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What to know about WNBA CBA negotiations: Revenue sharing, salary increases and scheduling
What to know about WNBA CBA negotiations: Revenue sharing, salary increases and scheduling

New York Times

time18 hours ago

  • Business
  • New York Times

What to know about WNBA CBA negotiations: Revenue sharing, salary increases and scheduling

On Saturday night, as WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was in the middle of her annual midseason news conference, players made a statement of their own by taking off their All-Star Game warmups to reveal T-shirts with the tagline, 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' 'We see the growth in the league and as it stands, the current salary system is not really paying us what we're owed,' union president and Seattle Storm star forward Nneka Ogwumike said. 'We want to be able to have that fair share moving forward, especially as we see all of the investment going in, and we want to be able to have our salaries be reflected in a structure that makes sense for us.' Advertisement Engelbert, in one room, was discussing how the two sides in the collective bargaining agreement negotiations had recently had 'constructive' talks. On the court, players were issuing a call to action. WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson has said that union leaders and league executives have talked 'often' throughout the months-long negotiations, but Indianapolis was the site of their most important meeting yet. Central to the talks is the future of the league's business and how revenue is distributed. According to sources with knowledge of the discussions who are not authorized to speak about the matter publicly, the league and teams combined have not been profitable since the WNBA's inception in 1996. (Play began in 1997.) In other words, the aggregate sum of the league and team revenues minus the sum of their expenses has always been a negative number. Yet the business around the WNBA and its teams is growing as the sport has reached a transformative moment. 'Pay them!' WNBA All-Star fans drowned out commissioner Cathy Engelbert during her presentation of the game's MVP award. With several CBA conversations in Indy this weekend, players warmed up in shirts that read 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 20, 2025 Here are answers to important questions about where the negotiations stand as the second half of the season gets underway. Last week's meeting in Indy was the first in-person bargaining session that players have attended since December. More than 40 players were present, a union record in its CBA discussions. The meeting was held weeks after the WNBPA received a counterproposal from the league. Players said that in the first week of February, they submitted an initial version of a proposal to the league. It focused on salary and revenue-sharing systems, the sources said. The union sent supplemental information, then in April submitted a more comprehensive proposal with more than 20 additional pages focused on a variety of topics. The league issued its counterproposal in June. Advertisement Multiple players expressed frustration with the league's response, heightening tension leading into last week's meeting. The league's revenue-sharing system was a key topic of conversation, they said. Los Angeles Sparks forward Kelsey Plum said that at one point in the meeting, she appealed to the commissioner's legacy. 'Cathy has an opportunity to make a transformational decision, not just for our league but for women in the workforce,' Plum said. 'It's a symbol that matters. You start a whole tsunami wave.' She added: 'Never have we had this much leverage. Never have we had over 40 players talking to the other side. It's unbelievable.' The meeting lasted a couple of hours, and Jackson said that some players sacrificed opportunities for paid appearances to attend. It's premature to say agreements were reached in the bargaining session. But multiple players, including Liberty star Breanna Stewart, the union vice president, said progress was made on a policy related to family planning and on another related to retirement benefits. Engelbert and other executives from the league office, as well as the league's lawyers, were at last week's meeting. The WNBA also has a committee of team representatives, who are a mix of owners and senior team leadership. The league's labor committee is composed of seven representatives from various backgrounds, with different experience levels in the WNBA and from teams in various market sizes. Multiple sources with knowledge of the meetings confirmed to The Athletic that the following team representatives and members of the league's labor committee attended last Thursday's meeting: • Atlanta Dream — Suzanne Abair, co-owner and CEO • Chicago Sky — Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and operating chairperson • Connecticut Sun — Jennifer Rizzotti, team president Advertisement • Indiana Fever — Kelly Krauskopf, president of basketball and business operations • Dallas Wings — Greg Bibb, managing partner and CEO • Seattle Storm — Ginny Gilder, co-owner Phoenix Mercury owner Mat Ishbia is also a representative on the league's labor committee, though the Mercury are the lone team with committee representation not at last Thursday's meeting and the December meeting, the sources said. The Mercury declined The Athletic's request to comment regarding their representative's absence. Players have been outspoken about their desire for increased salaries — the league's current maximum for a player is around $250,000 — and a revenue-sharing system that does not have a fixed component. The topic appears to be at the crux of the negotiation. 'If anything is fixed, especially at a small percentage, naturally we're not actually going to grow with the business,' Ogwumike said. 