The Suns’ young players are benefiting from time in the NBA bubble,
Commissioner Engelbert says bubble site can work
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is confident that the league will complete its entire season, which begins Saturday and will be entirely played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Engelbert said only two players have tested positive for coronavirus since teams arrived at the WNBA bubble site July 6, both of those during the initial quarantine period.
“I am very confident if we follow the (safety) protocols and follow the science we’ll have a successful season leading into the playoffs,” Engelbert said during a conference call Wednesday. “I’m not superstitious, but the more I talk about how well things are going I do get a little nervous. But I’m very confident right now.”
Because of the pandemic, the WNBA reduced its regular season from what was to have been a record 36 games to a league low 22. Each of the 12 teams will play the others twice with the regular season ending Sept. 12, eight days before the originally scheduled close to the longer season.
Like in recent years, eight teams advance to the playoffs, which will culminate with a best-of-5 Finals series in early October.
Engelbert, 56, is in her first full season as commissioner. She is in Florida for the duration of the league’s 24th and most unique season, coming on the heels of an eight-year collective bargaining agreement agreed to in January that runs through 2027.
“When you think of a pandemic, weaknesses you had going into the crisis tend to be amplified,” Engelbert said. “But you also look at the crisis when you’re in it as an opportunity to maybe fix those weaknesses.
“The weakness around the coverage of women’s sports, this is a huge opportunity for the league and these players to show everyone the elite athletes they are. I’m very excited to get to Saturday and tip off our season so we can get more eyes on us and execute the strategy we started pre-pandemic, which was to broaden the fan base, bring in new revenue and ultimately grow the game.”
The national TV schedule is the largest in league history with 24 games already announced for ABC/ESPN/ ESPN2 (with more to come) and 40 games on CBS/CBS Sports Network. Other games will be carried on NBA TV and locally for the Phoenix Mercury on Fox Sports Arizona.
Seven of the Mercury’s first eight games will be nationally televised including Saturday’s opener against Los Angeles on ABC.
The league has not been issue free during the pandemic. Training camp was to have started April 26 and the season on May 15 with a break for the Tokyo Olympics from July 11-Aug. 15. All of that went by the wayside due to COVID-19, which created health dilemmas for some players including 2019 Most Valuable Player Elena Delle Donne of Washington.
An independent medical panel denied Delle Donne’s request for a medical waiver due to her chronic Lyme disease. But the defending champion Mystics are paying her salary even if she doesn’t play the entire season while rehabbing from back surgery.
“We had to put in a process we worked out collectively with the players association that was put in to create a level playing field for all WNBA players,” Engelbert said. “It’s an independent medical review panel including specialists. The level of player is not a factor when making those medical decisions. That’s why it’s called independent. We’re sensitive to her health and support her all the way.”
Mercury forward Jessica Breland did receive a medical exemption for this season because of a pre-existing condition. She missed the 2009-10 season while in college at North Carolina for treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The WNBA is dedicating its season to social justice causes including Black Lives Matter, creating a conflict with Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler. Loeffler, a U.S. Senator from Georgia, opposes the league’s promotion of the Black Lives Matter organization, creating conflict with players, 80 percent of whom are Black.
Loeffler said she does not intend to sell the Dream or be forced out of the league.
“We’re so proud of our players speaking out on these issues,” Engelbert said. “There’s nothing political about that. It’s a statement of their values. They’re bringing awareness to issues that have long been ignored particularly as they advocate for female victims of racial injustice and police brutality. That’s an important voice to be heard.
“That’s why we need to make sure that is what they’re focused and energized by and not to get caught up in a lot of the other elements of the divisive society we live in. I’d be betting on the WNBA players right now that they’re going to be successful in getting their voice heard.”
Looking ahead, Engelbert said the league’s silver anniversary season in 2021 could include a fan festival that again brings all teams together in one location, All-Star Game, Commissioner’s Cup (postponed from debuting this season) and the Olympics.