WNBA Commissioner condemns 'unacceptable' online hate against players
The league’s chief executive has declared that threats and abuse directed at athletes have no place in sport or society, following reports of widespread digital harassment.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has publicly condemned the prevalence of online hostility directed at league players, describing the abuse as unacceptable. In a statement reported by Kendra Andrews and originally published by Hoops Hype, Engelbert highlighted the specific nature of the harassment facing athletes in the professional women’s basketball league.
Engelbert noted that too many players have experienced online hate, listing racism, misogyny, homophobia, harassment and threats as key components of the abuse. She asserted that such behaviour has no place in sport or anywhere else, framing the issue as a broader societal concern rather than an isolated sporting incident.
The comments were shared via Twitter, though the source material does not specify whether the statement was part of a press conference, a written release or a response to a specific recent event. The WNBA, a professional women’s basketball league based in the United States, has faced ongoing scrutiny regarding the treatment of its athletes in digital spaces.
Engelbert’s remarks come against a backdrop of recurring issues with online harassment of athletes, particularly women and players of colour, across professional sports globally. While the commissioner characterised the volume of abuse as affecting too many players, the source text does not provide statistical data or a specific number of affected individuals to quantify the scale of the problem.
The statement underscores the league’s position on governance and player welfare, aiming to draw a clear line against discriminatory conduct. By categorising the abuse as unacceptable, Engelbert has placed the onus on the sporting community and the wider public to address the digital hostility targeting WNBA athletes.
