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Cathy Engelbert, the embattled commissioner of the WNBA, is scheduled to speak to reporters on Saturday in Chicago ahead of the league’s annual All-Star Game at the United Center (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC/Disney+).
Undoubtedly, Engelbert will face tough questions. She and the league have had a wealth of issues this seasons, many of which she has not spoken about. Here's a sample:
If Engelbert were seeking advice from one crisis management expert, Jeff Hunt, he would tell her to make a big announcement this weekend and step aside.
“If it were me and I were advising her, I would tell her to exit stage right,” Hunt told USA TODAY Sports. “She's had a very accomplished career and there's a lot of things that she can lay claim to positively in terms of how she's helped develop the WNBA. Sometimes it's just time for a new leader. She should preserve her reputation, preserve dignity.
“Gracefully exit and be proud of all that you did. That would be my advice.”
Hunt is well-versed in public relations and how to handle problems like the WNBA and Engelbert have dealt with over the past year, a long list that includes Engelbert clashing with players like Napheesa Collier, criticism over how she dealt with the lengthy collective bargaining negotiations and opinions on how she has handled Clark’s stardom and the league’s officiating.
A professor at the University of Texas for the past 25 years, Hunt is the founding partner of Legend Labs, a brand and reputation consulting firm. He has advised the Tokyo Electric Power Company following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, worked with Penn State University in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and helped the computer company Dell in 2006 when it recalled more than four million lithium-ion batteries.
Hunt has also worked with big brands like Coca-Cola, American Express, DuPont, Nike, IBM, the Oscars, Whole Foods, the PGA Tour and U.S. Open. He’s also managed media strategies for professional athletes like Serena Williams, Cam Newton, Dustin Johnson, Maria Sharapova and Brooks Koepka.
“I don't know how she gets out of this, to be honest with you,” Hunt said of Engelbert. “It's hard to find where the support is for her and her leadership. In my own mind, I wondered if she would make it through the season, because almost anything that she's doing these days faces opposition.”
In Hunt’s opinion, Engelbert backing out of her appearance on the Dan Patrick Show was a big mistake. In that forum, she would’ve had to answer difficult questions, but it would have allowed her to speak to a large mainstream audience and influence the narrative surrounding the WNBA.
Instead, that conversation has now been shaped by folks who don’t work inside the WNBA.
“I always talk about the fact that when these crises occur, there's a natural vacuum, and you either fill it or it gets filled for you. And unfortunately, I think it's gotten filled for her and the WNBA, and it's not a good look,” Hunt said. “It’s never a good look when you say you're going to show up to the Dan Patrick Show and don't show up. (The WNBA) looks like they’ve got their head in a bunker.”
The latest firestorm for Engelbert began on June 24 when, during a game between the Fever and Mercury, Thomas landed on Clark, pushed her fist into Clark’s throat, then stepped over her amidst a scramble for a loose ball. No foul was called in the moment, but the WNBA reviewed the play the next day and charged Thomas with a flagrant-2 foul, suspending her for a game, saying the veteran forward "recklessly" made contact with Clark and "committed a non-basketball act."
In the days that followed, Thomas said she received death threats and Engelbert never reached out. Engelbert then issued a statement saying the league "vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate." Engelbert has not spoken publicly about the incident, Thomas’ suspension, the response to it or the criticism the WNBA has received.
“It's a whole series of things that this commissioner is right in the middle of the crosshairs. Cathy is having a hard time finding friends right now,” Hunt said. “Some of this stuff is so unpredictable, but you can control your actions in the moment. I think that's where she's getting beat up, some of the decisions that she made in the moment didn't line up with what people thought she should have been doing.”
Hunt said he doesn’t know Engelbert and has never advised her. But when he compares her situation in the WNBA to what he’s seen with CEOs at big companies, he doesn’t see a path forward for her to continue as the commissioner of the league without further damaging the brand.
“You have to wonder if (the WNBA) is getting as much value as they could if they didn't have the controversies that are going on,” Hunt said. “This thing is going to keep lingering until they can cut something at the top off, right? And so, in the corporate world, it's why CEOs get fired. The crisis is still there, but the sacrifice of the leader starts to give you the opportunity to turn the corner. I think that's probably where (the WNBA is), where they're going to have to really look for new leadership and turn the page.”
Engelbert, 61, has been the commissioner of the WNBA since 2019. Previously, she worked at Deloitte for more than 30 years and was elected CEO of the multi-billion-dollar firm in 2015.
