A congressional letter calling for greater protection for Caitlin Clark? For WNBA analyst Annie Costabile, however, that is nothing short of a blatant waste of Congress’s time and effort, and she did not hold back in saying so.
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“This is what y’all are worried about?” Costabile said, addressing the lawmakers directly on Friday’s episode of the No Offseason podcast. “That’s where my mind went because it just exemplifies the way that modern politics gaslights us. They’re using this to distract from everything else that should be a higher priority.
“And the fact that this took up even if it was just an hour to write this letter and send it out. Y’all wasted an hour of your time. An hour of your time penning such a ridiculous, unnecessary, off-base letter, and you should be ashamed of yourselves. That’s what I thought.”
The letter in question got out on July 8 and was addressed directly to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. 11 Republican members of the House Republican Study Committee, led by Representative August Pfluger of Texas, signed it. They demanded increased accountability and protection for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. The letter specifically cited on-court incidents, noting some quite aggressive fouls Clark went through, like the hip-check, poke in the eye, and most recently, the fist-to-throat foul.
Of course, those incidents did happen. And a significant number of people across the basketball world would agree that there are genuine and needed improvements in the WNBA’s officiating standards and player protection protocols. However, for Costabile, whatever shortcomings exist within the league, they should be taken care of, not legislated from Capitol Hill.
Her broader argument is that there are far more pressing and consequential issues that these lawmakers should be directing their energy and attention toward. A foul in a professional basketball game, however egregious, does not belong on the congressional agenda.
Regardless of where one stands on that debate, the letter is already out. And according to its terms, it places a mandatory deadline of July 24 on the league to formally respond. Fingers remain crossed on where things will go from here.
WNBA Commissioner silent after lawmakers demand more protection for Caitlin Clark, cancels public appearance
So far, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has not issued any response to the congressional letter. The letter required her to provide formal, written answers detailing the league’s process for reviewing on-court physicality, disciplining overly aggressive conduct, and protecting players from online harassment and off-court threats.
None of that has been forthcoming. And amid the mounting controversy surrounding the letter and the broader Caitlin Clark-related narrative that dominated the WNBA news cycle in recent weeks, Engelbert, who would have attended a live interview on The Dan Patrick Show, will now no longer be attending, according to host Dan Patrick.
Whether her cancellation of that public appearance has anything to do with the pressure currently surrounding the congressional letter remains unclear. But regardless of the reason, the clock is ticking. The July 24 deadline is still two weeks away, meaning the league technically has time to prepare and submit its official response. Whether it chooses to do so, and in what form, also remains to be known.