WNBA Commissioner Sends Blunt Message on Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Rivalry

Ever since becoming the No. 1 overall pick, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has transformed the WNBA. Between unprecedented crowds and record-breaking viewership numbers, she's responsible for bringing a lot of new eyes to the league.

Clark's former college rival, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, is a superstar in her own right, and from the jump, their respective fanbases were fiercely contentious. Amid both women competing to be the WNBA's Rookie of Year, the trash-talking sometimes goes far beyond a healthy rivalry.

During an appearance on CNBC's " Lunch Hour " on September 9, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was asked how she manages the situation of fans' misogynist and racist comments becoming a major topic of conversation surrounding the league.

While some viewers might've expected Engelbert to reprimand these types of polarizing fans, she did not.

"The one thing I know about sports, You need rivalry," Engelbert said. "That's what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don't want everybody being nice to one other."

Like many analysts, she compared Reese and Clark to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson entering the NBA in 1979. "Those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry. One white, one black. And so we have the moment with these two."

While she acknowledged social media didn't exist back then, Engelbert revealed her advice to Clark and Reese when the comments get ugly. "I always tell the players... if someone’s typing something in and you wouldn’t ask their advice, ‘Ignore it.’"

At the end of the day, their rivalry is good for business. "Certainly from marketing dollars, but corporate sponsor are stepping up to endorse these players much more so than they were five years ago," she said. "Because they see the benefit of having diverse women representing their brand."

Related: Fans Erupt After Caitlin Clark Gets Smacked in the Head by Sky's Angel Reese [VIDEO]