WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has had her hands full navigating the explosive growth of the league that has occurred since the arrival of the 2024 draft class, which brought the transformational presence of Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark.<\/p>\n
Since the Fever selected Clark first overall, the league has experienced record numbers in game attendance and television viewership<\/a>, which in turn have led to rapid expansion and a transformational CBA.<\/a> Unfortunately, Clark\u2019s popularity has also led to constant discourse around things that have little to do with basketball.<\/p>\n Things came to a head in June when Clark was struck in the neck area by Phoenix Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas during a scramble for a loose ball, resulting in a retroactive flagrant-2 foul and a one-game suspension for the Mercury star. The incident led to weeks-long coverage and debate<\/a>, with Thomas saying she\u2019s received death threats<\/a>, Engelbert trying to put a band-aid over everything<\/a>, and even a letter from members of U.S. Congress.<\/a><\/p>\n For her part, Clark has said that the excessive coverage has been \u2018a real disservice to\u2019<\/a> the WNBA and its other players, but that hasn\u2019t stopped it from continuing. When Clark was incensed with a game official<\/a> after not drawing a foul on a drive to the basket in Wednesday\u2019s loss to the Valkyries, debate ignited once again around the WNBA\u2019s biggest star and her treatment by the league.<\/a><\/p>\n Dan Patrick, who was vexed with Engelbert after she no-showed<\/a> for an interview on The Dan Patrick Show earlier this month,\u00a0is now calling on her to provide more clarity on how Clark is officiated.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to have you here doing a press conference,\u201d Patrick said of Engelbert. \u201cWe need to have some transparency here. We need to have not full disclosure, but let us understand, because now you get players and former players saying Caitlin Clark is refereed differently and you\u2019re allowed to be more physical with her. Okay, that\u2019s their view. They\u2019re playing the game, or they\u2019re covering the game.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to have some transparency here. Not full disclosure, but let us understand. Because now you get players and former players saying, \u2018Caitlin Clark is refereed differently.’\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 DP on Caitlin Clark and Cathy Engelbert pic.twitter.com\/6Y5k36R0xW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOkay, now we have an issue. Now we need to talk about this. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever heard anybody say Steph Curry is being officiated different than anybody else. And he\u2019s very similar. She\u2019s very similar in the styles that they play.<\/p>\n \u201cBut why would Caitlin Clark be officiated differently, maybe allowing you to get up a little bit closer on her?\u201d<\/p>\n Patrick went on to say that while he didn\u2019t think the Wednesday no-call that sent Clark into a frenzy was an egregious miss by the officials, he does believe that she is officiated differently than other players, and he is looking for answers as to why.<\/p>\n \u201cCathy Engelbert needs to talk to somebody,\u201d Patrick added. \u201cShe don\u2019t want to talk to me, talk to somebody so we can at least get a face attached to this that can give us what\u2019s the reasoning here? What\u2019s the logic here? Because something\u2019s there\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThis is your job. Like, I\u2019m not asking Cathy to do anything special other than do your job. That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n Engelbert has certainly struggled at times this season with being accountable<\/a> in handling this season\u2019s controversies, with reports circulating that she only suspended Thomas after insistence from NBA commissioner Adam Silver.<\/a> With a contract that expires at the end of 2026, and her approval among both media members<\/a> and players<\/a> diminishing, there\u2019s never been more uncertainty surrounding Engelbert\u2019s future as the head of the league.<\/p>\n \t