America ⦠It starts with better Americans. There is no other way. Personal excellence is the Ultimate Rebellion.”
Cunningham seemingly faced people commenting back on her post, as she then added a different share to her Story. It was a blunt quote from boxing great Mike Tyson.
“Social media made yall way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it,” the post read.
Now, Cunningham isnt afraid to showcase her opinions on and off the court. She became a lightning rod this past WNBA season after saying she supported the separation of biological men playing in womens sports.
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But what Cunningham was trying to show in this case was belief in a collective humanity rather than focusing on political disagreements post-midterm elections, unlike some of her WNBA peers.
Cunningham has also noted in the past that she likes to remain in the “middle” when it comes to her politics, listening to both sides and making informed decisions from there.