Reactions to commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s retirement announcement have ranged from cheers to takedowns to timid defenses.
But if there’s one thing everyone can all agree on, it’s that she had a tough job.
As WNBA commissioner, you don’t have the same luxuries as commissioners of the major men’s leagues.
You’re not really in charge, given that NBA commissioner Adam Silver is still your boss.
You can’t coast on a long track record of profitability like the NBA or NFL; the WNBA is only beginning to gain mainstream acceptance.
And you can’t block out the chaos stirred up by those who apparently can’t handle its success.
Crypto groups throwing sex toys onto the court. Former NBA players claiming to be women and declaring for the draft. Death threats and racialized abuse directed at players. Society keeps finding new and old ways to demean the league, even as its popularity grows.
Now it’s time to find out who’s crazy enough to take the job.
ESPN reported the first short list of commissioner candidates over the weekend. It included former players such as Swin Cash and Nneka Ogwumike, team presidents such as the Valkyries’ Jess Smith and the Liberty’s Keia Clarke, and league insiders such as Bethany Donaphin and Mark Tatum.
No surprise here: Sky veteran Natasha Cloud already has a strong opinion on who should fill the role.
“I hope it’s another player,” Cloud told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. “Whether it’s Swin, Nneka, even Keia. We don’t need a man in that position.
“I love Mark Tatum and what he’s been able to do in the NBA, but when it comes to our league and being understood as women, especially as a majority-minority league, I hope that we entrust in a player that understands what it means to be in this league.”
But wait, there’s more.
“I would obviously like a minority woman,” Cloud said. “I think being understood in these spaces of being protected from racism, transphobia, homophobia, you need a minority figure in that position that understands what it means to be ‘other,’ because we have not been protected.
“Cathy didn’t want to handle any of the extra [bleep] that’s going on outside of the court, so she’s washing her hands of it. But that’s not the best thing for our league.
“So in that next commissioner, there needs to be someone that takes priority in protecting us first and foremost and not allowing this league to be used as a pawn.”
Cloud said she tried to schedule a meeting with Engelbert after her altercation with former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, but the request was declined.
For Cloud, a more open line of communication with players is a must.
She also acknowledged that the commissioner ultimately reports to the owners and the NBA, and that a central part of the job is growing the league.
On that front, the players and the league might not be that far apart. Cloud and teammate Elizabeth Williams talked about globalizing the game, both by bringing the WNBA to other countries and ensuring international players can play in the W. Expanding the league’s global footprint was also a recurring theme in Engelbert’s final addresses.
Cloud and Williams called for more investment and transparency in officiating, too, some of which already appears to be in motion. The league will begin using a replay center next season, a significant investment intended to make reviews more streamlined and objective.
So that’s the good news for the future commissioner: The growth playbook includes some straightforward steps that other leagues have taken and the players support.
If only the rest of the job were that easy.
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that even Cloud’s perfect candidate will get tripped up along the way.