Controversies like the Alyssa Thomas incident, inefficient officiating, and the league not giving enough protection to Caitlin Clark have engulfed the league's image. For WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita, covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup changed her views.

"Sometimes covering the WNBA can be really draining," she said on her Courtside Club podcast on Tuesday. "It can be really draining just because of the drama and negativity that surrounds it. And so this opportunity for me being able to cover the World Cup gave me a vehicle to cover sports with joy again."

The WNBA took another big step with expansion this season. With the addition of Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo teams, the regular season games increased to 44. However, Thomas and controversial officiating have been this season's big stories.

"I had kinda been keeping my eye a little bit on what was going on in the W during the time I was at the World Cup, and I was just like, I can't believe the stuff that's still happening, and it really s****," Rachel DeMita said on her Courtside Club podcast.

DeMita added that even when so many positive stories come out of the league every day, they get "hijacked by so many different things."

"Unfortunately, this league almost has this cloud, or it can't get out of, in a way that we can just cover the sport with joy and positivity and like celebrating the game and celebrating the athletes," she added.

Since Caitlin Clark arrived in the WNBA, among the WNBA fanbase, there has been a massive polarization. Clark entered the league with unprecedented fame and brought many eyes along with her.

While DeMita is entitled to her opinion, the WNBA has achieved unprecedented success. That credit cannot be taken away from people or the league.

From survival mode to billion-dollar media deal: WNBA has achieved a lot in the last few years

From chartered flights for teams and a gigantic media deal to expansion and a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the WNBA has come a long way.

One of the biggest wins for the WNBA was its 2.2 billion TV deal with Disney, NBC, Amazon and others in 2024. This was the biggest deal that the league had ever signed and the first ever worth a billion.

That same year, the league also announced chartered flights for every team. Previously, the players traveled on commercial flights.

In 2025, the WNBA expanded to 13 teams after adding Golden State Valkyries. This year, it added another two teams under its expansion drive with a total of $125 million in expansion fees. Three more teams will be added by 2030.

Perhaps the biggest win was for players. After the new CBA, the WNBA saw star players signing contracts worth millions of dollars.

But DeMita's concern reflects a real tension: growth and drama coexist.

Do you agree with Rachel DeMita's views? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore