Aug 12, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (30) pose with the MVP trophy after a victory by Seattle over the Connecticut Sun during the Inaugural WNBA Commissioners Cup Championship Game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

The WNBA All-Star game took place in Chicago over the weekend and was, by all accounts, a success, with players praising the event. However, the weekend’s festivities did noticeably lack planned fan activities.

The general public was unable to attend most of the All-Star events outside of Sunday’s game. Events that were closed to the public included the skills and three-point competitions on Saturday, as well as a live concert by Chance the Rapper.

As it turns out, the lack of fan activities was no accident. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert blamed the decision on concerns about gun violence in the city and across the United States.

“We would have loved to have opened that up to the public,” Engelbert said on Sunday. “Because of security concerns dating way back to Mandalay Bay, dating back to other things that have happened here in Chicago, Uvalde, and Buffalo, there’s a lot of concern about outdoor events right now unfortunately in our country. So we were just trying to do the best we could.”

When fans got wind of Engelbert’s comments, they weren’t exactly buying it, with some going as far as to suggest the league would be better off without Engelbert leading it.

For what it’s worth, the Taste of Chicago festival was taking place outside less than two miles from McCormick Place, where the Chance the Rapper concert and the rest of the WNBA’s limited outdoor events were held. There were no issues with gun violence.

[Chicago Sun-Times]