Sophie Cunningham put critics of second-year Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark on notice. 

Cunningham dismissed the notion Clark is not the "face of" the WNBA. "

It literally p---es me off when people are like, 'She's not the face of the league,'" Cunningham said of her Indiana teammate during the first episode of the "Show Me Something" podcast.

"We have a lot of badasses in our league, and, hell yeah, I'm all for that, but when people try to argue that she's not the face of our league or that our league would be where we're at without her, you're dumb as s---. You're literally dumb as f---."

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Cunningham recalled her 2024 season with the Phoenix Mercury in her argument that Clark's star power led to harsher on-court treatment from competitors during her rookie season.

"I know the talks Phoenix had in their locker room of, like, 'We're going to show her what the W really is,'" Cunningham said. "I get it to a certain extent. Every rookie coming into the league, that's how you're going to treat them. But there's just more for her. It's her second year. Now being on her team and seeing it, I'm like, 'What are people doing?' It's just too much."

SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM OPENS UP ON EX-TEAM'S TREATMENT OF CAITLIN CLARK AND INFAMOUS FIGHT THAT CHIPPED HER TOOTH

This isn't the first time Cunningham has come to Clark's defense. She intervened earlier this season during an on-court altercation between Clark and Sun players Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey.

Clark has generally dismissed ideas that other WNBA players zero in on her despite outcry from some fans about the perceived lack of calls from referees in favor of the Fever guard. Last season, she did suggest she faced an unusual level of physicality from opponents.

"I think everybody is physical with me. They get away with things that probably other people don’t get away with," Clark said in 2024, according to The Associated Press. "It’s tough, but that’s just the fact of the matter.

Clark added that the physical style of play is part of competition. 

"This is a very physical game, and you’re going to get pressure. This is professional basketball. It is what it is, honestly," she said.

Earlier this month, Clark's fellow WNBA players voted her the league's ninth-best guard. Clark has played in just 13 games this season due to multiple injuries. She is averaging 16.5 points per contest, a few points below her average in 2025.

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All across Europe, officials in popular vacation destinations have been grappling with the ravages of overtourism — prompting locals to speak out about the strain this has taken on their communities. 

Last year, over three million people traveled to Paris, France, to witness the 2024 Olympic Games.

About 230,000 Americans attended the Olympics, accounting for the largest group of foreign visitors, according to the official website Paris je t'aime.

'CARBON PASSPORTS' WOULD TRACK TRAVEL AND EVEN RESTRICT HOW SOME PEOPLE TAKE VACATION

Now, locals in the hilltop area of the 18th arrondissement, Montmartre, are sounding the alarm about the surge of tourism in Paris. 

Following the Olympic Games, the number of visitors traveling to Paris has skyrocketed, according to Reuters.

Paris officials say 2025 may rank as one of the busiest years yet, as there is a 20% rise in January bookings compared to last year, Reuters reported.

Montmartre resident Anne Renaudi has lived in the area for 29 years. She told Reuters a historic section of the city now looks like a theme park after it was made famous in the movie "Amelie."

"People come for three hours, have fun, buy a beret or a crêpe, and leave — as if they were in an amusement park," said Renaudie.

SUMMER BEACH BATTLE BETWEEN LOCALS AND VISITORS HEATS UP AS OVERTOURISM SOARS

She said, "We're down to two or three butchers, two cheese shops. They're disappearing one after the other … Now, it's a lot of ice cream, crêpes, taco places."

Renaudie heads the Vivre à Montmartre Association, which has proposed measures to crack down on the strains of tourism. 

The group has looked at limiting tour groups to 25 people, banning loudspeakers and raising the tourist tax.

In 2024, 48.7 million visitors traveled across Paris with about 11 million of them spending time in Montmartre.

One popular landmark that tourists enjoy checking out is the 140-year-old Sacre-Coeur Basilica. It sits atop the Montmartre hill and is surrounded by narrow streets for visitors to explore. 

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Local resident Anthea Quenel shared her frustration over the tour groups that congest the streets. 

"Sometimes I have to really raise my voice and say, 'Sorry, I want to pass,’" said Quenel to Reuters.

She added, "It's like Disneyland."

The troves of tourists have impacted housing prices, with the 18th arrondissement mayor addressing the impact on residents.

"For me, the big issue is housing. That means fighting against Airbnb and rental platforms," said Mayor Eric Lejoindre.

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In the past decade, real estate prices rose by 19%, according to Reuters.

Similarly, local residents of Mexico City have been making their feelings known about unwanted tourists visiting their home areas.

Residents were protesting mass tourism, with hundreds of people taking to the streets and demanding stricter housing laws and legislation to regulate tourism levels.

Government officials caved to the requests by announcing a preliminary plan to address gentrification and the other concerns of locals, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.