Embattled and Embittered

To say WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is "embattled" would be a tremendous understatement.  Because she's far more than just embattled.  She's under fire.  From multiple angles.  And, frankly, I don't see a way out of it for her.

After the Lynx were eliminated from the playoffs, Naphessa Collier, one of the best and most influential players in the league, aired all her dirty laundry.  And when I say she aired her dirty laundry, I mean she aired all of her dirty laundry!  Collier eviscerated Engelbert during her press conference, highlighting multiple problems that players have with the league's leadership.  Specifically, a "lack of accountability from the league office" about inconsistent officiating, which has been an issue league-wide for a while.  (Collier was injured and Minnesota Head Coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected from a playoff game that became overly physical.)

Perhaps even more telling were the details Collier shared about a conversation she had with Engelbert in February.  Collier, who holds a leadership position in the WNBA Player's Association, mentioned the union's frustration about how young stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers won't make very much salary-wise for their first few years in the league (Bueckers signed with Unrivaled before she was drafted and figures to make significantly more playing there in the WNBA offseason).  Engelbert's response was dismissive to say the least.  She said, according to Collier, that "Caitlin should be grateful" and the players should be "thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them."

While Collier was the one to say something publicly, she's far from alone in her feelings about WNBA leadership.  In fact, other players were quick to line up in agreement.  Clark acknowledged that Collier "made a lot of very valid points" and said how much she respects her.  That was the common sentiment around the league.  They don't just support Collier.  They're happy to have someone speak up for them.  So, it's pretty clear that they're all on the same page.

Simply put, WNBA players don't feel valued.  They're the ones responsible for the league's success and WNBA leadership either can't or doesn't want to see it.  In their eyes, the WNBA office doesn't give the players any credit at all.  The league thinks that it's successful despite the players, not because of them.  Which, if you think about it, is an asinine argument.  Because there would be no league without the players!

In her pre-WNBA Finals news conference, Engelbert addressed the controversy.  And, let's just say, she didn't exactly endear herself to anyone.  In response to Collier's comments, Engelbert said that there were "a lot of inaccuracies."  She also denied saying that about Clark.  To her credit, Engelbert vowed to "do better."  But the damage has already been done.  Can that relationship be repaired?

Above all else, sports leagues are relationship-based.  They're a business.  Obviously.  Everyone understands that.  But that business can't thrive without cultivating those relationships (between the players and owners, between the teams and the fans, etc.).  And that's an area where Engelbert has clearly failed.  She has the business sense.  But her relationship with the players is strained at best.  It doesn't seem likely to recover, either.

Engelbert has done a lot of good things as WNBA Commissioner.  There's no denying that.  She guided the W through the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 "wubble" season.  She oversaw the WNBA's first expansion in more than a decade, with Golden State joining the league this year, Portland and Toronto next season, and three more on the way.  And, yes, Engelbert secured a new 11-year media rights deal worth $200 million a year.  The bottom line, though, is that the players don't trust her.  And that's a huge problem.

It's also an extremely relevant point since the WNBA is set to begin negotiating a new CBA.  The current CBA expires on October 31, and the sides are far apart on several key issues.  While everyone is hopeful there won't be a lockout (I wish I could say I was this optimistic about baseball avoiding a lockout), Engelbert has acknowledged there's still "a long way to go."  And those negotiations will only become further complicated by the fact that Engelbert doesn't have a good relationship with the players.  If they don't trust her, how can they trust that the league is coming to them in good faith and trying to make a deal that's in the best interest of everyone?

The common belief is that Engelbert's days as commissioner are numbered and that she'll be out of office once the new CBA is signed.  According to a report in Sports Business Journal, her ouster appears likely.  A WNBA source called the report "categorically false," but it was clear the groundswell for a change at the top was growing even before Collier's comments.  Whether Collier's comments exacerbated that timeline or not, they certainly didn't help.  Especially since the court of public opinion overwhelmingly supports the players, not Engelbert.

Collier's news conference received mainstream media attention.  While the WNBA has become bigger and more popular than ever, it's still mostly ignored by mainstream sports talk shows (although, that's probably better than those talking heads only having a passing knowledge of the WNBA and making uninformed opinions while not actually knowing what they're talking about).  So, when the WNBA is being discussed on one of those shows, it's either for something really good or something really bad.  This was the latter.  And, when you've got renowned WNBA expert Stephen A. Smith saying you should resign, that's saying something.

Resigning might be the cleanest way out for Engelbert.  It would certainly be the clearest path forward.  However, that doesn't seem likely to happen.  In her press conference, Engelbert was asked if she'd consider it and her response was "I've never been a quitter."  In fact, she expressed confidence that she can repair her relationship with the players and rebuild that trust.  I'm not sure why she thinks that's a possibility.

Among the criticisms leveled at Engelbert by other WNBA players after Collier publicly aired her grievances, one really stood out.  Sophie Cunningham, Clark's teammate on the Indiana Fever, called the Commissioner "delusional" and said that she always makes it about herself.  Cunningham went on, voicing similar complaints as Collier with detailed reasoning, but her main point was that Engelbert is tone deaf on many of the key issues that concern the players.  The Commissioner's statement about "not being a quitter" is evidence of that.  This isn't about you!  It's about what's best for the league!

Maybe Engelbert thinks she's doing the right thing by negotiating the CBA so that it doesn't become the first thing on somebody new's to-do list.  And maybe she will graciously step aside (voluntarily) once it's signed, sealed and delivered.  One thing is clear, though, Cathy Engelbert can't continue as WNBA Commissioner.  Whether she leaves voluntarily or is forced out, the only way forward for the WNBA is a new person at the top.  That's the only way to rebuild the relationship with the players.  The people who the WNBA wouldn't exist without.