Who is going to lead the WNBA out of all this?

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The WNBA entered the 2026 season with a new 11-year, $2.2 billion media deal and a ton of momentum. That hasn’t abated, as WNBA telecasts are up 12% compared to this point last season, while All-Star ratings surged 44% year-over-year.

So why does every conversation around the women’s basketball league feel so negative? And why does it seem like it steps on a new rake every day?

The WNBA has incredible coaches and players; and they are responding by stepping on rakes over and over and over

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— Ally J. Shivka 💖💜💙 (@allyjsdesign.bsky.social) September 30, 2025 at 2:05 PM

The last few days alone have provided a perfect microcosm of the narrative landscape surrounding the league.

Superstar Caitlin Clark, who has become an avatar for culture wars far beyond what she does on the court, told ESPN that narratives about her were “not based in reality” and that she sometimes borders on being “fearful” of the fervor behind the controversies that she faces in the league.

Clark’s comments earned rebukes from ESPN’s Monica McNutt and Netflix’s Elle Duncan, who asked the Indiana Fever star to bridge the gap between her and other WNBA players and do more to denounce those who seek viral and media currency at their expense. Those reactions were met with intense backlash from Clark defenders and other critics.

While it’s fair to say that the bulk of WNBA players have progressive stances, Clark’s teammate, Sophie Cunningham, caused a stir in an ESPN profile in which she spoke out against transgender women competing in women’s sports. Despite saying she is “very much in the middle” politically, she has since doubled and tripled down on banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.

Some people organized a “Support Sophie Cunningham” rally before the Fever defeated the Seattle Storm in Seattle on Tuesday, July 28. While the crowd appeared small, that didn’t stop the Fever’s communications team from shielding both Clark and Cunningham from reporters after Tuesday’s game.

Storm center Stefanie Dolson appeared to offer a rebuttal, arriving for Tuesday night’s game wearing a shirt reading “Trans Rights are Human Rights,” which the team highlighted. The Storm did apologize for an exchange between one of their co-owners and two fans who took part in the rally, which then took on a life of its own in certain political circles.

Meanwhile, the question of where WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert is in all of this is a valid one. Over All-Star weekend, many star players were asked about their relationships with Engelbert. Notably, Clark emphasized her closeness with Silver more than Engelbert, while A’ja Wilson said, somewhat jokingly, that the closest she gets to Engelbert is when the commissioner is handing her trophies.

ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike expressed her own concerns that Engelbert is falling short of expectations in forming genuine bonds with the league’s top athletes and figures. Not exactly what you want people to think of your leadership, especially when there’s seemingly a new fire to put out every day.

And then, just to put a bow on things, the WNBA posted a video of star players Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese before their two teams were set to play on Wednesday night. The video featured Bueckers and Reese placing what appears to be a personal $400 wager on whose team would win the game. That video was quickly deleted after someone realized that the league’s new CBA clearly states that any wagering is strictly prohibited and that players could be fined, suspended, or even disqualified from the WNBA at the commissioner’s sole discretion.

Individually, these are all the kinds of dramas, conversations, controversies, and own-goals that every professional sports league has to navigate. But for the WNBA, these issues seem to arise with alarming regularity.

Some of this is out of the league’s control. They can’t tell ESPN pundits what to say. They can’t stop some slack-jawed yokel who has never watched a women’s basketball game in their life from complaining about the league on X. They can’t pull back the red meat after critics and culture warriors sink their teeth into it.

A large part of the reason these issues compound and feel like an endless cycle of negativity is the stunning lack of leadership at the league’s center. Englebert gets the lion’s share of criticism over how she’s handled a lot of the WNBA’s PR and narrative problems the last few years, but those complaints are warranted. Even when she does make a decision, it’s limp, PR-tested pablum meant to appease in the short term, with no vision for what happens down the road.

There’s no quick fix for all of the WNBA’s problems, especially given that it finds itself the target of a media ecosystem that, frankly, seems to want to hate it. It’s fairly obvious why. The women of the WNBA seem intent on breaking the status quo of how professional sports are supposed to work and look like, and that drives a lot of people (mostly men) insane. The WNBA and its players trip and stumble along the way, as any growing league would, but don’t have the luxury of doing so out of sight of the hyenas waiting to pounce at the first sign of weakness.

That said, if there is a solution to what ails the league, it starts at the top. Englebert’s contract is up at the end of 2026, and it appears to be a foregone conclusion that it won’t be renewed, nor do many people want it to be. That’s the opportunity the WNBA needs: to bring on a replacement who not only understands the need for strong leadership and direction but is willing to publicly defend the values that the coaches, players, and fans want reflected back to them. Even if tough conversations lie ahead, a leader willing to have them and stand by the answers can quell some of the headaches and potentially reframe the conversation when it starts to drift away from them.

Easier said than done, but the WNBA seems desperate for someone who can be an ally to the players, a voice for the league, and a guiding light who points the way forward when detractors and narratives muddy the waters. And at the very least, someone who can proactively move all the rakes off the lawn instead of waiting for the league to step on the next one.

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