'We're at a point now where we're growing, so we want to make sure that as the business grows, the only thing that isn't capped is the player revenue share.' Neither side has disclosed the specific terms of their recent proposals. Engelbert said on Saturday: 'I think you'll see the revenue sharing be a much more lucrative one as we go forward because we're in a better place.' She added: 'We want to significantly increase their salary and benefits while balancing with our owners, their ability to have a path to profitability, as well as continued investment. You see tens of millions of dollars being invested in practice facilities and other player experience by teams. We want to strike the right balance between those two so that can continue.' While the league and teams combined have not been profitable at any point since inception, the league is closer than ever to making a profit (on a combined league and team basis) as a result of continued growth, sources with knowledge of negotiations said. Advertisement Engelbert said Saturday that national TV viewership is up 23 percent year-over-year, attendance is up 26 percent, and merchandise sales are up 40 percent. A new media rights deal with ESPN/Disney, Amazon and NBC, worth $200 million per season for 11 years, will go into effect next year. And the total new rights fees could have as much as six times the league's current media rights fees, because the new deals leave room for the WNBA to bring in additional partners. (In June, the WNBA announced a new multi-year deal with Scripps/Ion, for example.) It stands to reason that with the record media rights deal slated to go into effect and an increase in corporate partnerships and other positive developments, the league has a realistic opportunity to be profitable for the first time in 2026. Of course, any financial projection is difficult to predict without knowing the league's CBA. The health of the WNBA business can also be observed in the increase in franchise valuations. The New York Liberty recently raised capital from a group of investors at a record valuation for a professional women's sports franchise of $450 million, with ownership having purchased the franchise as a distressed asset in 2019. League expansion fees have also significantly increased; the three teams recently granted to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia were awarded for a record $250 million fee, up from the $50 million the Golden State Valkyries' ownership group paid in September 2023. 'We're fighting for what we're due, what we're worth, our value,' Liberty guard Natasha Cloud said. 'They're going to be fighting for what they think protects the business. Our job is to find the common ground. But that doesn't mean we keep taking the crumbs of the pie.' The NBA and WNBA generate significantly different amounts of revenue, and each league's revenue is allocated differently. For instance, the WNBA's full charter flight program and other team travel expenses (hotels and ground transportation) cost nine percent of combined league and team revenues, sources said. That percentage is smaller in the NBA. The two leagues also have different revenue-sharing systems. In the NBA, players take home roughly half of basketball-related income (BRI), while the other half goes to owners. BRI then determines the league's annual salary cap. In the WNBA, the league's current CBA does not explicitly use BRI to determine its salary cap. The CBA sets the salary cap for each year of the agreement; increases between seasons are fixed at a rate of three percent. The league has an additional mechanism for revenue sharing if certain targets are reached. However, that agreement was created in 2020, when the WNBA played a pandemic-impacted bubble season and essentially made no money. Because revenue targets are cumulative, the WNBA hasn't caught up despite recent rapid growth, preventing all players from benefiting from financial gains. 'We want a piece of the entire pie, not a piece of part of the pie,' Plum said. The future WNBA schedule seems to be another important topic in negotiations. Players have said that the league has discussed the possibility of adding more games. This season, teams are playing a record 44 games, the maximum under the current CBA. Historically, the WNBA plays from mid-May until either mid-September or mid-October. The college season ending in early April, impacting incoming rookies, doesn't allow for much flexibility in the league's start date. However, Engelbert said there is slightly more flexibility on seasons' back ends. In the 'near-term,' especially because of the 2026 FIBA World Cup running in early September, she said the WNBA season could run into November. Advertisement 'We want to make sure we're trying to fit our footprint in so that we can support those international competitions, but also have a season worthy of where we are today as a hyper-growth league. We're trying to strike that right balance from that perspective,' Engelbert said. 'Again, the scheduling is always a Rubik's cube when you're dealing with arena, broadcast windows, international competition, things like that.' Both sides sound like they want a new agreement signed by the Oct. 31 deadline. Englebert said she had 'confidence' in reaching a deal. However, it's possible that they will not reach an agreement by that date. Stewart called Thursday's meeting a 'wasted opportunity' with 'a lot of fluff that we couldn't get past.' Ogwumike said players haven't discussed a work stoppage, 'at least not recently.' Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, a WNBPA vice president, said: 'If a lockout is what it comes to, then I think we're prepared for that.' Depending on the progress, the sides could agree to an extension before the deadline. That was the case in the 2019-20 talks, as two extensions were agreed to before the current deal was struck on Jan. 14, 2020. The timing of an agreement will also dictate several key offseason events, including an expansion draft for two incoming franchises, the start of free agency and the college draft. Stewart said she wants 'more of a sense of urgency' in the talks. Jackson told reporters on Thursday that another meeting is scheduled, although she did not provide specifics on time or place. With the second half of the season underway, the meetings will mostly have to occur virtually.

