Wetzel: For the good of WNBA, commish needs thicker skin

The WNBA has a new labor deal, two new expansion franchises (Portland and Toronto) and its largest and most comprehensive media rights deal to date.

It features superstar A’ja Wilson trying to lead her Las Vegas Aces to their fourth title in five years, while veteran-led rosters in New York, Minnesota and elsewhere are eager to stop them.

Its playoff team has a healthy Kaitlin Clark, Angel Reese is now in a contender (Atlanta) and Paige Bueckers has reunited with her running mate Ezzie Fudd from the University of Connecticut at Dallas.

Everything is designed to raise the level of the league, at least if it can focus on the game, the talent and the competition, and not on personal feelings or controversial issues or whatever else WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was talking about on Monday night.

That’s when he at least partially influenced the league’s annual draft with a viral and bizarre answer to a relatively common question.

“[NBA commissioner] Last month Adam Silver was asked about your future as commissioner of the WNBA,” asked Madeline Kenny of the New York Post. “He didn’t know what you wanted to do. So I guess I’m just curious to know how much you want to stay [as] Commissioner of the WNBA? How long do you expect to stay in this role?”

Engelbert clearly did not like the questioning.

“I feel angry [on] How everyone’s focused on me, and you should be focused on the hundreds of amazing women and thousands of women who run this league outside of me,” the commissioner said.

Engelbart later said, “I wonder if you would ask that of a man, but I realize that as women we are asked different questions than men.”

Kenny replied that she would ask a man. But he should not have defended himself or his legitimate question.

Commissioners are criticized, criticized and humiliated all the time. That’s part of the job. They are humiliated and prosecuted; It was dissected and proportioned. Have you seen (or heard) Roger Goodell’s reaction to the NFL Draft? How will Gary Bettman be when he hands over the Stanley Cup? Much of the media has called for Silver’s job throughout the season for a myriad of reasons.

Does being a female executive in sports present unique challenges? Most likely, but this isn’t one of them. Whether male or female, from pro sports to college conferences to golf tours, bosses are evaluated because they have made tough decisions that invite such criticism.

Kenny’s question wasn’t hostile or even confrontational – it didn’t advocate for Engelbart’s firing, it just asked when she might decide to step down.

Engelbert clearly thinks she is special in this regard, which would normally be a personal problem. If this reflects the W’s mentality of having their greatest season ever then it becomes a leaguewide issue.

There’s a lot of potential here for the focus to shift to issues like these from the upcoming season. All of this invites additional, and in this case, fair criticism, including from many who are not always fair to the league or its players.

After all, business is booming. Last year, Golden State demonstrated a successful model for expansion franchises by merging the business, ticketing and marketing operations between the NBA’s Warriors and WNBA Valkyries. Huge crowds and revenue followed.

That’s what’s expected of this year’s new teams and why the expansion fees have ballooned to $250 million with the arrival of Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.

The league appears to have overcome its labor disputes, which are never good for business. Regardless of the sport, many fans naturally push back when they hear players demanding more money or better treatment – ​​even if they deserve it. He considers playing sports for a living as a dream come true.

Yet in the case of the WNBA, management also upset many older fans who see the players as representatives in a larger, society-wide, fight for equal pay. So it was complicated.

Engelbart then alienated almost everyone when he, at least according to Minnesota Star Napheesa Collier, dismissed Clark, Reese and Bueckers, paying them low rookie salaries, about $75,000 a year, despite their enormous popularity.

“[Engelbert’s] The response was, ‘Kaitlyn should be grateful that she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform given to her by the WNBA, she wouldn’t have earned anything,'” Collier said in September.

Clark, now entering her third season with Indiana, remains the WNBA’s golden ticket, whether the league wants to admit it, or considers it “fair” or not.

As Tiger Woods once did for the PGA Tour, he attracted a huge fan base and unprecedented media attention from his record-breaking college career at Iowa.

Converting them to not just CC fans, but WNBA fans, is one of the key priorities this year and beyond. The comments, to the contrary, about how Clark should be grateful to the league, simply drive those fans away.

The goal for 2026 should be to promote young stars, promote veterans, and focus on the court, not unnecessary distractions by the commissioner. The opportunity at hand is very important.

It is not that there cannot be harsh fouls and sharp words, rivalries and conflicts. This is basketball. That’s part of the fun. There is also criticism of Kamish.

From Engelbert on down, the WNBA, like every sports league, should be about “look at us,” not about “woe is me.”