Opinion: Change is needed in the WNBA

As the tip-off of the 2025 WNBA Finals, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert held a pre-game press conference with the media to not only share her excitement for the upcoming finals series between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury but the commissioner also wanted to clarify the comments made by Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier and other players regarding the state of the league, CBA negotiations, and faulty officiating.

Engelbert admitted that the WNBA has so much work to do to not only uphold the values that the WNBA stands on for shareholders but it is paramount and beneficial to the players in the league and that they feel seen and heard.

Misunderstood

She also briefly glossed over the conversation between she and Collier, Engelbert said there was a lot of inaccuracies that were reported within the last week. She spent some of the time doing more of a PR run to paint everything in a positive light even though visibly everything has not been sunshine and rainbows.

Video credit: @thesportingnews on TikTok

Lost in the Fray

Clearly the relationship between the commissioner and the players is not in a good place. Engelbert admitted that there are things that need to be fixed to make the league bigger and better. The product became more about what the owners/shareholders want and less about what’s actually beneficial to the players who risk their bodies everyday to make this league what it is.

Something is broken.

To continue to have a successful league and move forward, there needs to be a dialogue about the changes that need to be made to officiating, with injuries going up to 29% this season, pay equality, and player work conditions.

Possibility of Reconciliation

With the looming CBA deadline, there may be some reconciliation in repairing a broken relationship between league leadership and the players. The CBA negotiations deadline is October 31, Engelbert said she hopes to meet the deadline to get a deal with the CBA to provide better working conditions for the players.