WNBA players and their most loyal fans bring their message to the masses
WNBA players and their most loyal fans bring their message to the masses

Washington Post

time5 days ago

  • Sport
  • Washington Post

WNBA players and their most loyal fans bring their message to the masses

INDIANAPOLIS — This is how it sounds when a fight goes public. Inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse following the WNBA All-Star Game, chants from the lower bowl began organically, and earnestly. Before the Saturday evening showcase, the players said nothing as they stripped their warmup jackets and revealed a message in black and white — 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' But by night's end, the fans were amplifying their desire. A crowd of mostly women cupped their hands to their mouths so that their voices could ring louder, or they pumped their fists to show they weren't messing around. They cried out in unison, even though they were strangers. But during this impromptu demonstration, they were aligned in their devotion to the workforce of the WNBA. They were really sisters. Together they shouted: 'Pay them!' And from inside these walls, their shouts reached the ears of the players. Then, social media. Then, a world where the demands of women who dare to be confrontational aren't always met with acceptance. The players' quest for a better collective bargaining agreement with league owners has now gone mainstream, thanks to a choreographed weekend in downtown Indianapolis where repeating the message proved more important than playing in an exhibition game. 'We understand what we want and what we're looking for within the CBA. We're all unified within the players, and obviously, it was really cool for our fans to be involved, too. They also want us to be paid,' New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud told me in the bowels of the arena late Saturday night. So they landed on 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' as the simplified version. They made their beef, billed as the eternal fight of Corporate America versus The People, as bite-sized and palatable as possible to grab attention and gain support. Those words should resonate with all of us. But will they? The marketable all-stars appearing in all the commercials, and the role players making around $102,000 now face their toughest task yet: finding public support among a new fan base that just showed up to the party. As with many professional leagues outside of the Big Four (the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL), the WNBA has existed beyond a velvet rope. Only the most passionate believers in basketball gained access. By no means should this imply that the WNBA has operated like a country club, or restricted access to anyone willing to buy a ticket. But throughout most of its 27 years, a game in the W has felt like a cultural gathering. A safe space in sports that supported girls and women, especially women of the LGBTQ community who either were performing on the court or rooting in the stands. So, the players' fight for higher salaries has resonated among the O.G.'s from way back in 1996, and the friendlies who showed up for All-Star Weekend are the ones who brought the overpriced merch and cheered along anyway even though players masked their skills in silliness during an All-Star Game that felt as soulless as the NBA's. Just a few words on that All-Star Game, because that's all it deserves: Team Collier defeated Team Clark, 151-131 because no one pretended to put in any sort of effort. A'ja Wilson played in a full face of makeup, you actually think she came to compete? The all-stars bemoaned the short break, and with having to make brand appearances, or entertain in the Friday night skills challenge and three-point contest, or pretty much party all weekend on a nonstop live stream powered by Minnesota Lynx teammates Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, most players understandably pumped the brakes on going hard in the game. Despite watching the equivalent of a Saturday night shootaround, the true blue fans still stuck around until the end to stand on the front lines, because they appreciate every woman on an WNBA roster. Unlike the recent fans who are aghast that the league hasn't already made Caitlin Clark's silhouette the logo. And yet, those are who the Women's National Basketball Players Association need to win over. While the older fans will eat up the players' P.R., this new crowd remains on a strict diet of all things C.C. They might not be aware that activism isn't just trendy in the WNBA, it's the essence of the league. The players have worn black and white T-shirts before — to make a statement to 'Say Her Name' or remind anyone paying attention that 'Change Starts With Us.' Well, now the protest centers on profits. And isn't that the biggest indicator that this truly American sports enterprise has grown up. The WNBA is bigger now. No longer can it be derided as a niche. Clark and her transcendent talent ushered in a tsunami of popularity, and her arrival coincided with a stretch commissioner Cathy Engelbert refers to as 'hyper growth,' which includes league expansion. The women know money's about to flow in with the upcoming and ceiling-shattering $2.2 billion media rights deal. Now they want the world to know: it's payday. 'I would say first and foremost, the mission was accomplished because we built a critical amount of awareness this weekend. So, obviously proud on that,' said Los Angeles Sparks all-star Kelsey Plum, also the first vice president on the players' association executive committee. 'I think continuing to have our foot on the gas, in our messaging. Not just to the media, but to each other and [planning] next steps. We're in a negotiation, just call it what it is. And so obviously, you're going back and forth on both sides. And … being unified in what we want, and that's been great [from] day one. We have to wait for the league's response to us privately and then you know, we'll deal with it then and we'll figure out our next move.' If the players want to keep applying pressure to Engelbert and the owners, then expect more surprise demonstrations on the court. And with these negotiations now in the court of public opinion, they also must keep trying to educate all the newbies, teaching them about the league and the nuanced workings of the CBA. Plus, humanizing the workforce so they're not simply seen as those women trying to injure Caitlin Clark. Or as unappreciative athletes who should be happy making the coins they're provided, and not demanding more. That fight is only beginning.

