WNBA Finishes Meeting On Transgender Athletes, Decides Nothing

The WNBA held a meeting Wednesday to discuss the all-important question, “What is a woman?” as it faces controversy over whether men should be allowed in the league. 

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told teams in a memo that a committee consisting of team presidents and general managers would speak on the issue of men in women’s sports during the meeting, according to ESPN.

The result of the meeting was underwhelming as WNBA leaders came to no conclusion on transgender athletes competing in the league. Instead, they pushed the major decision even further down the road and urged people to stop speaking in “bad-faith efforts” on the subject. 

“Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online. We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months,” a WNBA spokesman said in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire. “We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”

Neither Engelbert nor the WNBA higher-ups could come to a conclusion on what should have been a simple yes-or-no vote.

The debate on transgender athletes in sports escalated after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham took a stance on the issue and said she wanted to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” Cunningham’s comments led to some WNBA players and coaches criticizing the guard and supporting men in women’s sports.

Supporters of Cunningham were even scolded courtside when Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton yelled at the teenagers for wearing shirts advocating for the protection of women’s sports.

The issue has also prompted former NBA pros Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White to declare for the next WNBA draft, claiming they identify as transgender and want to be accepted.

It remains unclear whether the WNBA would allow Kanter Freedom and White to participate in 2027 under current league guidelines if they are drafted. While the league’s collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play,” there is controversy over whether the WNBA would recognize trans-identifying men as women.