If you were Cathy Engelbert and you were sitting at a poker table these days, you’d probably like your hand.
Engelbert is the commissioner of the WNBA and, by just about any objective standard, she’s got it good.
Now in its 29th season, the league has never been more popular or prosperous. Seven of the 13 teams are playing to average attendances of 10,000 or more this season and that follows last year when the WNBA set an attendance record.
After years of seeing its membership stay stagnant at 12 teams, with clubs moving from one market to another, the league added a 13th franchise this year, the Golden State Valkyries.
By every metric, the move has been a smashing success. The Valkyries lead the league in attendance, selling out each of their games to date. They are already the WNBA’s most valuable franchise, valued at $500 million, according to Sportico, a sports business website.
Sportico estimates that the value of all the franchises has risen 180 percent in the last year, and each of the teams is worth at least $200 million.
Not surprisingly, the league’s officials are seeking to take advantage of all that good fortune, literally.
The WNBA will expand by two more teams next year, one in Toronto and one in Portland. And, by 2030, the league will take in three more franchises, returning to Cleveland and Detroit, where teams previously failed, and going to Philadelphia. The last three cities will enter at a price of $250 million each.
Television ratings, save for last weekend’s All-Star Game, are at an all-time high. Even the All-Star Game numbers, which were down 35 percent from the previous season, can be explained away by the absence of Indiana guard Caitlin Clark, who has, in her second season, become the most visible player in the league.
With all that good news, you would think that Engelbert would be ecstatic. And publicly, she is.
But Engelbert’s sixth year as commissioner threatens to be the most tumultuous and there’s little evidence to suggest that she’s up to the twin challenges she faces, one real and one more psychic.
The league’s collective bargaining agreement with its players union ends after this season, and the players want what they believe they’re due in terms of wages.
Indeed, the 24 All-Stars all wore t-shirts before the game that read Pay Us What You Owe Us. WNBA players receive roughly nine percent of the league’s revenues under the current model.
That’s a far cry from the 50 percent that NBA players receive. It would seem an adjustment that is more favorable to the WNBA players would be in order.
Engelbert’s other problem is one of perception. Clark’s presence and rapid ascendance has led many to mistakenly believe that she alone is responsible for the league’s good fortunes, an idea that has rankled many veteran players and some of the established fanbase.
So far, Engelbert has shown little inclination or ability to deal with an issue that, if not dealt with properly, can turn the WNBA’s winning hand into a fold.
And that’s how I see it for this week. You can reach us via email with your questions and comments at Sports at Large at gmail.com. And follow me on BlueSky, Threads and X at Sports at Large.
Until next week, for all of us here and for producer Lisa Morgan, I’m Milton Kent. Thanks for listening and enjoy the games.
