Cathy Engelbert has received some criticism recently against the backdrop of Sophie Cunningham’s remarks regarding the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, among other things. Often criticized for maintaining silence on critical issues, Engelbert has now issued a statement on the narrative surrounding the league in a chat at the American Airlines Center before the Indiana Fever and Dallas Wings game on August 20.

“People are trying to use the league to sow divisiveness,” Engelbert said, as per WNBA reporter Myah Taylor.

“There’s always going to be haters out there, and we denounce it. The vitriol has got to stop against our players,” the WNBA Commissioner added, per The Mirror US.

Cathy Engelbert went on to highlight that the league has become a platform for people to further their personal agenda at the cost of the WNBA.

“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.

While the commissioner does not address the transgender debate directly, it’s not difficult to see why she would be making such a point. After Cunningham’s comments were released back on July 21 in an interview with ESPN, the transgender issue has deeply exposed the fault lines in the WNBA eligibility policy.

There have been rallies outside the Indiana Fever games, with people gathering in large numbers, including supporters and opponents of the issue. The saga has seen comments from noted players, coaches, analysts, US Congressmen, and White House Press Secretary, which has only added fuel to the fire.

After two ex-NBA players, Enes Freedom and Royce White, declared themselves eligible for the 2027 WNBA draft, matters reached a flashpoint. With pressure mounting on Cathy Engelbert to address player eligibility in the league, a meeting with the team presidents and GMs was eventually held to address this transgender issue, among other things.

However, the league statement after the “anti-hate task force” meeting did little to settle this controversial debate.

“There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”

While Article XIII, Section 1 of the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) states simply that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” it does not describe the specifics about gender identity or sex assigned at birth, thus leaving the door open for speculation and interpretation.

Only time will show how and when this debate settles in the WNBA. For now, Cathy Engelbert remains under pressure for a variety of issues ranging from player safety and officiating in the league to, of course, this transgender saga.