Who knew a first-grade science question could so thoroughly upend a $5.5 billion enterprise? And yet the WNBA, whose first letter stands for women, can’t seem to shake the media firestorm over the meaning of sex. Now, weeks into what should have been a non-controversy — Sophie Cunningham’s declaration of support for men playing in their own league and not in hers — the leadership of the league is convening an emergency meeting to debate what should be the most obvious data point in the sport: who’s eligible to play in the WNBA.

Of course, the league, under the spineless leadership of Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, brought all this on itself when top officials refused to reaffirm Cunningham’s stance of keeping biological men out of girls’ sports. “If Title IX and women’s sports weren’t protected, then you wouldn’t hear about any type of women in sport,” Sophie had insisted. “I think in the future it’s just really important to protect.” 

The league’s response to the Indiana Fever guard has been everything from dismissive to downright hostile. A trio of coaches even took the opposite (and very fringe) position, donning pro-trans t-shirts on the sidelines. Then, in perhaps the greatest slap in the face to the uniqueness of the sport — which has skyrocketed in popularity thanks to superstars like Caitlin Clark and Cunningham — headquarters released a statement emphasizing the WNBA’s absurd desire for “inclusion.”

“We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” the press release read. “Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change. Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.”

That’s ironic, considering that Cunningham went out of her way to underscore that her personal views — and the views of 80% of America — aren’t rooted in hate. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest,” the guard reiterated to the media. “And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

Meanwhile, complicating matters for the WNBA brain-trust, two former NBA players — Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have decided to call the league’s bluff, announcing that they’re entering the WNBA draft, since they seem to meet Engelbert’s woke criteria for playing.

After firing off a letter to league officials, former first-round draft pick Kanter Freedom told reporters, “After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I am officially declaring myself a WNBA prospect. If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA. My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declar[ing] my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in May 2027. I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices. I am simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone. The rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for. My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently and without exception. And I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles. See you at training camp.”

White, now a Minnesota Senate candidate, tag-teamed with Kanter Freedom, announcing, “I’m a woman. I identify as … a woman for purposes of basketball, professional basketball. So, I’ll be declaring for the WNBA Draft in 2027.” Pressed for his reasons, he replied that it was “only fair.” Until the WNBA issues a “definitive statement” blocking biological men from the league, he vowed to take the stunt as far as legally possible. 

OutKick Founder Clay Travis called the moves “brilliant.” “Because under the definition of ‘woman,’ as accepted by many different coaches and players, as soon as you say you are a woman, you are just as much of a woman as someone else who is a woman, who has been a woman her entire life. … This is lunacy!” Travis argued. “The WNBA in this [emergency] meeting is gonna have to determine: Is Enes Kanter a woman? If he’s not a woman, then they’re gonna have to acknowledge some way they can determine who a woman is, or they’re going to have to allow him to be eligible to play in the WNBA. He is basically calling them out on the absurdity of their position and taking it to its logical conclusion.”

In her memo to teams last Friday, Commissioner Engelbert claimed that the league will “always approach this topic thoughtfully, respectfully, and in alignment with the longstanding values of our league. Second, our player eligibility rules, unlike the eligibility rules of some other leagues and governing bodies, are collectively bargained. Lastly, preserving the integrity of our game and ensuring fair competition will always remain among the league’s highest priorities.” She added, “We recognize that this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead. We also plan to convene additional discussions and offer listening sessions for any team leaders who would like to participate. Your perspectives and feedback are invaluable, and I appreciate those who have already reached out to share their thoughts.”

Unfortunately for the WNBA, all of this unnecessary turbulence comes as the league rockets up in both profitability and attendance. In a single year, Forbes noted, the teams “are now valued at an average of $414 million, up 52% from 2025’s $272 million. In the 29 years that Forbes has valued professional sports teams, only one published ranking has ever featured better year-over-year growth: the NBA’s 74% during the 2014-15 season, after Steve Ballmer’s $2 billion purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers reset the market for clubs.”

If Engelbert were smart, she’d kill this PR nightmare as quickly as possible by aligning herself with sane fans and the overwhelming majority of Americans. Instead, she’s made radical gender ideology the biggest storyline of the year in a league that finally has the country’s attention. 

“Engelbert, in my opinion, is the worst commissioner in professional sports — if you want to call it sports,” OutKick’s Dan Dakich shook his head. “It’s all happening under her watch because she has shown no strong leadership. … They’re saying the league exploded, but it’s only because of one woman [Clark]. It’s about 1/100 of what it could be. … Calling this league a joke or an embarrassment [is] an understatement. …And now people outside the league, former NBA guys are adding to the joke,” he said, referring to Kanter Freedom and Royce’s threat to join the draft. 

According to ESPN, the league’s collective bargaining agreement already states that only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA. So why the special task force? Why the listening sessions? Grow a backbone and point people to the obvious. Otherwise, all Engelberg’s team is doing is regressing the league. She’s taking the Clark-era gains in popularity and ground gained with other pro sports and throwing them in the garbage. 

As broadcaster Armstrong Williams emphasized, “You cannot celebrate political engagement when it advances causes you support and then declare sports should be protected from politics when the political argument becomes uncomfortable. …The answer isn’t silencing WNBA players. It is intellectual consistency.”

“Women’s sports were created because biological differences between men and women matter in athletic competition. … If biological sex becomes irrelevant to eligibility for women’s competition,” he argued, “then the justification for having a separate women’s category begins to collapse. And the people who ultimately pay the price are not politicians, activists or television commentators. They are women and girls.” 

At the end of the day, “Every person deserves dignity,” Williams stressed. “Every person deserves protection from harassment and discrimination. … But human dignity and competitive fairness are not mutually exclusive. We should be mature enough as a society to hold both principles simultaneously: treat transgender people with compassion and respect while preserving meaningful female athletic categories. Women fought too long and sacrificed too much for their own place in competitive athletics for society to suddenly become embarrassed by the word ‘woman.’”