Scrutiny of WNBA intensifies as mounting discord around the league looms over all-star festivities

The WNBA has never been bigger.

More people are watching. More are investing. Salaries for many players are higher than ever. But mounting turmoil and discord have been a part of this transformative period that has featured a landmark collective bargaining agreement, league expansion and skyrocketing player recognition.

It seems to have reached a new flashpoint, as discussions about race, gender and sexuality made headlines ahead of Saturday's WNBA all-star game. Race-driven conversations resurfaced after an incident between Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, while players continued to voice frustrations with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and leadership over what they say is a lack of protection from social media harassment and divisive remarks.

"It is a moment to be celebrated without a doubt," said Ketra Armstrong, sport management professor and director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity in Sport at the University of Michigan. "We want to celebrate what's great. But sometimes, the progress can overshadow, still, where the perils are."

Issues of race, gender and representation have been an undercurrent throughout the league's history. Debates over those issues have grown as women's sports have exploded. And they remain a challenge that shape the WNBA's — and most other pro sports leagues, for that matter — public and online discourse.

"This is what a sports league" is, said David Berri, sports economist and economics professor at Southern Utah University. He cited the NFL's Rooney Rule as an example. "If a sports league is going to get attention, you're going to get attention for these things as well."

Contentious conversations also spread to issues of transgender