{"id":2644559,"date":"2026-08-13T17:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T21:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wnba-announces-disgraceful-results-of-emergency-league-meeting-on-allowing-men-to-compete\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T17:10:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T21:10:04","slug":"wnba-announces-disgraceful-results-of-emergency-league-meeting-on-allowing-men-to-compete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wnba-announces-disgraceful-results-of-emergency-league-meeting-on-allowing-men-to-compete\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Announces Disgraceful Results of Emergency League Meeting on Allowing Men to Compete"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwnba-announces-disgraceful-results-of-emergency-league-meeting-on-allowing-men-to-compete%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2644559&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-is-what-happened-the-last-time-israel-invaded-lebanon-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"This is what happened the last time Israel invaded Lebanon - Washington Examiner\">provided content discusses<\/a> the ongoing issues surrounding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/olympic-committee-rewriting-rules-on-transgender-athletes-after-laurel-hubbard-becomes-first-trans-competitor\/\" title=\"Olympic Committee Rewriting Rules On ... After Laurel Hubbard Becomes First Trans Competitor\">transgender athlete participation<\/a> in the WNBA. It highlights that the league&#8217;s leadership is avoiding clear definitions regarding what constitutes a woman eligible to play, instead opting to dismiss questions as &#8220;bad-faith&#8221; attempts to marginalize players.Despite the league&#8217;s official stance that only women can participate, critics argue that there is significant ambiguity and controversy over gender eligibility, especially amid debates about whether male athletes can compete in women&#8217;s basketball. The article suggests that legal challenges from male athletes claiming eligibility based on self-identification are likely to emerge, challenging the league\u2019s policies. it underscores the tension between league claims of inclusivity and the practical challenges of defining gender boundaries within sports.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>It turns out, the WNBA isn\u2019t interested in answering the most important question facing its existence as a sports league.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s only interested in attacking the people who bring it up.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s a strategy that isn\u2019t likely to last for very long.<\/p>\n<p>After two former NBA players announced their own eligibility for the WNBA draft next year \u2014 sparking visions of male behemoths crushing women on the courts of a league specifically created for women \u2014 WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced in a memo last week that a task force would address the all-important question of criteria for participation in WNBA play.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know many of you have received questions in recent weeks regarding transgender athlete participation in women\u2019s basketball, and I expect this topic will continue to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lgbt-outreach-and-tolerance-of-polygamy-vatican-urges-liberal-reforms\/\" title=\"Vatican advocates for LGBT acceptance and polygamy tolerance.\">receive significant attention<\/a>,\u201d the internal league memo stated, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/sports\/basketball\/wnba-commissioner-says-league-will-continue-discussing-issue-of-transgender-participation\/ar-AA29FRLY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The memo \u201csaid the topic will be discussed further by a task force of team presidents and general managers at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israels-likely-change-in-leadership-could-shift-political-alliances-in-dc\/\" title=\"Israel&#039;s Likely Change in Leadership Could Shift Political Alliances in DC\">previously scheduled meeting<\/a> next week,\u201d the AP reported.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, that discussion concluded that there really is no serious question about supposedly \u201ctransgender\u201d athletes joining the WNBA, and that the real problem was anyone who raises the issue in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday\u2019s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online,\u201d a representative for the league said in a statement, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/12\/sports\/wnba-slams-bad-faith-efforts-to-marginalize-others-amid-trans-athlete-debate-task-force\/?sr_=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So much blah, blah, blah and \u201cstakeholders\u201d and \u201cvalues\u201d and so forth.<\/p>\n<p>But then there was this disgraceful jab. (It wasn\u2019t in italics. It should have been.)<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThere are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">WNBA holds meeting to discuss trans athlete issue; still unable to determine what a woman is.<\/p>\n<p>The women\u2019s basketball league has held committee meetings to determine what a \u201cwoman\u201d is and discuss existing eligibility requirements.<\/p>\n<p>The WNBA has also released a statement\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/segzKYU9UM\">pic.twitter.com\/segzKYU9UM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/OliLondonTV\/status\/2087892760858640503?\">August 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Really? There are no \u201celigibility matters\u201d affecting the WNBA?