In the 24 hours since WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s now infamous comments from an appearance on CNBC’s Power Lunch hit social media, numerous players have subtweeted or commented, fans are in an uproar, and media reactions are swirling.
If you somehow missed the debacle, Engelbert was asked directly about the way players are being treated and verbally attacked on social media, with rampant racist, homophobic, and misogynistic rhetoric, and what the league can do to try get ahead of it or tamp it down. Her response was not only lackluster, it lacked any substance at all .
Engelbert’s word salad reply reminded me of a politician being asked a specific question and then dodging it altogether. Had she been asked about the way the league is thriving in its current state, it would have fit.
The WNBA does sit at the intersection of culture, music, fashion, and sports. More advertisers and companies are investing in players, particularly the rookie class. There can be comparisons made between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird regarding league-changing talent and the injection of new fans that carried over from the college level. Rivalries are good for the league. But in the context of what was asked, these points not only fall flat but come across as empty and shallow.
Engelbert’s casual dismissal of social media is equivalent to an adult telling a child who is getting bullied to simply ignore the comments, unwilling to see the full effects of the emotional and mental damage that is being done. I don’t think Engelbert is that naive. She has been commissioner long enough to understand the impact social media has had on the league, both good and bad.
Years before Clark and Reese’s fanbases entered the chat, X was still Twitter and games weren’t as accessible or showcased on national television. The league leaned heavily on social media to grow and increase its visibility and audience. Games were highlighted, hyped, and viewed on Twitter. For years, WNBA Twitter served as a space for players, fans, teams, as well as the league, to form a community, interact, trade barbs, and market themselves. There were trolls, of course. But the majority were outliers. On the fringe. As the WNBA has grown and gotten more attention, and social media itself has taken a darker turn, the negativity has only increased. Trolls have become “fans” and in turn, more aggressive. And the players are on the receiving end.
I have a hard time believing Cathy Engelbert isn’t aware of this fact. And if she is unaware or that far removed from it, perhaps she should familiarize herself with the severity of it before commenting fully.
Time and time again, throughout the history of the WNBA, it’s been the players — not those in leadership positions or the front office — who have championed themselves and pushed the league forward. Whether it was speaking out about the way the league was being marketed, equal pay, social injustice, LGBTQ+ acceptance and issues, institutional racism, etc., it’s players’ actions and voices that have forced the WNBA to grow and evolve. The league is where it is today in many ways not because of its leadership, but despite it.
Since her comments blew up in the worst way possible, it was only a matter of time before Engelbert issued a statement of sorts, denouncing hate and racism. Honestly, it reads more like a corporate statement or an AI-generated tweet than anything else.
Engelbert’s mouse-like follow-up pales in comparison to the loud and commanding statement issued by the WNBPA’s executive director Terri Jackson.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: the WNBA’s game plan has always been based on reactivity, not proactivity. The social media issue was building before the 2024 season tipped off. It started bubbling up during the 2023 women’s college basketball season and has morphed from there. Engelbert had to have seen it coming. And the league could have been more proactive in handling the situation.
As it says in the WNBPA’s statement, “This kind of toxic fandom should never be tolerated or left unchecked. It demands immediate action, and frankly should have been addressed long ago.”
CNBC gave Cathy Engelbert the perfect lob and all she had to do was catch it and slam it home. Instead, she missed it completely, leaving the players to gather up the rebound as usual and try to save the play.
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