During her tenure leading the WNBA, the league and its teams have skyrocketed in value, television ratings have risen, players received salary increases and it expanded from 12 teams to 15, with franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia launching in the coming years. Probably most importantly, the WNBA now has a 11-year, $3.1 billion media rights agreement that Engelbert helped negotiate.
The commissioner, Hunt said, has a lot to be proud of and could use this weekend’s forum to reinforce her accomplishments while announcing her resignation.
“The All-Star Game, honestly, wouldn’t be a bad place to do it, because you’ve got all the spotlight on the game and lots of great things that she can point to,” Hunt said. “Women's basketball has never been so popular.”
If, when and how Engelbert ends her tenure as the WNBA’s commissioner remains to be seen. Whenever it happens, the task ahead for the league’s leadership in finding her replacement will be a difficult process, Hunt said. There is not a clear and obvious candidate to succeed her.
“Finding whoever the successor is will not be easy. I think it's a tough job to fill for a lot of different reasons,” Hunt said. “They're going to have to get somebody that can be a bridge builder, somebody that has a big vision for where the brand can go, and then how to monetize it and capture and take advantage of the popularity.”
Hunt — who is also the author of “Brand Under Fire: A New Playbook for Crisis Management in the Digital Age” — said the path forward for the WNBA should begin with a change at leadership at the very top, meaning Engelbert should either be removed or she should resign.
In the meantime, he recommends the league getting its arms around officiating and putting a bigger emphasis on controlling the narrative around arguably its most recognizable star, Clark.
“They need to make a serious commitment to tidying up the officiating because it's just so obvious. Clark is not the first athlete that's come along, by the way, that has had issues with people roughing them up,” Hunt said. “And then I think (the WNBA) needs to show (Clark) the love that she deserves in terms of her contributions to the overall valuation of the brand. They need to recognize that — much like the NBA did and has done with LeBron James and Michael Jordan. These phenoms don’t come around all the time.
“Whatever's creating the value, you need to recognize it.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crisis management expert says WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert should resign
Continue reading...
Undoubtedly, Engelbert will face tough questions. She and the league have had a wealth of issues this seasons, many of which she has not spoken about. Here's a sample:
- The flagrant-2 foul called Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas after she put her fist in Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark
- The online harassment to which Thomas and Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray have been subjected
- The decision to suspend Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello for comments about Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese
- The letter that 11 Republican U.S. House Representatives sent Engelbert asking her to protect Clark
- Her canceled appearance with sports radio host Dan Patrick
- The since-disputed report that she suspended Thomas only after being urged to do so by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
If Engelbert were seeking advice from one crisis management expert, Jeff Hunt, he would tell her to make a big announcement this weekend and step aside.
“If it were me and I were advising her, I would tell her to exit stage right,” Hunt told USA TODAY Sports. “She's had a very accomplished career and there's a lot of things that she can lay claim to positively in terms of how she's helped develop the WNBA. Sometimes it's just time for a new leader. She should preserve her reputation, preserve dignity.
“Gracefully exit and be proud of all that you did. That would be my advice.”
Hunt is well-versed in public relations and how to handle problems like the WNBA and Engelbert have dealt with over the past year, a long list that includes Engelbert clashing with players like Napheesa Collier, criticism over how she dealt with the lengthy collective bargaining negotiations and opinions on how she has handled Clark’s stardom and the league’s officiating.
A professor at the University of Texas for the past 25 years, Hunt is the founding partner of Legend Labs, a brand and reputation consulting firm. He has advised the Tokyo Electric Power Company following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, worked with Penn State University in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and helped the computer company Dell in 2006 when it recalled more than four million lithium-ion batteries.
Hunt has also worked with big brands like Coca-Cola, American Express, DuPont, Nike, IBM, the Oscars, Whole Foods, the PGA Tour and U.S. Open. He’s also managed media strategies for professional athletes like Serena Williams, Cam Newton, Dustin Johnson, Maria Sharapova and Brooks Koepka.
“I don't know how she gets out of this, to be honest with you,” Hunt said of Engelbert. “It's hard to find where the support is for her and her leadership. In my own mind, I wondered if she would make it through the season, because almost anything that she's doing these days faces opposition.”
