# How the WNBA became a political prop in the culture wars

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/fresh-air-214340/how-the-wnba-became-a-political-prop-in-the-culture-wars
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/fresh-air-214340/how-the-wnba-became-a-political-prop-in-the-culture-wars.md
Podcast: [Fresh Air](https://stenobird.com/podcast/fresh-air-214340)
Published: 2026-09-10T17:58:33+00:00
Episode link: https://www.npr.org/2026/09/10/nx-s1-5964858/how-the-wnba-became-a-political-prop-in-the-culture-wars
Audio file: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-381444908/npr.simplecastaudio.com/49850946-31c1-4953-8129-0d718420c400/episodes/34e4c520-ccc2-4e00-8ad6-c12e5a3fb0fe/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=49850946-31c1-4953-8129-0d718420c400&awEpisodeId=34e4c520-ccc2-4e00-8ad6-c12e5a3fb0fe&feed=jBsBZBHh&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5964858&p=381444908&d=2790&size=44654011
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/fresh-air-214340/episodes/how-the-wnba-became-a-political-prop-in-the-culture-wars
Duration seconds: 2790

## Resource

Despite record viewership and attendance, and amazing talent across the league, the WNBA has been caught up in the national conversation about the culture wars. Sportswriter Sabreena Merchant says, “everything in the WNBA seems to take on a political lens far beyond what is actually happening on the court.” Merchant spoke with Fresh Air guest interviewer Sam Fragoso (host of Talk Easy ) about the expansion of the WNBA, the race and gender politics consuming the narrative, and the departure of commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Merchant writes for The Athletic, from the New York Times . Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Practical Magic 2 . Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our YouTube channel Check out the Fresh Air Archives See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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