INDIANAPOLIS — Many players around the WNBA, including the player's association and Fever center Aliyah Boston , thought league commissioner Cathy Engelbert missed the mark when she was asked about the prevalence of racism and homophobia in the league this week.
When Engelbert appeared on CNBC's "Power Lunch" to talk about the WNBA earlier this week, anchor Tyler Mathisen asked about the rivalries in the league, specifically mentioning Fever rookie Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, and about the darker tone some fans have taken on social media throughout the 2024 WNBA season, especially when it comes to race and sexuality.
He finished his question with: "How do you try and stay ahead of that, try and tamp it down or act as a league when two of your most visible players are involved — not personally, it would seem, but their fan bases are involved — in saying some very uncharitable things about the other?"
Engelbert did not speak out against racism or homophobia in her on-air response. Instead, she compared Clark and Reese to the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry from the 1970s, stating "the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry. That's what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don't want everybody being nice to one another."
When it comes to social media, where most of the racism and homophobia runs rampant, Engelbert said it was best for players to simply ignore it. Then, she finished her answer saying that this has been the best year yet for corporate sponsorships coming into the league.
For a league where over 80% of its players are people of color, Engelbert fell short.
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"That comment was kind of hard," Boston, the Indiana Fever's WNBPA rep, said on Wednesday. "Honestly. I think when we think about this league and we think about the world in general, like there's no place for racism, regardless of competition, regardless of money that comes into this. I think it's really hard. I think what we do, especially as an association, make sure that the players don't feel like there's ever an okay feeling for racists to be a part of it. I think this league is so talented with many different people and that we just have to stick together."
Multiple other players, including WNBPA Vice President and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and First Vice President and Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum , also spoke out against Engelbert's comments.
The player's union quickly issued a statement denouncing Engelbert's comments, as well, with executive director Terri Jackson saying, in part, "this is not about rivalries or iconic personalities funding a business model. This kind of toxic fandom should never be tolerated or left unchecked. It demands immediate action, and frankly, should have been addressed long ago."
The commissioner took to X on Tuesday night to clarify her comments, saying, "During a recent media interview, I was asked about the dark side of social media and online conversation about WNBA rivalries and race. To be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else."
Clark and Reese, with their large followings from their college careers and multiple contentious matchups in the NCAA Tournament, have brought a renewed sense of rivalry into the WNBA, especially between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky.
Boston says she welcomes rivalries into the WNBA — but in her eyes, rivalries within the league and hatred toward players are on a completely different level.
"I think rivalry is always a good thing, but I think when people take it as far as they do now, especially on social media, with their comments or their hatred, that's never part of a rivalry," Boston said. "You can't put those two together. It's okay to like someone more than the other, but it's not okay to degrade another person. I think that's the biggest thing, is understanding like there's definitely a difference between the two, and we're never going to be okay with being alright with racism being a part of it."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: WNBPA, Aliyah Boston speak out against commissioner's comments: 'No place for racism.'
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