WNBA commissioner's quote exposes tensions behind league's rapid rise
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Angel Reese (R) passes to Caitlin Clark during the 2024 WNBA All Star Game. Photo: Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert touched a nerve with players when she responded to a question about online abuse from fans toward stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark by suggesting the increased attention was good for the league.
Why it matters: The WNBA's popularity has surged. But so have the vitriol targeting some of the league's best-known players and tensions over the way WNBA stars are paid and treated relative to their NBA peers.
Driving the news: Asked on CNBC about the fact that social media discourse between fans of Chicago Sky forward Reese and Indiana Fever guard Clark had often devolved into racism and misogyny, Engelbert alluded to the benefits of divided fans:
- "There's no more apathy. Everybody cares. It is a little bit of that Bird-Magic moment," Engelbert remarked, comparing this turning point to the NBA's breakout 1979 season, and noting that in both cases one star was Black and one white.
- "The one thing I know about sports: you need rivalry. That's what makes people watch."
What they're saying: Several prominent players spoke out about those comments. 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart called them "disappointing."
- "The way that the fans have surged, and especially behind Caitlin and Angel coming to this league — and also bringing the race aspect to a different level ... 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."
- Terri Jackson, executive director of the WNBA Players' Association, issued a statement rebuffing Engelbert: "There is absolutely no place in sport — or in life — for the vile hate, racist language, homophobic comments, and misogynistic attacks our players are facing on social media."
- As backlash over the interview increased, Engelbert said in a statement: "To be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else."
Context: Reese, who is Black, recently spoke about racism, threats and fake images of her that had spread online, with some of the hate coming from fans of Clark.
- Clark has denounced anyone using her name to spread bigotry.
- The pair faced off in two instant classic NCAA Tournament games in college, and have had record-breaking rookie seasons in the pros.
By the numbers: Attendance at WNBA games increased by 156% this season, the first with Reese and Clark in the league. Clark has been a particularly big draw as the Fever travel around the country.
- WNBA League Pass subscriptions spiked 335% in 2024 versus the previous year.
- The league agreed to a $200 million per year media rights deal over the summer, up from $60 million under the current deal.
Yes, but: The WNBA has yet to reach profitability, with a June 2024 projection putting the league at a $50M loss even during an apparent golden age.
- Top stars like Stewart and this year's MVP favorite, A'ja Wilson, make the league's maximum salary: $200,000.
- Britney Griner's arrest in Russia in 2022 highlighted the fact that even some of the league's best players were supplementing their incomes by playing overseas in the offseason.
- Reese's and Clark's arrival — not to mention the new media deal — may push that ceiling upwards considerably, but the clock is ticking for current players. An average WNBA career is about 5.1 years long.
