Sophie Cunningham’s postgame handshake, a play in seven acts

A full breakdown of the drama Sunday out of Missouri-Tennessee.

Part 1: Missouri takes on No. 10 Tennessee.

Part 2: Sophie Cunningham elbows a Tennessee player in the face and gets whistled for an intentional foul.

Part 3: Missouri upsets No. 10 Tennessee.

Part 4: Sophie Cunningham and Janet McGee, Assistant to the Head Coach, have a moment in the handshake line.

Part 5: Sophie gives her explanation.

Part 6: The women’s basketball world reacts.

Part 7: Trash talking ensues.

So maybe you’re not a fan of the pettiness. Or maybe you are eating up this seven-part story and kind of loving it. There seems to be a lot of back-and-forth on whether or not Cunningham is a so-called ‘dirty’ player or whether or not you’d want a player like her on your team—and that’s all up for interpretation.

But regardless of who you stand with and which side you’re on, I think moments like this one that unfolded Sunday night are less about who and much more about why they happened. What happened was the aftermath of a really heated matchup, where the competitiveness from both sides probably could have been handled with more class.

I’m not here to declare whose side I’m on or give you any moral justification on why Cunningham is or isn’t a dirty player. I’m just here to say that I love that these moments because they bring to life, in a way we don’t always see, a different level of competitiveness and feistiness.

I’m here to embrace what happened because they don’t happen often. And when they do, not many people are usually talking about. It feels like we hear about the antics and personal drama of NBA players on the daily (Jimmy Butler, I’m looking at you.) Not that any publicity is good publicity, but it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t spark good conversation.

It tells a story that isn’t necessarily being told on the court or on broadcasts. And if you look close enough, you’ll find it isn’t always a bad thing.