Christine Brennan rips Cathy Engelbert’s ‘inability to deal with the facts’ about Caitlin Clark

The promotional tour for Christine Brennan’s book on Caitlin Clark trudges on, and this time the USA Today column is again taking aim at WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

During an interview with sports anchor Keith Murphy on the Des Moines, Iowa NBC affiliate, Brennan sharply criticized what she sees as Engelbert’s lack of embrace for Clark, and the commercial value she has added to the WNBA.

christine brennan talking about how cathy engelbert has trouble talking about caitlin to the media and always feels the need to mention other players for no reason 😹 and how from the perspective of a business trying to make money the way they’ve handled caitlin makes no sense pic.twitter.com/4BDTjm0wZn

— cc akgae (@clrkszn) July 7, 2025

“The way [Englebert] has trouble talking about Caitlin Clark, or if she’s asked about Caitlin, then she will say, ‘Well, Caitlin and Angel.’ Well, she wasn’t asked about Angel. You know, she was asked about Caitlin. This incredible inability to deal with the facts and state the obvious, it is astounding to me.

“How Cathy Engelbert doesn’t come out after the Marina Mabrey hit and say, ‘That’s unacceptable, the refs got it wrong. You should have been kicked out then. You weren’t. But now I’m going to kick you out and now you’re suspended for another game or two.’ That’s just unacceptable behavior for someone who’s that important to the league or to any player, right? They can’t do that. They seem paralyzed. But it does make you wonder, me as a human being, what’s going on and why is it still so bad and so opposite of what any capitalist company — it’s capitalism 101 — you’ve got someone here. Run with it.”

Brennan has been highly critical of Engelbert over the Mabrey incident before, but suggesting the commissioner has an “inability to deal with the facts” represents an escalation in her criticism.

It’s clear, at this point, Brennan believes the WNBA should have “Clark Rules” to protect its most valuable asset. That might not be a popular opinion among WNBA players, league officials, or even Clark herself, but it’s one that makes sense from a commercial standpoint.

But it’s also the type of opinion that can make people question Brennan’s motives as someone who is trying to sell copies of a Caitlin Clark book. No league would outright say that they plan on treating one player different than every other, so for Brennan to expect that out of Engelbert is unreasonable.

Nevertheless, it’s a legitimate conversation to be had. Clark is undoubtedly the league’s most valuable asset. Should the WNBA be taking measures to protect her? Brennan seems to think so, but most that value competitive integrity would think differently.