WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert dodged a direct question regarding the racial divide between the fanbases of two of the league's top rookies, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese . Instead of handling the sensitive topic head-on, she took a diplomatic approach to drive the conversation toward business and marketing, seemingly ignoring the sensitive issue at hand.
The interview took place on CNBS's Power Lunch TV segment. It featured Engelbert being asked about the racial tensions between the fanbases of Clark, a white player from Iowa selected with the No. 1 pick of the WNBA Draft to the Indiana Fever , and Reese, a Black player from LSU who was drafted with pick No. 7 by the Chicago Sky .
After clarifying that the issues do not stem from animosity between the players , the interviewer directly asked: "Race has been introduced into the conversation. How do you try to stay ahead of that and act as a league when two of your most visible players are involved—not personally, but their fanbases are involved in saying some very uncharitable things?"
Rather than addressing the seeable issues that Reese herself has highlighted online , Engelbert focused on the favorable elements of the player's in-game rivalries from a business perspective. "The one thing that's great about the league right now is we sit at this intersection of culture and sport and fashion and music," she said.
"The WNBA players are really looked at now as kind of cultural icons. And when you have that, you have a lot of attention on you. There's no more apathy. Everybody cares." She continued by comparing Clark and Reese and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
"It is a little bit like that Bird-Magic moment," she continued. Suppose you recall from 1979 when those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one Black. And so we have that moment with these two. But the one thing I know about sports is that you need rivalry. That's what makes people watch."
Engelbert evaded the obvious underlying racial tensions within a portion of Clark's online fanbase. Reese previously addressed a share of Clark's fanbase in the first episode of her podcast, citing unfavorable remarks flooding her social media comment sections and, more seriously, hostile fans following her home after game days.
But instead of responding, Engelbert changed the focus to the growing success of the league through corporate sponsors. "Corporate partners are stepping up to endorse these players much more so than they were five years ago because they see the benefit of having women and diverse women representing their brand. I agree. Rivalries are good."
Basketball fans were irate, claiming that the WNBA leader sidestepped a crucial, glaring issue. Many believed Engelbert's comments were out-of-touch, wondering how the league's leader could miss a chance to address such a big problem within the league openly.
One fan wrote: "Angel Reese can't look at her mentions on here without seeing racism and the WNBA commissioner is like 'we're making so much money and getting people to watch this is great!'"
Another fan wrote: "This was an open opportunity for her to address some things head-on, and damn, she missed it by a mile." At the same time, another said, "Cathy Engelbert didn’t even try to discourage the homophobic and racist behavior that occurs on WNBA posts and events. Not even on the official pages or at games. Get her out of here."
Even Clark herself has spoken out against racism within her fanbase , saying, "People should not be using my name to push those agendas. It's disappointing. It's not acceptable." Clark and Reese have publically stated that they have no ill will toward each other and that their on-court rivalries are rooted in being competitive.
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