{"id":2645372,"date":"2026-08-15T08:50:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T12:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wnba-embarrasses-itself-with-absurd-embrace-of-everything-it-isnt\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T08:57:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T12:57:20","slug":"wnba-embarrasses-itself-with-absurd-embrace-of-everything-it-isnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wnba-embarrasses-itself-with-absurd-embrace-of-everything-it-isnt\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Embarrasses Itself with Absurd Embrace of Everything It Isn&#8217;t"},"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\">20<\/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-embarrasses-itself-with-absurd-embrace-of-everything-it-isnt%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=2645372&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> a controversy surrounding the WNBA&#8217;s stance on transgender athletes and gender inclusion policies. The league is facing scrutiny after a supporter,Sophie Cunningham,expressed her views supporting women\u2019s sports and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/outrageous-video-sophie-cunningham-takes-elbow-to-the-face-so-officials-call-foul-on-her\/\" title=\"Outrageous Video: ... Takes Elbow to the Face, So Officials Call Foul... On Her\">opposing transgender women competing<\/a> in female categories. Critics, including former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, have challenged the league\u2019s eligibility rules by declaring themselves as potential WNBA players under current guidelines, highlighting the perceived absurdity of gender self-identification in sports. The league\u2019s leadership, under Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, emphasizes values of inclusion and diversity but faces accusations of neglecting the integrity of women\u2019s sports. Meanwhile, the league\u2019s popularity and financial valuation are rising sharply, creating tension between progressive policies and conventional views on women\u2019s athletic competitions. The debate underscores broader societal questions about gender, fairness, and the future of women\u2019s 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><\/p>\n<p>Who knew a first-grade science question could so thoroughly upend a $5.5 billion enterprise? And yet the WNBA, whose first letter stands for <em>women<\/em>, can\u2019t seem to shake the media firestorm over the meaning of sex. Now, weeks into what should have been a non-controversy \u2014 Sophie Cunningham\u2019s declaration of support for men playing in their own league and not in hers \u2014 the leadership of the league is convening an emergency meeting to debate what should be the most obvious data point in the sport: who\u2019s eligible to play in the WNBA.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the league, under the spineless leadership of Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, brought all this on itself when top officials refused to reaffirm Cunningham\u2019s stance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-post-poll-finds-most-americans-oppose-men-competing-in-womens-sports\/\" title=\"Washington Post Poll Finds Most Americans Oppose ... Competing in Wo...&#039;s ...\">keeping biological men<\/a> out of girls\u2019 sports. \u201cIf Title IX and women\u2019s sports weren\u2019t protected, then you wouldn\u2019t hear about any type of women in sport,\u201d Sophie had insisted. \u201cI think in the future it\u2019s just really important to protect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The league\u2019s response to the Indiana Fever guard has been everything from dismissive to downright hostile. A trio of coaches even took the opposite (and very fringe) position, donning pro-trans t-shirts on the sidelines. Then, in perhaps the greatest slap in the face to the uniqueness of the sport \u2014 which has skyrocketed in popularity thanks to superstars like Caitlin Clark and Cunningham \u2014 headquarters released a statement emphasizing the WNBA\u2019s absurd desire for \u201cinclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,\u201d the press release <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/wnba\/article\/wnba-sends-memo-to-teams-addressing-discussion-of-transgender-athletes-211853825.html\">read<\/a>. \u201cThose are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women\u2019s sports while creating transformational change. Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s ironic, considering that Cunningham went out of her way to underscore that her personal views \u2014 and the views of <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/19\/us-news\/nyt-poll-finds-majority-of-democrats-oppose-transgender-athletes-in-womens-sports\/\">80% of America<\/a> \u2014 aren\u2019t rooted in hate. \u201cI think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest,\u201d the guard reiterated to the media. \u201cAnd I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn\u2019t have to go against biological men.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, complicating matters for the WNBA brain-trust, two former NBA players \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/former-nba-star-enes-kanter-freedom-writes-letter-wnba-officially-declaring-2027-draft\">Enes Kanter Freedom<\/a> and Royce White have decided to call the league\u2019s bluff, announcing that they\u2019re entering the WNBA draft, since they seem to meet Engelbert\u2019s woke criteria for playing.<\/p>\n<p>After firing off a letter to league officials, former first-round draft pick Kanter Freedom told reporters, \u201cAfter careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I am officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect. If simply declaring who you are is all that\u2019s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA. My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declar[ing] my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in May 2027. I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices. I am simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone. The rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for. My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently and without exception. And I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles. See you at training camp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>White, now a Minnesota Senate candidate, tag-teamed with Kanter Freedom, announcing, \u201cI\u2019m a woman. I identify as \u2026 a woman for purposes of basketball, professional basketball. So, I\u2019ll be declaring for the WNBA Draft in 2027.\u201d Pressed for his reasons, he replied that it was \u201conly fair.\u201d Until the WNBA issues a \u201cdefinitive statement\u201d blocking biological men from the league, he vowed to take the stunt as far as legally possible.<\/p>\n<p>OutKick Founder Clay Travis called the moves \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/calling-absurdity-clay-travis-hails-122055704.html\">brilliant<\/a>.