WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert continued the great American sports tradition of commissioners being booed out of the building while presenting a championship trophy. But this time it had a little extra mustard on it.
Engelbert was in the house as the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury to win their third WNBA championship in four years. But while commissioners have been booed for a long time at trophy presentations, the WNBA leader had the misfortune of also having a fan in the background flipping her the double bird live on national television.
ESPN tried their best to avoid the situation, but they didn’t have an alternate camera angle to capture Cathy Engelbert. Instead, there were multiple attempts to blur the entire screen, making for a very awkward moment on the national television broadcast.
Oh, and you could still clearly see the fan expressing their feelings for Engelbert.
Cathy Engelbert is in the middle of a firestorm surrounding criticism of her leadership as WNBA commissioner. It all reached a boiling point when Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier torched her in a statement at a press conference after their season came to an end in the WNBA semifinals. In particular, the alleged comments about Engelbert saying that players like Caitlin Clark should be grateful for the WNBA platform and is only earning what she is in endorsements because of it left fans shellshocked.
Since then, the sports world has rallied around WNBA players as the union and the league look set to be on a crash course for a dramatic CBA negotiation.
In spite of the criticism, and even a report that she would resign after the negotiations, Engelbert has been defiant in saying she is holding on to her role. But even her comments in the wake of the controversy surrounding Collier’s comments have left a lot to be desired.
At this point, it looks all but certain that the two sides are digging in and preparing for the possibility of an extended work stoppage. And judging by this video and fan reaction, it certainly looks like most people are on the side of the WNBA players.
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