In Hunt’s opinion, Engelbert backing out of her appearance on the Dan Patrick Show was a big mistake. In that forum, she would’ve had to answer difficult questions, but it would have allowed her to speak to a large mainstream audience and influence the narrative surrounding the WNBA.
Instead, that conversation has now been shaped by folks who don’t work inside the WNBA.
“I always talk about the fact that when these crises occur, there's a natural vacuum, and you either fill it or it gets filled for you. And unfortunately, I think it's gotten filled for her and the WNBA, and it's not a good look,” Hunt said. “It’s never a good look when you say you're going to show up to the Dan Patrick Show and don't show up. (The WNBA) looks like they’ve got their head in a bunker.”
The latest firestorm for Engelbert began on June 24 when, during a game between the Fever and Mercury, Thomas landed on Clark, pushed her fist into Clark’s throat, then stepped over her amidst a scramble for a loose ball. No foul was called in the moment, but the WNBA reviewed the play the next day and charged Thomas with a flagrant-2 foul, suspending her for a game, saying the veteran forward "recklessly" made contact with Clark and "committed a non-basketball act."
In the days that followed, Thomas said she received death threats and Engelbert never reached out. Engelbert then issued a statement saying the league "vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate." Engelbert has not spoken publicly about the incident, Thomas’ suspension, the response to it or the criticism the WNBA has received.
“It's a whole series of things that this commissioner is right in the middle of the crosshairs. Cathy is having a hard time finding friends right now,” Hunt said. “Some of this stuff is so unpredictable, but you can control your actions in the moment. I think that's where she's getting beat up, some of the decisions that she made in the moment didn't line up with what people thought she should have been doing.”
Hunt said he doesn’t know Engelbert and has never advised her. But when he compares her situation in the WNBA to what he’s seen with CEOs at big companies, he doesn’t see a path forward for her to continue as the commissioner of the league without further damaging the brand.
“You have to wonder if (the WNBA) is getting as much value as they could if they didn't have the controversies that are going on,” Hunt said. “This thing is going to keep lingering until they can cut something at the top off, right? And so, in the corporate world, it's why CEOs get fired. The crisis is still there, but the sacrifice of the leader starts to give you the opportunity to turn the corner. I think that's probably where (the WNBA is), where they're going to have to really look for new leadership and turn the page.”
Engelbert, 61, has been the commissioner of the WNBA since 2019. Previously, she worked at Deloitte for more than 30 years and was elected CEO of the multi-billion-dollar firm in 2015.
During her tenure leading the WNBA, the league and its teams have skyrocketed in value, television ratings have risen, players received salary increases and it expanded from 12 teams to 15, with franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia launching in the coming years. Probably most importantly, the WNBA now has a 11-year, $3.1 billion media rights agreement that Engelbert helped negotiate.
The commissioner, Hunt said, has a lot to be proud of and could use this weekend’s forum to reinforce her accomplishments while announcing her resignation.
“The All-Star Game, honestly, wouldn’t be a bad place to do it, because you’ve got all the spotlight on the game and lots of great things that she can point to,” Hunt said. “Women's basketball has never been so popular.”
If, when and how Engelbert ends her tenure as the WNBA’s commissioner remains to be seen. Whenever it happens, the task ahead for the league’s leadership in finding her replacement will be a difficult process, Hunt said. There is not a clear and obvious candidate to succeed her.
“Finding whoever the successor is will not be easy. I think it's a tough job to fill for a lot of different reasons,” Hunt said. “They're going to have to get somebody that can be a bridge builder, somebody that has a big vision for where the brand can go, and then how to monetize it and capture and take advantage of the popularity.”
Hunt — who is also the author of “Brand Under Fire: A New Playbook for Crisis Management in the Digital Age” — said the path forward for the WNBA should begin with a change at leadership at the very top, meaning Engelbert should either be removed or she should resign.
In the meantime, he recommends the league getting its arms around officiating and putting a bigger emphasis on controlling the narrative around arguably its most recognizable star, Clark.
“They need to make a serious commitment to tidying up the officiating because it's just so obvious. Clark is not the first athlete that's come along, by the way, that has had issues with people roughing them up,” Hunt said. “And then I think (the WNBA) needs to show (Clark) the love that she deserves in terms of her contributions to the overall valuation of the brand. They need to recognize that — much like the NBA did and has done with LeBron James and Michael Jordan. These phenoms don’t come around all the time.
“Whatever's creating the value, you need to recognize it.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crisis management expert says WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert should resign
Continue reading...
