The WNBA is soaring because of high ratings, full arenas, and a billion-dollar media deal, but for WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, her future seems more uncertain than the league's financial situation ever has before.

Rachel DeMita, who is an analyst of the WNBA, spoke directly about the speculation about this matter in her YouTube video.

"She's not the right person to navigate the demands the league currently faces and what its stakeholders now need. I do think Cathy thinks she's done her job. She's got us financially set up in the right way," Rachel DeMita said on her YouTube channel.

This comes in light of Engelbert's contract that expires in 2026, with league insiders increasingly viewing this season as her final one, especially since she has been evading direct questions regarding her plans for 2027 in All-Star press conferences.

Engelbert's business record is not in question here, and that gap is exactly what fuels DeMita's argument on her YouTube channel.

Players such as A’Ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu have stated that their relationship with Engelbert is virtually nonexistent, and that they have a much closer connection to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

Under her watch, the league landed a $3.1 billion media rights deal and expanded into new markets like Golden State, Toronto and Portland, pushing the WNBA toward 15 teams after nearly two decades without growth.

Engelbert has been candid about her tenure, framing it as crisis management with minimal external support.

Cathy Engelbert Gets Candid About Building the WNBA

The league managed to stage its 2020 season behind the bubble at IMG Academy, Bradenton, Florida, but Engelbert maintains that the actual fight was more than playing games.

"I think a lot of people don't understand how hard that was because when I first joined we hit the pandemic and we had no people and no capital, and then we raised capital," stated Engelbert in an interview conducted by Front Office Sports recently.

The WNBA managed to generate a $75 million raise in capital last year, in 2022, leading to its further growth in attendance and viewership among other areas.

"We hired a great team," Engelbert said during the same interview with Front Office Sports. "People don't realize, like, we have such a great team at the W. I don't think they realize how hard you actually work, and I got two kids too, and I haven't seen them in five years."

That comment revealed just how personal the cost of the job has been for Engelbert since taking over in May 2019.

Do you think Cathy Engelbert deserves more credit for the WNBA's growth? Comment down your thoughts.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta