Key Takeaways
- Sophie Cunningham jokingly answered a question about her pregame rap picks by dancing to Brooks & Dunn’s country hit “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” in a TikTok.
- The Indiana Fever guard previously said her pregame playlist spans country stars Morgan Wallen, Cody Johnson, and Riley Green alongside Lil Wayne, Drake, and Future.
- The post drew comments calling Cunningham a “real woman,” echoing the debate around her stance that women’s sports should exclude transgender athletes.
Sophie Cunningham had a decidedly unique answer when asked about the rap music she listens to before games.
The Indiana Fever guard posted a TikTok on Monday, August 24, that opens with the question, “What rap songs do you listen to before games?” Cunningham’s response comes without words. Wearing a white halter top and matching shorts, she dances in a hotel room as Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” plays. The country duo noticed, dropping a “Hell yeah!” in the comments.
Other responses carried considerably more baggage. Cunningham’s comments section quickly filled with people calling her a “real woman,” a phrase that has become attached to the WNBA star amid the ongoing debate surrounding her comments about transgender athletes in women’s sports.
There’s another wrinkle to Cunningham’s TikTok: She has answered this question essentially before, and rap was very much part of the answer.
Speaking with ClutchPoints in 2025 about what she listened to before games, Cunningham described a playlist that varied with her mood.
“It could be anything from country. Morgan Wallen, Cody Johnson, Riley Green, all the way to Lil Wayne, Drake, Future,” Cunningham said. “Like, it’s anything in between.”
“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” also isn't an obscure selection. Brooks & Dunn's 1992 recording became their fourth consecutive No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart and one of the duo's signature records. The song helped fuel the resurgence of line dancing in the early 1990s.
Brooks & Dunn have also previously performed at Republican events, including George W. Bush’s 2001 inauguration and the 2004 Republican National Convention, although the duo has not positioned itself exclusively as a partisan act. Kix Brooks has previously stressed that their song “Only in America” was not intended as a political anthem and noted its use by politicians from both parties.
More recently, Brooks & Dunn were booked for the 2026 Rock the Country festival, a tour headlined by outspoken Donald Trump supporters Kid Rock and Jason Aldean. The festival drew controversy over its political associations, with Ludacris, Morgan Wade, and Carter Faith ultimately dropping from the lineup.
Cunningham, meanwhile, has become increasingly outspoken herself. She told ESPN in July that she wanted to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
The comments sparked criticism from Megan Rapinoe and others, while Stephen A. Smith was among those who defended her. Protests both supporting and opposing Cunningham’s position have since appeared outside Fever games.
