An interview with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) will begin its 26th season in May. For too many folks, the league is seen as the NBA “little sister” as the W constantly fights to be fully accepted as a major sports league.
Originally led by four presidents, including back-to-back Black women, the league named its first commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, in 2019. In our first extended Q&A, Engelbert recently talked to the MSR on several current issues. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
MSR: With the 2023 NCAA tournament coming to a close soon, is the three-week annual event a natural promotional platform for the WNBA?
Engelbert: When I came into the league, I felt like we didn’t do well enough with the NCAA. We’re doing much better now. We’ll have a big presence for this year’s Final Four in Dallas.
We talked to ESPN about how it’s important to talk about the players that we think will declare for the [April 10] draft. I think it’s important that we do a better job of cross-marketing with all the stakeholders, like the broadcast partners, to see how we can best cross-promote.
MSR: The Player Marketing Agreements (PMAs), first introduced in 2021, allow the W to pay select players for personal and league-specific marketing events during the offseason. How have the PMAs worked thus far?
Engelbert: Under our marketing agreements, part of our strategy is to get [players] to go back to the collegiate level and enhance their brand amongst that fan base. They’re building their personal brand. I think it’s been really great for these players. I think it offers them opportunities.
MSR: Since assuming office, you recruited five “WNBA Changemakers”—AT&T, Nike, Deloitte, Google and U.S. Bank, to help fund marketing, strategic collaboration, and diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.
Engelbert: Each of our changemakers brings something different, and I think…companies need to put their money where their mouth is as it relates to women’s sports.
MSR: But has it really moved the needle, all things considered, in regards to the WNBA?
Engelbert: We still run up against a lot of hurdles even though our viewership is at or above some men’s base. I’m really proud about that. The WNBA players have large followings in their communities because they’re socially conscious.
We need an internal advocate [in the business world] pounding the table to put our dollars [toward women’s sports]. We need an advocate for women. That’s a big part of what we’re trying to do is make sure that the marketplace is recognizing the value of women’s sports in society.
MSR: The 2020 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), currently prohibits teams from chartering flights. But with Phoenix’s Brittney Griner now back in the States after almost a year in a Russian prison, have her security concerns forced the league and/or the Mercury to revisit the travel issue?
Engelbert: We’re obviously working with Phoenix around the unique situation that we have. We’ll continue to work with them and our players to be cognizant of how unique their situation is. It’s an important priority as we lean on our new security and operations experts to guide us. And I think everybody knows that it’s a new situation for this year.
MSR: Any final thoughts?
Engelbert: We are running on all cylinders. We’re sprinting to the finish line to get to the draft on April 10.
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I would love to be part of the WNBA. I have always wanted to advocate for the women’s league. I’m not a stranger to basketball. I played from Jr high all the way to college. Women deserve the same pay as men, they play just as hard as the men and can compete just like they do.