Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 25
Nancy Hogshead Presses WNBA to Define Women-Only Eligibility After 11,000 Signatures
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 25

Nancy Hogshead Presses WNBA to Define Women-Only Eligibility After 11,000 Signatures

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 25

Summary

  • More than 11,000 people have signed Nancy Hogshead’s petition since Aug. 14, urging the WNBA to explicitly limit player eligibility to biological females.
  • The push targets language in the 2026 collective bargaining agreement that says only “women” may play but does not define the term or address gender identity or sex at birth.
  • The dispute sharpened after Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White said they would enter the 2027 WNBA Draft as women; league sources later said neither was eligible and called the announcements publicity stunts.
  • WNBA officials have said there are no immediate eligibility cases, condemned bad-faith efforts to weaponize the issue, and said Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will keep discussing it with the players’ union and other stakeholders.
  • Hogshead’s campaign also taps into broader activism around the league, including rallies backing Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her opposition to transgender participation in girls’ and women’s sports.

Insights

Will the WNBA align its gender policies with the NCAA or carve a new path for professional sports eligibility?
How will the recent Supreme Court ruling on Title IX pressure the WNBA to rewrite its 2026 eligibility rules?