Engelbert plans to primarily focus on player experience, fan experience and economics early in her tenureNBAE/getty images
In Chicago, Madeline Kenney wrote it is "time for the WNBA to make strides so it can commit to its players the way USA Basketball has" after the NGB expanded training camps and pay for players ahead of the '20 Tokyo Games. Now that new WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has gotten feedback from players and team execs, she has "established three areas she wants to focus on: player experience, fan experience and economics." However, there is "no simple fix to make the 23-year-old league flourish." Players are "underpaid and forced to play overseas during their offseasons to supplement incomes." That makes the WNBA go "practically silent for half the year with little representation at NBA and other basketball events." Players want to "help lift the WNBA brand, but they’re limited in what they can do." That is a "key reason" this year’s CBA negotiations are "so vital for the WNBA’s future" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/28).
MORE THAN THE GAME: In DC, Howard Megdal noted Sparks Fs Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike are doing work that has "moved well beyond the court, into the realm of the larger conversation over how women are compensated in sports." The sisters "sit on the executive committee of the WNBA players’ union -- Nneka as president, Chiney as vice president -- that is negotiating a collective bargaining agreement to replace the one set to expire at the end of the season." At the same time, Chiney’s work at ESPN is an "example of WNBA players developing their off-court careers while still playing" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/27).
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER: Dwyane Wade said a lot of NBA players are "supportive of WNBA players" and "want to see" the women's game grow. Wade said, "Some of the game’s best players are WNBA players. ... We want to see it get there. It’s been 20 years. It’s been too long. Hopefully, the wave is coming in the time that we’re in. It’s time for our WNBA women to get their just due and their recognition" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/28).
