Sue Bird says next WNBA commissioner could be Michelle Obama
· Yahoo Sports
Sue Bird believes the WNBA commissioner job carries enough cultural weight to attract a powerhouse figure.
Fresh off guiding Team USA as managing director, Sue Bird has her sights set on the WNBA’s next chapter as search efforts begin for Cathy Engelbert’s replacement.
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With the league at an explosive turning point, everyone wants a heavy-hitting leader who can balance the booming business side with real respect for the players.
Despite job descriptions being floated from players and coaches left, right and center, there seems to be a lack of a real standout candidate at this moment in time.
Sue Bird speaks Michelle Obama into existence for the WNBA
On her latest podcast episode, Sue Bird sat down with WNBA icon Tina Charles to talk about who ought to step up as commissioner once Cathy Engelbert steps aside.
Things got ambitious fast, with Bird arguing the position holds so much cultural weight it could attract a real heavy-hitter. Even floating Michelle Obama as a potential candidate.
She said: “But let me counter that. Let me counter that. For all the things that might deter somebody, I think it’s a unique and dare I say society-changing opportunity to have someone in this role to really change those narratives.
The WNBA has proven that politically it can have impact. It can have impact just by the nature of us existing. It can have impact. And I think whoever decides to take this job, if they look at it in that way, through that lens of potentially changing things, you can do it via this platform.
“So, I don’t know. I feel like if if someone does look at it that way, we might attract who knows, Michelle Obama. Who knows? Who knows? Speak it into existence.”
While Michelle Obama obviously fits the bill as a cultural figure who can move the needle, her actually taking the job is pure fantasy.
She’s got the global pull and social influence, but managing a rapidly growing sports league means wrestling with broadcast deals, team owners, and complex disputes, making her a fun hypothetical rather than a real contender.
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