WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has faced significant criticism for her leadership during the Caitlin Clark era, particularly for how she is handling online hate and threats against players, in addition to her treatment of players across the league.
Amidst that storm, former Indiana Hoosiers coach Dan Dakich escalated his tirade against Engelbert by commenting on a piece by columnist Candace Buckner in The Athletic, in which Buckner claims the WNBA commissioner does not need to be close to the players to secure credit for the league’s booming success.
WNBA Commissioner Leadership in Caitlin Clark Era Criticized
Dakich commented on Buckner’s piece about Engelbert during Wednesday’s episode of Dont@Me. The piece noted that despite her lack of popularity among the players, the commissioner should be praised for the league’s current prosperity.
The former Indiana interim coach, now a sportscaster and podcast host, opposed Buckner’s statement that no sports official can match Engelbert’s leadership of the league amid the “touchy-feely standards some people have placed upon this position.”
Dakich lashed out at Engelbert’s leadership, saying there is no structure and that the publicity she is receiving is negative, especially when Caitlin Clark is on the receiving end of unsportsmanlike contact in every game.
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“There has been no ‘Look, we’re stopping the narrative of we’re beating up on the little white girl. We’re stopping these sexual things that come out of the league. This is stopping now.’ You keep your private life private, unless you can’t enhance our brand,” Dakich said.
He also noted that Engelbert alone is not the reason the WNBA is receiving all the positive attention from various media outlets, crediting Clark for moving the needle and helping the league boom financially through her influence and playing style.
“You can say this is a prosperous time in the WNBA. If you’re going to say that, then you have to say that it’s due to one person: Caitlin Clark, and it’s being held back by an ineffective and cowardly commissioner,” Dakich remarked.
Dakich is of the opinion that Engelbert is insensitive to act on every embarrassing move she makes. He called on the commissioner to implement guardrails to ensure that the WNBA community respects the league’s leadership.
“The bottom line is the league has to have structured guardrails and respect for the leadership of the league. Whether it is the leadership of the commissioner, the leadership of general managers, owners, the leadership of coaches, and this league has none,” he said.
Despite the league’s business side experiencing exponential growth, Engelbert has sidestepped major issues facing the league, including racism and online hate toward its players. If she fails to address the problems immediately, there could be a reckoning when stakeholders call for a change in leadership, and someone knocks on the door to replace her.
