The NFL and college football are in full swing, the Major League Baseball postseason is underway, and the NBA and NHL seasons will begin this month.
However, the most important person in professional sports currently is St. Louis native Napheesa Collier, a star with the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.
Unlike a multitude of pro athletes who cower in fear from respective commissioners and team owners, Collier made it her purpose to call out the leaders of her league — especially WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
“The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings, or even missed calls, or even physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office,” Collier said in a prepared statement during an end-of-season press conference last week.
Collier, who starred at Incarnate Word and then at UConn, suffered a serious ankle injury late in Game 3 of the Lynx playoff series against Phoenix on a questionable non-call. She was unable to play in Game 4 when Minnesota was eliminated.
“Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating, and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates,” Collier said.
She shared parts of a February conversation that she and Engelbert had in February regarding officiating and player compensation.
She says she asked Engelbert how young stars Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, “who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years.”
Collier said Engelbert replied, “Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”
As if that weren’t enough, Collier said Engelbert added, “Players should be on their knees, thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.”
As for WNBA officiating, Engelbert said, “only the losers complain about the refs.”
Engelbert has denied making those comments, which basically cast Collier as a liar. Collier then canceled a meeting between the two that was set to take place this week.
According to an ESPN report, Engelbert’s denial of the comments, “pretty much pushed the relationship beyond repair.”
While it was not reported in February, ESPN stated that multiple sources said Collier had told them of Engelbert’s comments shortly after the meeting.
After Collier dramatically stood up for Clark, the Indiana Fever star said via Twitter, “I have great respect for Phee, … she made a lot of valid points. Phee said it all. … This is straight-up the most important moment in this league’s history.”
Clark’s teammate Sophie Cunningham said on her podcast that if Engelbert made the statements attributed to her by Collier, the commissioner should “go ahead and pack for Cabo, because you should not be sitting in that seat.”
After clinching a spot in the WNBA Finals against Phoenix, Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson said, “I was honestly disgusted by the [alleged] comments that Cathy made.”
“I’m gonna ride with Phee always … moving forward, we gotta continue to stand on business as we talk about this CBA negotiation.”
Collier’s commitment to her fellow players and the future of the WNBA is critical because the league’s current collective bargaining agreement expires on Oct. 31.
Many professional and college athletes are making St. Louis proud, but none is standing taller than Napheesa Collier.
The Reid Roundup
Chaim Bloom now controls the St. Louis Cardinals as president of baseball operations. It seems he will retain Oli Marmol as manager, although he has not officially confirmed it…My guess is that outfielder Jordan Walker will be wearing a new uniform next year if the Cardinals can trade him. He could be released…Another loss like last week’s to UCLA and Penn State coach James Franklin might be out…Penn State tumbled from the AP Top 25 this week, as did overly hyped Arch Manning’s Texas Longhorns..…All eyes will be on Columbia when No. 8 Alabama pays a visit to No. 14 Missouri for an SEC showdown at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Tigers’ Ahmad Hardy leads the nation with 730 rushing yards and has forced 46 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.