Las Vegas Aces Conquer the WNBA, But Tension Persists Off the Court
The WNBA season came to an end with a new champion, the Las Vegas Aces, who secured their third title in four years. However, the final series and the entire postseason were marked by tension. This could intensify, as the league faces one of its most challenging preseasons. The WNBA has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, with records in attendance, ratings, investment, and franchise valuation. The big question is how this success will translate into transformative and lasting change. This is the question that concerns the league, its players, and other stakeholders. Currently, the WNBA and the WNBPA are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, and the possibility of a work stoppage is imminent. Cathy Engelbert’s future as commissioner is in doubt after Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier criticized the WNBA’s leadership, calling it “the worst… in the world.” In addition, the league will need to address concerns about officiating, which became evident during the postseason. The Alofoke Deportes team has gathered information from team owners, executives, players, and other industry sources to analyze the impact of recent events and the October 31 deadline for the collective bargaining agreement, and what this means for the league at this crucial moment in its history.Have WNBA Owners Lost Confidence in Engelbert?
One of the most impactful images of the season was Engelbert being booed by the fans at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix during the presentation of the Aces championship trophy. A smaller group of fans continued the noise as she left the court.Could this be the last time we see Engelbert as the WNBA commissioner?
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Tensions grew throughout the season, with players and coaches expressing their frustration with the refereeing and the intensification of collective bargaining negotiations. The conversation focused on Engelbert during the semi-finals. On September 26, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected after protesting an officiating decision. Reeve strongly criticized the league’s officiating and was fined and suspended for one game. In her post-elimination interview for the Lynx, Collier denounced the WNBA’s leadership and revealed parts of private conversations she had with Engelbert. Collier stated that Engelbert said Caitlin Clark “should be grateful” for earning $16 million off the court thanks to the WNBA’s platform, and that “players should be on their knees, thanking the lucky stars for the media rights deal they got.”“When you have that type of confrontation with your best players,” said a team executive, “it’s a death spiral.”
Team Executive
Numerous WNBA players publicly supported Collier. Engelbert, in a press conference before the first game of the Finals on October 3, stated that there were “many inaccuracies” in the comments attributed to her by Collier and denied having made the specific statement about Clark. However, Engelbert acknowledged that “if the players don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to improve, and I have to improve.”
However, the commissioner’s primary task is to represent the owners, not the players, in negotiations such as those for the collective bargaining agreement. Several team owners reported that they are also unhappy with Engelbert’s leadership. “If I had a vote,” said one owner, “I would probably ask for a replacement.” A major leadership change seems unlikely while collective bargaining negotiations continue, and Engelbert stated to reporters at the Finals that “she has never been a person who gives up.” “If she’s fired now, it’s an admission of weakness. It’s a terrible image for the league,” said another owner. “I can’t stand what [Collier] did. That was a private conversation. I don’t feel like firing her, although I think she should be fired.” Frustration with Engelbert spans several areas: that issues raised to the commissioner and the league office, such as officiating, often go unresolved; that some of Engelbert’s business decisions, such as raising $75 million in capital in 2022 that sold a 16% stake in the league, could have complicated the WNBA’s ownership structure and hindered the league’s growth; and the way Engelbert interacts and communicates with others. “I believe in Napheesa’s comments,” said one of the mentioned owners. “I think sometimes the focus of the message [from Engelbert] hasn’t always been conveyed well… Whenever there have been some challenges, whether from the players or even from the owners in terms of questioning things, there may be some of that dismissive tone. “Collective bargaining negotiations and other negotiations are always difficult, but I think they would not have been so conflictive if there had been a little better dialogue and relationship building. And I don’t know at this stage if that is repairable or not.” Engelbert’s role is different from that of most major sports leagues because she also reports to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. When recently asked about the situation with Collier, Silver said that Engelbert “has presided over six years of one of the greatest growths we’ve seen not only in the WNBA but in any sports league in history. But it has become too personal.” “He has done a lot for the league commercially; people forget how bad it was when he arrived,” said another person in the industry. “His time will end. I just think Adam is devastated by it.” In general, league sources who spoke with Alofoke Deportes agree that if Engelbert wants to stay, he must rebuild relationships and establish trust with the players.The collective bargaining negotiations offer Engelbert a last chance to save his job. “It’s such a sensationalistic world that you ask that now and it’s like, of course, the answer is ‘no’ [Engelbert will not remain commissioned],” said another team executive. “But if he can repair relationships with certain individuals, which can be done, it always can be, and a good collective bargaining agreement can be achieved, then yes, I think he can [stay]. It’s not going to be easy.” “… This collective agreement will end in the next three, four or five months, so, can momentum be generated with them on a personal level and also on a business level and, if so, then there will be a real path to follow.” — Alexa Philippou“Change is essential,” said another team executive. “Either Cathy has to change the way she relates to the players, or there has to be a change in that role. It can be fixed, but some things have to change.”
Team Executive
