WNBA Players Seemingly React to Cathy Engelbert's Controversial Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Comments
During a September 9 appearance on CNBC's 'Power Lunch' program, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert seemed to sidestep a question about racist undertones that the fan rivalry between rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese can sometimes take on social media.
"Now it seems, on some social media channels, to have taken a darker turn. A more menacing turn," CNBC anchor Tyler Mathisen said to Engelbert about this fan tribalism. "Where race has been introduced in the conversation, where sexuality is sometimes introduced into the conversation.
"How do you try and stay ahead of that... or act as a league when two of your most visible players are involved — not personally, it would seem, but their fanbases are involved — in saying some very uncharitable things about the other?" he then added.
"Well the one thing that's great about the league right now, we do sit at this intersection of culture, and sports, and fashion, and music. Like, the WNBA players are really looked at now as kind of cultural icons," Engelbert said in response.
"And when you have that, you have a lot of attention on you. There's no more apathy. Everybody cares. It is a little bit of that Bird-Magic moment if you recall, from 1979," Engelbert added. "When those two rookies came in from a big college rivalry, one white, one black. And so we have that moment with these two.
"But the one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry," Engelbert added. "That's what makes people watch, They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don't want everybody being nice to one another," Engelbert then said.
WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert on the toxicity that’s spawned from the Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rivalry. Seems to me the WNBA media who keeps chastising the fans, is running counter to what the commissioner wants. Let me know what you think. #WNBA #feverrising
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) September 9, 2024
Full… pic.twitter.com/N67HN0n6Vn
Engelbert appearing to dodge Mathisen's question has the women's basketball community in a collective uproar on Tuesday. Not only are many fans lamenting Engelbert's response on X, but it appears that some WNBA players are also taking umbrage with it.
While it can't be confirmed that Engelbert's comments are what she's referring to, Aces player Alysha Clark posted on X, "Sweet. Baby. Jesus." with a GIF of a baffled-looking John C. Reilly.
Sweet. Baby. Jesus. pic.twitter.com/2RKjsmpojP
— Alysha Clark (@Alysha_Clark) September 10, 2024
Chicago Sky guard Michaela Onyenwere also posted, "Yikes. 🥴," in an apparent reference to her commissioner's comments.
Yikes. 🥴
— Michaela Onyenwere (@monyenwere_) September 10, 2024
Onyenwere's Sky teammate Brianna Turner then posted, "My eye must be deceiving me 😅 bc ain’t no way 👀," on X.
My eye must be deceiving me 😅 bc ain’t no way 👀
— Brianna Turner (@_Breezy_Briii) September 10, 2024
It's worth re-stating that none of these posts are confirmed to be about what Engelbert said. But fans and X users seem to think so; especially given their timing with Engelbert's words going viral.
Perhaps the WNBA commissioner's office will address this alleged backlash later today.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.