Is Cathy Engelbert good at her job? First: What is her job? The commissioner of the WNBA represents the interests of WNBA ownership. Like any professional sports league’s commissioner, her job exists to absorb boos at drafts and trophy presentations. Unlike other commissioners, Engelbert’s league is structured so that she answers to another boss, who answers to 30 bosses himself. What does she think her job is? The bios she uses at conferences say it is “setting the vision for the WNBA,” “overseeing the league’s day-to-day business and basketball operations,” “bolstering visibility for the sport of women’s basketball,” “empowering the WNBA players,” “leading the business through transformation,” and “enhancing fan engagement.”
Consider the visibility bolstered, the fan engaged, the WNBA player empowered. On Tuesday afternoon, Minnesota Lynx star and WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier read a prepared statement at her season-end exit press conference, a six-minute obloquy of the league and its commissioner. “We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now, we have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier said.