Indiana Fans Hijack Cathy Engelbert Speech with ‘Pay Them’ Chants at All-Star Game

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has been in some tough meetings with players and their union about the upcoming CBA.

Indiana Fans Hijack Cathy Engelbert Speech with ‘Pay Them’ Chants at All-Star Game

Indiana fans chanted 'pay them' when Cathy Engelbert started to speak (Image via FirstSportz)

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WNBA players had the most fun they could have thought off throughout the All-Star weekend. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert entrusted the Pacers’ organization to handle the festivities, and they did a phenomenal job organizing three days of fun for players who are in between a grueling schedule.

Apart from the fun, players had an important piece of business to handle. The deadline to agree on the next CBA is a little more than 100 days away. The players and their union have already rejected the first proposal Engelbert gave them.

Considering how many players would be available for during this weekend, their union decided to schedule another meeting. Over 40 players, including union representatives, veteran stars, rotational players, and the younger generation, were a part of the meetings.

Some of the 1st-timer’s were left shocked by the gap in between their demands and what the league and its owners were offering. They claimed they will keep pushing the league to accept their demands as they feel they deserved better.

Players took a united stand before the All-Star game started, wearing t-shirts asking to be paid what they are owed. This stunt did not sit well with ignorant fans on social media, who were not aware of how much the league was about to earn starting next season.

But Indiana fans seemed to be aware. After the game, when commissioner Cathy Engelbert was handed the microphone, the 16,988 fans inside a packed Gainbridge Fieldhouse chanted in unity:

Pay them.

Fans chanted

It seems the once criticized Indianapolis fans were standing with the WNBA players. They want the commissioner to help the players get their due in time so that they are not forced to stop work ahead of next season.

Players join in to remind Cathy Engelbert to ‘pay them’

Video clips show that as soon as the sold-out crowd started chanting ‘pay them’, players standing behind commissioner Cathy Engelbert were shocked. They did not expect the crowd, that too in Indianapolis, to cheer for them.

Brittany Sykes with the sign board in the background
Brittney Sykes with the sign board in the background (Image via WNBA/X)

After gathering their sense, New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart started to hype up the crowd. Then, the Washington Mystics’ Brittney Sykes managed to get hold of one of the ‘Pay the Players’ sign boards. She brought it on to the court and stood behind Engelbert.

Usually, the league’s broadcasting partner would avoid trying to show what is essentially a protest. However, Sykes’ positioning was such that cameras could not avoid showing her and the sign board she was holding up.

When she moved to the center while Napheesa Collier was talking about her MVP performance, the crowd roared even louder, as Sykes was now being displayed dead center on their jumbotron.

Collier then remarked that the fans inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse had proved their solidarity with the players and wanted the league to do what is best for both of them going forward.

Cathy Engelbert might have a problem on her hands if public pressure starts to mount

During the All-Star weekend, Cathy Engelbert had to initially address the CBA discussions, and then was breaking a leg with the players at a party after the 3-point contest. However, those relationships aside, she has to bring both the players and the league together in terms of business.

Now that fans have started to throw their support behind the players, it might go against what the league has been trying to do. Other than those ignorant about the entire WNBA CBA situation, public perception is starting to change.

So far, fans mostly knew that the league was losing money. But since last season, the league has been growing at an unprecedented rate, and is likely to continue at this pace for a while. Coupled with the new media rights deal, the league will earn more than five times more next season.

If awareness spreads among fans, and they start showing their support in this manner, it will become difficult for Cathy Engelbert to come to a decision. The league needs its fans to run, and if they turn on them, it will be difficult to justify the CBA’s decisions.

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