Cathy Engelbert’s contract as WNBA Commissioner is set to expire after the 2026 season, and an increasing number of entities within and around the league have questioned whether she should remain in the role beyond her current deal. Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham, with a statement she made in an interview with USA Today, appears to also align with the calls for Engelbert’s exit. And while her statement has sparked controversy, The Athletic’s Annie Costabile believes that Cunningham was justified in making it.
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Speaking on Friday’s episode of Yahoo Sports Daily, Costabile reacted to Cunningham’s statement. She, however, went further to suggest why Engelbert seems to have been subjected to so much criticism, stating that there are aspects of the commissioner’s job that may appear to be outside her control or responsibility.
“Listen, I think all criticism of the commissioner, any commissioner, is fair. It’s warranted, and it’s always going to happen. It’s an unavoidable part of the job. And it’s part of the job description. You could say when it comes to Cathy, the reason she faces so much criticism is that there is a layer to her job that appears to be out of her control, or there are aspects of her job description that maybe don’t fall within her responsibility.”
Although Sophie Cunningham’s statement did not directly address Cathy Engelbert by name, it was quite clear that her criticism was directed at the commissioner and the leadership of the league. In the statement, Cunningham argued that the WNBA needs someone bold and confident who genuinely wants what is best for its players, while suggesting that the commissioner’s position could be open at the end of the year.
“You do have to have a person in power who is bold, who is confident, who wants the best for the players and not maybe for themselves all the time,” Cunningham told USA Today Sports’ Meghan L. Hall exclusively on August 19.
“So I do feel like, as a whole, that could be a position that’s maybe open at the end of the year, but that’s not my call. With where our league is trying to go, I feel like you just want someone who also wants that. That’s just a hard position to be in, in her shoes, us as players. We always want more, more, more because we see how good it can be.”
There has been continual questioning of Engelbert’s leadership, especially with the number of controversies that have surrounded the WNBA this season. The concerns even became particularly loud and pronounced during the Alyssa Thomas foul issue earlier this season, something that Costabile also pointed out.
After Thomas’ fist-to-throat foul against Caitlin Clark and the suspension that followed, Thomas came out to claim that she and her teammates had been victims of death threats, racial slurs, and other online abuse, which created another round of controversy. And the fact that Engelbert was unusually silent for the most part drew criticism.
As it stands now, the official decision on whether WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will continue in her role after her contract expires rests with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the WNBA’s governing structure. Silver has previously praised Engelbert’s work while remaining noncommittal about her future, so it remains to be seen what their ultimate decision will be.