COMMISSIONER Cathy Engelbert of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) spoke out strongly against external actors attempting to fuel conflict as the league finds itself at the center of a growing national debate over transgender athletes.
Engelbert’s remarks came ahead of the Indiana Fever’s 91-85 loss to the Dallas Wings at the American Airlines Center, where demonstrators had gathered outside the venue.
Protests have surfaced at multiple league games following a detailed ESPN profile on Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, in which Cunningham expressed support for prohibiting transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports.
“People are trying to use the league to sow divisiveness,” said Engelbert in an article posted at Yahoo Sports.
The appearance served as Engelbert’s first public remarks since the WNBA issued an official statement last week condemning bad-faith attempts to use the debate to “demean or marginalize others.” Addressing the situation directly while seated next to Wings CEO and managing partner Greg Bibb, Engelbert criticized outside commentators and groups for using the sport as a
culture-war backdrop.
“We’re being the center of political football for people who have never watched the WNBA, never have written about the WNBA or reported on the WNBA,” Engelbert said. / RSC
