There’s been a lot of added attention to the WNBA in recent weeks. While it’s undoubtedly led to more views and revenue for the league, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is not at all happy with one of the major downsides to the new attention: The political element.
On Thursday, during a pregame gathering in Dallas for the Wings-Fever game, Engelbert accused bad-faith actors of using the WNBA to “sow divisiveness” and make an issue out of the eligibility of transgender athletes in the WNBA. The comment comes on the heels of former basketball players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White “declaring for the WNBA” on the grounds that they identify as women.
Engelbert said that the league is becoming “the center of political football” for people with no real interest in the league.
“People are trying to use the league to sow divisiveness,” Engelbert said.
“We’re being the center of political football for people who have never watched the WNBA, never have written about the WNBA or reported on the WNBA.”
The WNBA vs. The Haters
There’s a certain nugget of truth to what Engelbert said. There are plenty of people on television and social media these days who claim to have strong opinions on the future of the WNBA despite never having posted about it before 2026, let alone the last couple of years.
But the WNBA is hardly the only major sports league that’s come under fire over political ideology. The NBA, NFL and even NASCAR have faced similar moments, whether it was the Colin Kaepernick kneeling controversy in 2016 or the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Those leagues all managed to weather the storm largely by refusing to acknowledge their opponents, not by feeding into them.
© Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images.
Engelbert further stated that the league denounces those who profess their hatred for the WNBA.
“There’s always going to be haters out there and we denounce it,” Engelebert said. “But that’s what happens when you have made it as a legitimate sports media and entertainment product.”
Ultimately, Engelbert has very little say over what kind of attention her league gets. The difference between success and failure will be how the league rides the waves and if they can emerge in a stronger position than before.
