In a memo to team presidents, general managers and coaches on Friday, the WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert advised league leaders on their approach to transgender participation in women’s sports. The commissioner emphasized that it is approached with integrity and respect, without defining the league’s position in particular.
This question dominated the conversation around the WNBA after the Indiana Fever guard Recent comments by Sophie Cunningham in favor of excluding trans athletes from women’s sports.
Engelbert outlined three guiding principles for the league in the discussion, but did not clarify whether trans athletes are allowed to play in the WNBA.
“First, we will always approach this topic thoughtfully, with respect and in accordance with the long-standing values of our league,” she wrote in the memo, a copy of which he received The Athletic. “Second, our player eligibility rules, unlike the eligibility rules of some other leagues and governing bodies, are collectively bargained. Ultimately, preserving the integrity of our game and ensuring fair competition will always remain among the league’s highest priorities.”
There is no mention of trans athletes in the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreementalthough the document states that “only female players are eligible to play in the WNBA.”
Engelbert wrote in the memo that the league has a previously scheduled meeting of a working group of presidents and general managers next week to address this conversation and other league issues.
After Cunningham’s comments and the subsequent rallies that followed the Indiana Fever at road games, the commissioner acknowledged that she expects “this topic will continue to receive significant attention.” She praised the team’s leadership for their response to the increasing number of questions and invited them to continue to contact her with questions and perspectives.
Coaches around the league have often been asked about the issue since Cunningham first told ESPN that she wanted to “protect the young girls in the locker room” and that “they shouldn’t be going against biological males.”
Cheryl Reeve has been the loudest voice for the inclusion of transgender children in particular. Golden State Valkyries All Star Gabby Williams welcomed transgender athletes joining the WNBA, while the National Women’s Basketball Association released a statement condemning the “hate, abuse and demonization” of the transgender community.