<\/p>\n<p>Not one question about who can don an extra, extra, large uniform of the Indiana Fever and start shooting hoops with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ex-nfl-quarterback-boomer-esiason-says-everyones-thinking-caitlin-clark-abuse-racial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">much-abused superstar Caitlin Clark<\/a> or the apparently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-wnba-player-ejected-nearly-taking-off-sophie-cunninghams-head-clothesline-maneuver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">indefatigable firecracker Sophie Cunningham<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no one at the WNBA who is even debating whether former NBA star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/former-nba-star-declares-entry-wnba-draft\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enes Kanter Freedom<\/a> or NBA -athlete-turned-Republican-politician <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/second-former-nba-player-declares-wnba-draft-controversy-escalates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Royce White<\/a> can actually play with the women?<\/p>\n<p>Engelbert\u2019s own memo words last week indicated the exact opposite is true.<\/p>\n<p>And considering the league has been rocked by controversy recently about \u201ctrans\u201d inclusion \u2014 from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/sophie-cunningham-doubles-common-sense-trans-comments-confronted-wnba-media-said-said\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cunningham\u2019s public statements<\/a> aimed at protecting women\u2019s sports to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wnba-owner-curses-teenage-sophie-cunningham-supporters-bringing-tears\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">abominable behavior<\/a> of a WNBA owner who disagrees with her \u2014 it beggars belief that the league is claiming there is no question about eligibility for play confronting the organization.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, as the sports website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/wnba-silent-caitlin-clark-says-leagues-should-determine-who-included-womens-sports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Outkick<\/a> has reported, league participation is governed by its collective bargaining agreement, which states that \u201cOnly players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a sane world, that would be plain enough.<\/p>\n<p>But in the parts of the world that are run by leftist lunatics who claim that gender is a matter of individual preference, it doesn\u2019t really say anything at all.<\/p>\n<p>What is the WNBA\u2019s definition of \u201cwomen\u201d? It shouldn\u2019t be a difficult question, seeing that the league\u2019s actual name is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wnba.com\/news\/history-of-the-wnba-2002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Women\u2019s National Basketball Association<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After Wednesday\u2019s meeting, though, it\u2019s clear that the league has no interest in answering it. Instead, it\u2019s hoping to end the matter by attacking what it calls \u201cbad-faith\u201d actors for even raising it, claiming their true goal is to \u201cuse these topics to demean or marginalize others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That might be enough to get the league through this week.<\/p>\n<p>It might be enough to get through the remainder of the season. But there are bound to be serious developments that could force the WNBA\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n<p>If a has-been quarterback like Colin Kaepernick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/terms-kaepernicks-settlement-nfl-revealed-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">can successfully sue<\/a> the NFL for \u201ccollusion\u201d among owners to keep him off the playing field over politics, former NBA stars and players like Kanter Freedom and Royce \u2014 and pretty much any man who\u2019s ever played at the highest levels of basketball \u2014 will have grounds to sue the WNBA, claiming that self-identification as \u201cwomen\u201d makes them eligible to take the court and mix it up with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/videos-5-vicious-fouls-dijonai-carrington-wnba-player-ejected-striking-sophie-cunningham\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">likes of DiJonai Carrington<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>(Don\u2019t put your money on Carrington or her WNBA successors coming out as winners.)<\/p>\n<p>The WNBA can try to dodge the issue all it wants.<\/p>\n<p>It can disgracefully damn its critics.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s going to have to have an answer at some point. And that point is probably coming soon.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The WNBA avoids addressing its core question and instead targets critics, a tactic unlikely to last. Recently, two ex-NBA players claimed eligibility for the league, sparking debate about gender and participation rules<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2644560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cathy-Engelbert-on-men-in-WNBA.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[84120,84122,84121,33418,7188],"class_list":["post-2644559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-gender-fairness","tag-league-decisions","tag-mens-sports","tag-sports-controversy","tag-wnba"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cathy-Engelbert-on-men-in-WNBA.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2644559"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2644569,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644559\/revisions\/2644569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2644560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2644559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2644559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2644559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}