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Being an athlete means dedicating your entire life to the sport you love, which involves grinding your way to the top. While often romanticized, it is a life that requires patience and a relinquishment of normalcy.
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Speaking on the Sons and Daughters podcast, Sophie Cunningham detailed the reality of being one of the best women’s basketball players in the world, admitting that despite how it looks on the outside, the life of a professional athlete is not as ideal as everyone makes it out to be.
“I think everyone always sees kind of like the glitz and glam of this lifestyle and you always get to see like the highlighted parts of everything,” she
. “But at the end of the day, there’s a lot of sacrifice that comes into this lifestyle.”
Missing important moments
After continuing her family legacy at Missouri in college, Cunningham was swept away from her home by the current of professional life when she was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in 2019.
For many, playing in the WNBA is the culmination of years of hard work. But in reality, it’s only the beginning. Cunningham had to grind her way into becoming a key player for the Mercury before being brought back to her home state following a move to the Indiana Fever.
Now, she is one of the most popular players in the WNBA, playing for a team poised to compete for a championship. But getting there required sacrifices that many fans never see.
“I’m finally back in the Midwest, but for the last seven years, I didn’t get to be a part of the birthdays, the weddings, the family dinners, the holidays,” she said. “You get pulled away from that because your duty calls and you can’t say no and you have to show up.”
“I’ve been a part of some of my friends’ passing away and I didn’t have time to even go to the funeral or even have time to grieve. Life still happens for us, too, and it’s just putting one foot in front of the other,” Cunningham added.
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Dreams are worth the sacrifice
The WNBA schedule is grueling in every aspect. Aside from games and practices, there are other responsibilities, such as media obligations and travel, that take up more time than most people realize.
There is an emotional cost to being great, and for Cunningham, that meant missing out on the Midwestern life and disappointing some of her loved ones during important personal moments.
But she doesn’t regret a single thing and would tell her younger self that it was all worth the hardships.
“I think the sacrifice of not being around the ones I love and wish I could be around every single day, it’s (still) worth it,” said Cunningham. “When the ball stops bouncing, I’ll be able to go back and live that type of lifestyle.”
Ultimately, being a professional athlete isn’t permanent. There will be a time when Cunningham returns to Midwestern life and spends more time with those she loves after she has achieved all her dreams.
Until then, she is living the life she worked hard for, and still intends to further her brand and, of course, win a championship that cements her name in the annals of the WNBA.
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This story was originally published September 9, 2026 at 4:29 AM.