Is the WNBA a Serious Professional Sports League?

Much has been said and written about the controversy surrounding the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) recently. I will return to current WNBA headlines later in this blog, but I would like to take a step back in history and discuss an incident which occurred in the NBA (National Basketball Association) which I believe was a pivotal crossroads point for the NBA. To its credit, the NBA handled the incident with prompt and decisive action which preserved the credibility and integrity of the league at a time when a less decisive action might have irreparably damaged the league.

On November 19, 2004, the infamous “Malice at the Palace” game occurred between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons. In summary, a wild brawl occurred toward the end of the game between Pacer and Piston players as well as Detroit fans. When all the dust settled, one player (Ron Artest) was suspended without pay for the remaining 73 games of the season which cost him $5M; 8 other payers were also suspended without pay ranging from 1 game to 30 games for a total of 143 games of suspensions. In the aftermath, the NBA adopted new rules governing player and fan behavior. Unruly fans could face loss of season tickets and prohibition on attending games in future seasons. Any player or coach who left the bench during an altercation would receive a minimum one game suspension in addition to a fine. Fines can range up to $100K for player conduct considered detrimental to the league or inconsistent with fair play.

So why would I bring up the NBA and the Malice at the Palace game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons in conjunction with a discussion about the WNBA?  A great question with a simple answer. This game became a watershed moment for the NBA. How would it handle the incident? Would it provide just a slap on the wrists for the players and fans involved in the melee or take meaningful action against the offending players and unruly fans? Fortunately, for the NBA and professional sports, the NBA took decisive action to protect its reputation and the integrity of the game of professional basketball. Doing anything less than the action it took would have cheapened the sport and would have given pause to consider if the NBA was serious about its sports and entertainment product. To be sure, the actions taken by the NBA regarding player and fan misconduct did not result in transformative angelic player and fan conduct. Issues still arise for both. But can you imagine where things would be now if the NBA had just sat on its hands and done very little in response to the Malice at the Palace?

As I review the current situation of the WNBA, I believe it is a fair question to ask if the WNBA is serious about its sports and entertainment product and what its current approach says for the future of the WNBA. In summary, I believe that the focal point of the WNBA controversy is its handling of player misconduct and specific player misconduct involving Caitlin Clark. For starters, let’s not ignore the 500-pound elephant in the room. Caitlin Clark is white and plays in a league which is made up of predominantly African American players. The player race demographics for the WNBA are essentially the same as the NBA. Race should have no more relevance in the WNBA than it does in the NBA. The biggest obvious difference between the two leagues is the fact that most of the star players in the NBA are African American and the biggest WNBA star is Caitlin Clark, a white player. Another difference between the WNBA and the NBA is the fact that, while many of the WNBA players demonstrate jealousy and animus toward all star player Caitlin Clark, NBA players seem to understand that all star players like Labron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, should be celebrated and recognized for their talent which increases the profile and economic standing of the NBA for television, apparel, and game attendance. Every NBA player ultimately benefits from this star power which makes the total financial “pie” bigger. Too bad this is lost on the WNBA!

From my perspective, I would argue that race should be irrelevant in terms of how the WNBA handles misconduct involving players and coaches. The WNBA has plainly failed to call “balls and strikes.” It should make no difference if a white player misbehaves, or a black player misbehaves. No “passes” for white players and no “passes” for black players. In either case, the misbehaving player should receive prompt and effective consequences. And in the realm of professional sports, the consequences should be financial in nature and very meaningful from a player financial perspective. But in this regard, I believe the WNBA and its commissioner Cathy Engelbert have failed miserably. Since entering the WNBA in 2024, Clark has been the recipient of several deliberate “hard” fouls from opposing team players who happen to be African American. One of the fouls was a fist to the throat by Alyssa Thomas when Clark and Thomas were on the playing floor scrambling for a loose ball. Several of these deliberate fouls were upgraded to flagrant fouls upon further review by game officials which resulted in a one game suspension for the opposing player. But to be sure, game officials have not taken charge and asserted control over the game and this failure has enabled “rough house” type player conduct. To no surprise, this has in turn effectively given the green light for even more egregious misconduct by players. The Broken Windows theory of criminal conduct is alive and well in the WNBA: Where minor misconduct is tolerated and ignored, far more egregious conduct results.

In the current season, one of Clark’s white teammates, Sophie Cunningham, was the recipient of a flagrant foul from DiJonai Carrington, an opposing player and an African American. Carrington was assessed a flagrant foul and a one game suspension. Carrington’s response on social media was “White Privilege.” The Indiana Fever coach, Stephanie White, at first characterized Carrington’s foul as just a competitive basketball play, but later changed her mind after reviewing the replay. White was booed by Indiana Fever fans at the next home game because they believed White did not have “Cunningham’s back.” White vehemently rejected the criticism and “thoughtfully” said anyone who doubted her commitment and support of her players could just go to Hell!

The WNBA’s failure to address game officiating competence and player misconduct is not the only glaring failure of leadership for the WNBA. The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the WNBA players’ union provides that only women are eligible to play. But unlike the NCAA, the International Olympic Committee, and Women’s Professional Tennis, the WNBA CBA has failed to define and make clear that the term “Women” means biological woman. So, give the WNBA an “A” for wokeness but an “F” for common sense and business competence. So, guess what has now happened? Two former NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, have announced that they identify as a woman and plan to make themselves available for the 2027 WNBA draft. I would venture to say that, after all the legal and political dust settles, it is highly unlikely that either former NBA player will be suiting up to play for the WNBA in 2027. But the fact that this is even an issue for the WNBA is a huge “unforced error” by the league and a glaring example of its failure of leadership.

So, what are my takeaways from the different NBA and WNBA responses to important issues which threaten to undermine the great game of professional basketball? The NBA took prompt and decisive action regarding player and fan misbehavior and in so doing has safeguarded its reputational and professional standing with the public. Conversely, the WNBA has failed to exercise leadership in the important areas of game official competence, player misconduct, and clear guidelines for player eligibility. This abject failure of exercising leadership at the highest level in the WNBA brings into question if the WNBA can be considered a serious professional sports league or a disorganized and dysfunctional clown/reality show. But the biggest question yet to be determined is how sports fans will decide how to respond to the WNBA’s consistent failure of leadership. Stay tuned.

God bless you and thank you for the privilege of your time in reading my blog.

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