In the last full week of the 2024 WNBA regular season, the Commissioner’s comments—or lack of comments—overshadowed the record-breaking efforts of several players. Catch up on all of it here:
Is Engelbert’s apology letter enough?
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has continued to try to clean up the fall out from her Monday interview on CNBC’s “Power Lunch,” when, asked about the racist and sexist language deployed in online conversations that pit rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese against each other, she emphasized the business opportunities opened up by the interest in the rising stars’ rivalry.
WNBA players took immediate exception to the Engelbert’s response, through oblique or more explicit social media posts. The WNBPA and Executive Director Terri Jackson quickly responded with a statement, indicating that the Commissioner should have called out the racist, sexist and homophobic attacks players are subjected to on social media.
The WNBPA has embodied the “more than an athlete” mantra, as WNBA players have embraced their full, intersecting identities and used their platforms to advocate for issues relevant to them and their communities. Engelbert, instead, flattened athletes into assets, where their identities are promoted in service of…
