WNBA Commissioner Tells House Republicans Freedom and White Are Ineligible, Gives No Definition of Woman
Photo: The Daily SignalWNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told House Republicans in an October 16 letter that Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White cannot play in the league because only women are eligible and both are men. The letter answered Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) and other Republicans, who had asked about eligibility, player safety and fan confrontations after the two former NBA players announced plans to enter the 2027 draft as women. The lawmakers also asked how the league defines women under its collective bargaining agreement, which limits play to women without defining the term; Engelbert gave no definition. The America First Policy Institute, which represents Freedom, supplied the letter to OutKick, which released it Tuesday.
Right-leaning outlets, including The Daily Signal and Breitbart, stress that the league named the two as men yet offered no definition of a woman; Breitbart adds the lawmakers' names and Kanter Freedom's X post about the letter. Alternative outlet ZeroHedge leads with the rejection and quotes Stutzman calling it a first step toward defining a woman. Left-leaning outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing, while alternative and right-leaning outlets had.
How the sides differ Left sources have not covered it; right sources stress the missing definition of a woman, while alternative sources lead with the rejection and Stutzman's comment.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
Not covering this story. None of the left-leaning outlets Crosswire tracks has reported it yet. What one side leaves out can be as telling as what the others report.
ZeroHedge leads with the league rejecting Freedom and White, quoting Engelbert's letter and Rep. Stutzman, and notes the letter lacked the definition of women that lawmakers requested.
The Daily Signal and Breitbart focus on the league calling the two men without defining a woman. Breitbart adds the lawmakers' names, White's Senate candidacy and Kanter Freedom's X post.