When Cathy Engelbert first joined the WNBA as commissioner nearly six years ago, the league was on the margins. Revenue was half of what it was in 2024, and attendance had dropped to its lowest since 1997, when just eight teams were in the league.
Then, after years of building under Engelbert’s leadership, the WNBA saw its breakthrough in 2024.
This week, Engelbert is in La Quinta for what some might view as a victory lap, playing in the pro-am at The American Express PGA Tour event. American Express has a longstanding partnership with the WNBA.
“This is my fifth year out here, and it’s always incredible to be out here playing with these pros,” said Engelbert, who on Thursday played with pro Ben Martin on the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West.
Engelbert, 60, played basketball and lacrosse in college at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, but is a relative newcomer to golf. She said she only began playing about 10 years ago but added that her two adult children are avid players.
Engelbert said that this year at the American Express, everyone she’s met has asked her about the WNBA.
“There’s a lot of excitement,” she said. “A lot of people just started watching last year.”
The WNBA attracted its highest television ratings in 2024, with a 170% increase from 2023. The season featured the top seven most-watched WNBA games ever on ESPN, the two most-watched WNBA games ever on ABC, and the most-watched WNBA game ever on ESPN2. NBA TV more than quadrupled its WNBA viewership from 2023.
Engelbert said that the league can learn a lot from other leagues, including the PGA Tour, and the next move is to implement ideas that will build on the increased fandom of the WNBA. She noted that, like the PGA Tour, the WNBA seeks to provide fans with an entertainment experience.
The American Express does that not only with the four-round golf tournament, but also with its concert series, which will feature Little Big Town on Friday and Journey on Saturday evening adjacent to the driving range between the PGA West Stadium Course and the Nicklaus Tournament Course.
The WNBA will do that with its encore to the 2024 season, Engelbert said.
“This year, we’re adding the Golden State Vaklyries,” Engelbert said. “It’ll be Caitlyn Clark’s second year; Angel Reese’s second year and we’ll have many other great players back this season. So, we’re really excited.”
It’s a great time to be a part of the WNBA. Last July, the league announced a new 11-year media rights deal valued at around $2.2 billion that includes partnerships with Disney, Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal. At the time, Englebert called the deal “monumental.”
Engelbert said that the deal would allow the league to build a long-term and sustainable growth model that will keep women’s basketball growing.
“We’re no longer on the margins,” Engelbert said Thursday.
Andrew John covers sports for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: At American Express, Cathy Engelbert shares excitement for 2025 WNBA season
