WNBA task force holds emergency meeting, but fails to determine what a woman is

The WNBA held an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss whether biological males can compete in the women’s basketball league but couldn’t define what a “woman” was and then demonized those standing up for women’s sports.

The league said discussions would continue in the coming weeks and months while denouncing the “hate and vitriol” surrounding the issue and “bad-faith efforts” to “demean or marginalize others.”

The task force meeting included WNBA team presidents and general managers and addressed the participation of transgender-identifying athletes in the league.

Following the meeting, a WNBA spokesperson issued a statement saying: “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. 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.”

The statement means that after holding discussions over who is eligible to play in a professional league specifically created for women, the WNBA did not announce a definition of “woman,” did not establish a new eligibility standard, and instead said it would continue having conversations over the coming “weeks and months.”

According to ESPN, the meeting came after WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to teams acknowledging that questions over male participation in women’s basketball had become an increasingly prominent issue. “I know many of you have received questions in recent weeks regarding transgender athlete participation in women's basketball, and I expect this topic will continue to receive significant attention,” Engelbert wrote.

Engelbert called the issue “complex and nuanced” and said the league would hold additional discussions and listening sessions with team leaders and the players' association in the “weeks and months ahead.”

The league's current collective bargaining agreement restricts eligibility to “women,” but does not clearly define the term or specify whether biological males who identify as women qualify.

The controversy erupted after Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham publicly backed keeping biological males out of women’s sports. Her comments drew backlash from figures within the league, while former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White subsequently announced plans to seek WNBA draft eligibility while identifying as women, putting renewed scrutiny on the league’s eligibility standards.

Despite convening league executives to address the issue, the WNBA emerged from Wednesday’s meeting without establishing a definition or announcing a policy change. Instead, the league devoted part of its post-meeting statement to denouncing critics it accused of engaging in “bad-faith efforts” and highlighted the “hate and vitriol” directed at players online.
​​​​​​