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Cathy Engelbert Explains 'Balance' of Promoting Caitlin Clark With Other WNBA Stars

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert opened up about the balancing act of promoting Caitlin Clark with the league's other top players.
Grant Young|
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert talks to the media before the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert talks to the media before the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert deserves a lot of credit for helping her league get to the point where it's at now. Of course, much of this popularity and interest boom is owed to generational superstar Caitlin Clark coming into the WNBA.

Engelbert has faced some criticism for not always giving Clark the credit she deserves, at least in the eyes of Clark's fan base. And the WNBA has also come under criticism at times for not promoting the 23-year-old Fever guard as much as her fans believe they should.

Engelbert opened up about this during a May 14 episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast.

"It is a balance, but she's a generational talent," Engelbert said of balancing the WNBA's promotion of Clark with other WNBA superstars. "No league is ever about one player, but in this case, Caitlin brought tens of millions of new viewers into the W. And there's no denying that impact... [NBA commissioner] Adam [Silver] and I talk all the time about this, she’s the most popular athlete in America."

Engelbert later added, "But again, you do want to balance it. Because obviously, we saw what happened with JuJu Watkins getting hurt, you want to balance, making sure that you're also promoting your other stars like an A'ja WIlson, like a Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier."

"That's why this year is sustain and gain: Sustain the momentum we had last year and gain even new viewers," Engelbert said.

While the WNBA is still trying to perfect this balancing act, the league's social media account has already been providing more Clark content than it did last year, which is appeasing her fans.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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