Cathy Engelbert's 2019 remarks on women clash with current WNBA gender debate

When Cathy Engelboard took the helm of the WNBA in 2019, she used her first press conference to champion women’s leadership, mentioning the term “woman” dozens of times and drawing on her background growing up with five brothers and a career at Deloitte. The article highlights her pride in being the first female CEO of a Big Four firm and her involvement with the women-focused organization Catalyst. Fast-forward to the present, the league has created a task force to grapple with the definition of “woman” but has yet to release a definitive position, instead accusing external critics of sowing division.

Engelboard’s recent memo acknowledges the complexity of transgender athlete participation and promises continued dialogue with the Players Association. The piece argues that this shift appears at odds with her earlier, unequivocal support for women’s advancement, hinting that her stance may be evolving or that she could be nearing the end of her tenure.