\u201d \u201cBecause under the definition of \u2018woman,\u2019 as accepted by many different coaches and players, as soon as you say you are a woman, you are just as much of a woman as someone else who is a woman, who has been a woman her entire life. \u2026 This is lunacy!\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EricLDaugh\/status\/2086548942377169175\">Travis argued. <\/a>\u201cThe WNBA in this [emergency] meeting is gonna have to determine: Is Enes Kanter a woman? If he\u2019s not a woman, then they\u2019re gonna have to acknowledge some way they can determine who a woman is, or they\u2019re going to have to allow him to be eligible to play in the WNBA. He is basically calling them out on the absurdity of their position and taking it to its logical conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In her memo to teams last Friday, Commissioner Engelbert <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/wnba\/story\/_\/id\/49561324\/engelbert-wnba-continue-transgender-discussion\">claimed<\/a> that the league will \u201calways approach this topic thoughtfully, respectfully, and in alignment with the longstanding values of our league. Second, our player eligibility rules, unlike the eligibility rules of some other leagues and governing bodies, are collectively bargained. Lastly, preserving the integrity of our game and ensuring fair competition will always remain among the league\u2019s highest priorities.\u201d She added, \u201cWe recognize that this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead. We also plan to convene additional discussions and offer listening sessions for any team leaders who would like to participate. Your perspectives and feedback are invaluable, and I appreciate those who have already reached out to  their thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately for the WNBA, all of this unnecessary turbulence comes as the league rockets up in both profitability and attendance. In a single year, Forbes noted, the teams \u201care now valued at an average of $414 million, up 52% from 2025\u2019s $272 million. In the 29 years that <em>Forbes<\/em>has valued professional sports teams, only one published ranking has ever featured better year-over-year growth: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kurtbadenhausen\/2015\/01\/21\/average-nba-team-worth-record-1-1-billion-2\/\">the NBA\u2019s 74%<\/a> during the 2014-15 season, after Steve Ballmer\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/mikeozanian\/2014\/06\/02\/sale-of-los-angeles-clippers-for-2-billion-illustrates-the-multiple-madness-of-ballmer\/\">$2 billion purchase<\/a> of the Los Angeles Clippers reset the market for clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If Engelbert were smart, she\u2019d kill this PR nightmare as quickly as possible by aligning herself with sane fans and the overwhelming majority of Americans. Instead, she\u2019s made radical gender ideology the biggest storyline of the year in a league that finally has the country\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEngelbert, in my opinion, is the worst commissioner in professional sports \u2014 if you want to call it sports,\u201d OutKick\u2019s Dan Dakich <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nZ1Mc-4DZjI\">shook his head<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s all happening under her watch because she has shown no strong leadership. \u2026 They\u2019re saying the league exploded, but it\u2019s only because of one woman [Clark]. It\u2019s about 1\/100 of what it could be. \u2026 Calling this league a joke or an embarrassment [is] an understatement. \u2026And now people outside the league, former NBA guys are adding to the joke,\u201d he said, referring to Kanter Freedom and Royce\u2019s threat to join the draft.<\/p>\n<p>According to ESPN, the league\u2019s collective bargaining agreement already states that only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA. So why the special task force? Why the listening sessions? Grow a backbone and point people to the obvious. Otherwise, all Engelberg\u2019s team is doing is regressing the league. She\u2019s taking the Clark-era gains in popularity and ground gained with other pro sports and throwing them in the garbage.<\/p>\n<p>As broadcaster Armstrong Williams emphasized, \u201cYou cannot celebrate political engagement when it advances causes you support and then declare sports should be protected from politics when the political argument becomes uncomfortable. \u2026The answer isn\u2019t silencing WNBA players. It is intellectual consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWomen\u2019s sports were created because biological differences between men and women matter in athletic competition. \u2026 If biological sex becomes irrelevant to eligibility for women\u2019s competition,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/fox17.com\/news\/armstrong-army-strong\/the-wnba-cant-define-its-first-letter-and-its-going-to-cost-them\">argued<\/a>, \u201cthen the justification for having a separate women\u2019s category begins to collapse. And the people who ultimately pay the price are not politicians, activists or television commentators. They are women and girls.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, \u201cEvery person deserves dignity,\u201d Williams stressed. \u201cEvery person deserves protection from harassment and discrimination. \u2026 But human dignity and competitive fairness are not mutually exclusive. We should be mature enough as a society to hold both principles simultaneously: treat transgender people with compassion and respect while preserving meaningful female athletic categories. Women fought too long and sacrificed too much for their own place in competitive athletics for society to suddenly become embarrassed by the word \u2018woman.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div><em>Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.<\/em><\/div>\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( ! 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The WNBA, representing women, struggles with media controversy over sex. Despite Sophie Cunningham\u2019s support for men in sports, league leaders are debating eligibility-highlighting ongoing gender debate issues<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2645373,"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\/IMG_1353.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[84212,37035,33418,7188],"class_list":["post-2645372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-basketball-critique","tag-gender-politics","tag-sports-controversy","tag-wnba"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1353.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645372","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=2645372"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2645376,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645372\/revisions\/2645376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2645373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2645372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2645372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2645372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}