The Women’s National Basketball Players Association and several players across the WNBA spoke out against commissioner Cathy Engelbert after her appearance on CNBC on Tuesday.
Engelbert was asked about the “darker” and “more menacing” tone that has been taken by some fans on social media this season, especially when it comes to star rookies Caitlin Clark, who is white, and Angel Reese, who is Black. According to the players’ union and several players, her answers fell short.
What did Cathy Engelbert say?
Engelbert, speaking on “Power Lunch,” was asked about the growing harassment players have received on social media and the racial aspect that has been brought into the conversation when it comes to Clark and Reese, among other things.
There have been plenty of issues players have shared in this regard all season long. Reese said earlier this month that some of Clark’s fans have harassed her online, issued death threats, followed her home, published AI-generated naked photos of her and more.
Several other players have been harassed with ugly comments from fans after committing hard fouls against Clark this season. One person allegedly called Chennedy Carter a “ghetto b****” at her team hotel after she shoulder-checked Clark. Diamond DeShields even shared a post of someone saying they hoped her spinal tumor would come back.
But instead of getting into those details, Engelbert focused on the rivalry between Reese and Clark on the court and how that’s growing the league. She compared it to the early rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the NBA.
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
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) September 9, 2024
“There’s no more apathy. Everybody cares,” she said. “It is a little of that [Larry] Bird-Magic [Johnson] moment if 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, you need rivalry. That’s what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don’t want everybody being nice to one another.”
As for the social media aspect of it, Engelbert said that her best advice is to simply ignore it. She then immediately turned to how corporations and others are now investing into the league like never before.
Quickly, the WNBPA condemned Engelbert’s comments on Tuesday night.
“This is not about rivalries or iconic personalities fueling a business model,” WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson said, in part. “This kind of toxic fandom should never be tolerated or left unchecked. It demands immediate action, and frankly, should have been addressed long ago.”
Many players followed suit.
I stand against all forms of discrimination, hatred, and bias, especially in reference to sports. The intersection of racism and sports should always be rejected. No platform is too big or too small to stand for the right thing. No excuses.
— Brianna Turner (@_Breezy_Briii) September 10, 2024
“It’s taken a darker turn in terms of the types of comments and the vitriol that’s coming through to the players, and it’s not OK,” Las Vegas Aces forward Alysha Clark said, via ESPN. “I wish [Engelbert] would have just said that — ‘It’s not OK.’
“At the end of the day, when we take these uniforms off, we’re human beings, and that doesn’t mean because we’re athletes, we are automatically just allowed to be subjected to those types of comments and hate. And so I just think there was a real missed opportunity to shut that down and just be like, ‘We don’t condone any of that.'”
New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart also addressed Engelbert’s comments after their win over the Dallas Wings. Stewart said she was part of discussions that were had with the WNBPA about Engelbert’s comments earlier in the day, too.
“I think that it’s kind of disappointing to hear,” Stewart said, via ESPN. “The way that the fans have surged, and especially behind Caitlin and Angel coming to this league, but also bringing a race aspect to a different level — you know, there’s no place for that in our sport. We want our sport to be inclusive for race, gender, and really a place where people can be themselves.
“So we wished, obviously, Cathy would use her platform in a different way and have made that a little bit better. Kind of just telling the fans like, enough is enough. Become a fan of our sport and for the new ones, lock in on everybody, but don’t be disrespectful. Because as a league, we stick together, and there’s no place for that.”
Engelbert responded to criticism on social media late Tuesday night and clarified her comments.
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
Engelbert was hired as the WNBA commissioner in 2019 after a five-year stint as the CEO of Deloitte. She replaced former WNBA president Lisa Borders.
