In a follow-up letter to Engelbert obtained by OutKick, the Indiana Republican and other members of Congress question the league’s handling of player safety, fan confrontations and, now, who is actually eligible to play in the WNBA.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEThe letter comes as Engelbert prepares to leave the league.She announced Sept.
4 that she will retire at the end of 2026 after more than seven years as commissioner, and the WNBA has already begun the process of searching for her successor.WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks before the WNBA basketball draft in New York on April 13, 2026.(Pamela Smith/AP)That timing adds another layer to Stutzman’s request, which asks Engelbert to answer several questions about league policy before Oct.
16.The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement says that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA." But it does not go any further in defining what that means.That became a bigger issue this summer after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said female athletes should not have to compete against biological men.Former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White later announced that they identified as women and planned to enter the 2027 WNBA Draft, seemingly forcing the league to address the issue directly.League sources later told media outlets that neither man was eligible for the draft.WNBA COMMISSIONER CATHY ENGELBERT SENDS TRANS INCLUSION MEMO AFTER ENES FREEDOM, ROYCE WHITE ANNOUNCEMENTSNow Stutzman wants to know why."How does the WNBA define ‘women’ for purposes of Article XIII, Section 1(a) of its collective bargaining agreement?" the lawmakers ask in the letter.They then follow with: "If the WNBA has no definition of ‘women,’ why were Freedom and White deemed ineligible to join the 2027 WNBA draft?"Read the full letter here:The letter argues that by ruling Freedom and White ineligible, the league has already shown that it recognizes a distinction when deciding wh...