Appearing on CNBC’s Power Lunch on Monday, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was asked about the “darker” and “more menacing” side of social media, particularly as it relates to the race and sexuality of the players in her league.
Engelbert responded by pointing to the rivalry between star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, seemingly painting such social media behavior as a positive for her league.
Engelbert’s full answer was as follows:
“The one thing that’s great about the league right now, we do sit at the intersection of culture and sports and fashion and music. The WNBA players are really looked at now as cultural icons. And when you have that, you have a lot of attention on you. There’s no more apathy. Everybody cares. It is a little of that Bird-Magic moment, if you recall from 1979, when those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one black. So we have that moment with these two.
“But the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalries. That’s what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between games of rivals. They don’t want everybody being nice to one another.
“Social media is different today than it was in 1979, when it didn’t exist. I always tell the players, I was told a long time ago if someone’s typing something in and you wouldn’t ask their advice, ignore it. It’s a balance. But certainly from marketing dollars, 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.”
WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert on the toxicity that’s spawned from the Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rivalry. Seems to me the WNBA media who keeps chastising the fans, is running counter to what the commissioner wants. Let me know what you think. #WNBA #feverrising
Full… pic.twitter.com/N67HN0n6Vn
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) September 9, 2024
While there may be some truth to Engelbert’s answer, her failure to not only denounce the toxic social media behavior referenced in the question, but seemingly embrace it, resulted in no shortage of backlash. That included from multiple WNBA players, as well as WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson, who offered an outright rebuke of Engelbert’s comments.
Taking to X late-Tuesday night, Engelbert responded to the criticism she has faced. And while she didn’t apologize for her comments, she did clarify them, making it clear that “there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else.”
During a recent media interview, I was asked about the dark side of social media and online conversation about WNBA rivalries and race. To be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else.
— Cathy Engelbert (@CathyEngelbert) September 11, 2024
Having also received some criticism for the WNBA’s latest media rights deal — which was negotiated in conjunction with the NBA — Engelbert has become somewhat of a polarizing figure within the league in recent months. It will be interesting to see whether her clarification quells the recent backlash she has faced as the league enjoys the record ratings and unprecedented popularity that have come with Clark and Reese’s arrivals in the league.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.