The WNBA has announced that, after seven years in leadership, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert will retire at the end of her contract this year as the debate over transgender athletes continues to roil the league.
“Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league’s 30-year history,” said NBA chief Adam Silver in a September 4 press release. “We are grateful for Cathy’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women’s basketball.
The press release goes on to praise the 61-year-old Engelbert for her tenure during the league’s “unprecedented growth,” and claims that she presided over “exponential increases in viewership and historic highs have been reached in digital engagement, game attendance, League Pass subscribers, merchandise sales, corporate partnership revenues and franchise valuations.”
“After more than seven years at the WNBA and more than 40 total years in business, I have made the decision to retire as WNBA Commissioner,” Engelbert said in the statement. “In 2019, I had the privilege of being appointed the league’s first commissioner and to lead a league with enormous potential yet untapped awareness and significant undervaluation. Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women’s sports.
“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined,” she added. “I am grateful to the WNBA and NBA team owners and staff, players, investors, fans and the powerhouse league office staff, who believed in what this league could become. I retire with immense gratitude and tremendous optimism for the future of the WNBA, with the best yet to come.”
Engelbert’s contract was set to expire on December 31. Still, she recently told the media that she had been preparing to hand over the reins to the next commissioner for some time, according to the Associated Press.
“It’s a good time to hand it off to the next leader to take the ‘W’ into a better phase,” she added. “I’m proud of the team we built and everything we accomplished. A leader knows when it’s time to drop the mic and move on after building a powerhouse team in the league office.”
Engelbert faced several criticisms during her long tenure. She came under fierce scrutiny as the league went into overtime trying to secure a collective bargaining agreement, which was finally settled in March. She also came under fire amid frustration over the WNBA’s officiating. Engelbert is also taking her leave as many are bemoaning the rise of a more violent style of play on the court, and as the controversy over transgender athletes continues to grow without a clear policy being put into place to settle the issue.
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