![]() Now, in its 25th season, things are arguably looking brighter than ever. The WNBA has spent much of its history struggling to make ends meet. "I have a plan, and I'm already working on it." And, she's making the case for higher media rights fees. Engelbert also has plans to prioritize marketing and merchandising, while looking hard at expansion, sports gambling and partnerships. She has a five-year plan that includes assembling a consortium of powerful stakeholders who want to persuade corporate America that the WNBA is more than the NBA's "little sister." They argue that it's a growing business that found tremendous traction through its racial and social activism in 2020. Instead of tinkering around the edges, Engelbert is focused on the fundamental question of equity. ![]() ![]() In a 90-minute interview, Engelbert, the former CEO of Deloitte who accepted the WNBA's top job as her "second act" in 2019, said she can fix it. "It's a male model discounted by 80 to 90%," she said. Instead, she's taking aim at what she calls a broken sports ecosystem that has historically and dramatically undervalued women's sports. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert isn't shying away from any of it. Its issues go beyond the bottom line too the vast majority of its players excel in relative anonymity after they leave college. The WNBA has struggled to increase franchise values, attendance is lagging and media rights fees have not increased exponentially like in other leagues. While some stars are household names and the league enjoys both a business partner in the NBA and media partners that provide it national and regular exposure, the challenges run deep. The juxtaposition - a thrilling sports moment followed by another perceived affront to the league and its fans - was a stark reminder of the WNBA's fight to carve out space in the sports landscape 25 years after its founding. "Disney On Ice" had been previously scheduled at the Footprint Center on the same night as the WNBA playoff game, so the Mercury were banished to a slightly smaller arena at Arizona State. Problem was, the game wouldn't take place at the Mercury's home arena. Taurasi's Phoenix Mercury were headed home, tied 1-1 in the semifinal series. ![]() At 39 years old, Taurasi gifted the fans a vintage-style performance against the Las Vegas Aces. The WNBA superstar had just scored a playoff career-high 37 points while playing on a bum ankle. DIANA TAURASI SPREAD her arms wide and turned toward the crowd. ![]()
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