Jennifer Sey is ready to make Sophie Cunningham the face of XX-XY Athletics — and says she would “give my right arm” to convince the WNBA star to leave Adidas for her brand.
Sey, the founder and CEO of the pro-women’s sportswear brand, told Fox News Digital she has wanted to sign Cunningham since the Indiana Fever star privately praised XX-XY Athletics’s viral “Dear Nike” campaign in 2024.
“She’s the perfect person for us,” Sey said. “We have wanted to work with her for such a long time.”
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“It’s not just that she’s a fantastic athlete and she’s a currently competing professional athlete,” she added. “She’s just got such an incredible personality. She’s fun and she’s funny and she’s tough and she says what she thinks, and that’s what we’re all about.”
Sey revealed that she first opened communication with Cunningham after XX-XY Athletics released its “Dear Nike” in October 2024. The ad challenged the sportswear giant to take a public stand against biological males competing in women’s sports, and generated more than 10 million views.
Sey claims Cunningham liked and commented on the original ad, then sent Sey a private direct message on social media praising it. But Sey said she did not see the message for months because it landed in a folder for messages from accounts she did not follow.
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“She liked it and commented on it. She actually wrote me a DM on Instagram, which I didn’t see for months because I’m a moron and I never check the little tab from unknown people,” Sey claims.
“Cause there’s just so many in there, I just never look, and I didn’t follow her. I didn’t know who she was. And then a few months later, and she was kind of taking off at this point as Caitlin [Clark]’s defender… I checked that random tab from unknown DMs and she had DMed me about the ad, that she really liked the Dear Nike, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I should have… How did I miss this? I should have responded months ago.'”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Cunningham’s representatives for comment.
Cunningham is already under contract with Adidas, which is preparing to release her first publicly available player-exclusive shoe Friday. The Adidas Crazy Energy “Sophie Cunningham” PE will retail for $120. It is a Cunningham colorway of an existing Adidas model, not a signature shoe created exclusively for her. Adidas recently unveiled the Crazy Energy line.
But Sey hopes Cunningham will eventually defect from Adidas.
“I would do anything within my power to get her to defect from Adidas and come to work with us,” Sey said. “I don’t know that Sophie is likely to do that, but I would give my right arm to have her do it.”
Sey criticized Adidas for not publicly endorsing Cunningham’s position in the days since the WNBA star made her position public.
“Adidas is not a brand that supports women,” Sey said.
Sey also pointed to Adidas’ 2023 Pride campaign, which featured a male-presenting model wearing a swimsuit sold in the women’s section. Adidas said at the time that the collection promoted LGBTQIA+ advocacy and self-acceptance. Sey also criticized the company’s sponsorship of the Boston Marathon, whose rules permit transgender athletes to qualify in their gender category, although eligibility for prize money is governed by World Athletics standards.
“Even now, when she’s getting a lot of heat, it’s not like Adidas is coming out and saying, ‘We stand with Sophie. We agree women’s sports must be protected,’” Sey said. “They’re silent.”
“They just want to capitalize on sassy Sophie who points,” she added. “They don’t want to actually stand with her when she says something that makes people angry.”
Still, Sey praised Adidas for not dropping Cunningham as a client since she’s made her statements.
“It says something is shifting in the culture about this issue. They’re not dropping her,” Sey said.
Sey conceded that XX-XY could not match the financial resources of Adidas. But she said her brand could offer Cunningham something the global sportswear company could not: top billing and unconditional support.
Sey previously served as Levi Strauss & Co.’s chief marketing officer and global brand president. She said she personally negotiated celebrity partnerships while at Levi’s and often sold potential ambassadors on the relationship rather than the biggest possible check.
“I wasn’t offering the most money,” Sey said. “I was offering the best partnership.”
Asked how much she would offer Cunningham, Sey declined to name a figure.
“I would pull together as much money as I could to pay her, to make her a favorable deal, but I’m not going to pretend like I can pay what Adidas can pay,” Sey said. “We’re going to be more fun to work with.”
“She’s not going to be a third-rate athlete on our roster. She’s going to be number one,” Sey added. “And she’s going to be able to say whatever she wants, and we’re going to have her back.”
Sey is also pitching Cunningham on something bigger than a traditional endorsement.
After the WNBA Players Association declined to allow its group licensees to commercialize Cunningham’s viral pointing image, Sey posted a silhouette modeled on the pose. The union called the image “derogatory,” according to an initial report, but later explained that it generally avoids monetizing confrontations between its members. It clarified that Cunningham remains free to license or create her own products.
Sey offered to produce a hoodie featuring the silhouette and give Cunningham all the proceeds. She now envisions using it as the logo for a Cunningham line under XX-XY, similar to how Michael Jordan’s Jumpman pose became the symbol of Jordan Brand.
“Sophie can have her own brand like Jordan with us, and that’s the logo,” Sey said.
“That should be the logo for the XX-XY Cunningham collection.”
Cunningham’s profile has risen sharply since she joined Caitlin Clark and the Fever in 2025. She became known as Clark’s on-court defender, then turned into one of the WNBA’s most recognizable personalities after her prolonged finger-pointing exchange with Phoenix Mercury veteran DeWanna Bonner went viral in June.
The 29-year-old guard is also enjoying one of her most efficient seasons. Cunningham entered the All-Star break averaging 9.3 points while shooting 47.4% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range.
Her growing popularity has extended beyond basketball. Cunningham recently appeared as a guest ring girl at UFC 329 and has built her image around an outspoken, humorous and combative personality.
She then waded into one of the most divisive issues in women’s sports.
Cunningham told ESPN this week that she wanted to protect girls who “shouldn’t have to go against biological men” in sports or share locker rooms with them. She later doubled down, calling her position “common sense” while insisting she does not hate transgender people.
“I said what I said,” Cunningham told reporters Wednesday. “I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.”
The Fever responded by saying its players have the right to their own views.
“Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own,” the organization said. “We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what guides us as an organization.”
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