WNBA players wisely use All-Star spotlight for CBA leverage: ‘Pay us what you owe us'
WNBA players wisely use All-Star spotlight for CBA leverage: ‘Pay us what you owe us'

Yahoo

time5 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

WNBA players wisely use All-Star spotlight for CBA leverage: ‘Pay us what you owe us'

INDIANAPOLIS — The WNBA All-Star Weekend represented the league at its peak: a massive mid-season showcase featuring the best players in the world, hosted in a city that has become synonymous with the rapid explosion of women's sports. But the celebrations took place in front of a backdrop of labor uncertainty. The league and the players' union remain far apart in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, with the current CBA set to expire on Oct. 31, 2025. With all eyes on the league, the All-Stars emerged for pregame warmups Saturday to reveal a message on their shirts: 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' The players had a breakfast meeting the morning of the All-Star game when they collectively decided to make the shirts. The shirt is available for sale on the players' union's Instagram account, with all proceeds going to the WNBPA and the players. After years of fighting an existential battle for the survival of the league, WNBA players enter this bargaining cycle with a rare power: leverage. The league is generating record revenue, it's expanding, and it's become part of the national consciousness. Now is the time for the players to cash in on what they have brought to the table. They want a business model that allows them to share in the growth of the WNBA and direct more of the revenue towards salaries and player experience. 'We see the growth in the league and as it stands, the current salary system is not really paying us what we're owed,' said union president Nneka Ogwumike, a Seattle Storm forward. 'We want to be able to have that fair share moving forward, especially as we see all of the investment going in, and we want to be able to have our salaries be reflected in a structure that makes sense for us.' The league is in a period of hyper growth, as commissioner Cathy Engelbert illuminated in her annual mid-season address. Viewership is up 23 percent year over year, attendance 26 percent, and merchandise sales 40 percent. Money is pouring into the league — via media rights, expansion fees and other avenues — but players need to secure a piece of the growing business before the WNBA enters a sustainability mode. Their prominent message on one of the league's biggest nights, and their commitment to a united front, shows that the union understands its strength and is taking control of the narrative. Doing so on All-Star weekend isn't just about getting all of the players in one room together, though the breakfast meeting composed mostly of union leadership couldn't have happened if the players weren't all in one place. The timing is also important to engage fans when they are paying attention and when players are speaking to a nationally-televised audience on ABC. This effort allowed players to tap into the community that supports them and wants to help. At a panel earlier Saturday, fans asked Dawn Staley, Sydney Colson and Kate Martin how they could make a difference in the negotiations. Fans brought 'Pay the Players' signs to the game, and Mystics guard Brittney Sykes displayed one visible on the broadcast behind Engelbert during postgame interviews. The crowd also drowned out Englebert's speech with chants of 'pay them.' 'It's huge to have the fans backing us,' union vice president Napheesa Collier said. 'A lot of things are the court of public opinion, and it does matter what people think, they of course, at the league recognize that as well, so adding that pressure is really great for us.' Players are not new to public activism. As WNBPA first vice president Kelsey Plum said, this is a resilient group that was politically outspoken during the Georgia Senate race in 2020. They understand the unity it takes to achieve a desired outcome. Fashion as a visual forum for protest is a familiar tactic. The Minnesota Lynx wore T-shirts that said 'Change starts with us' and 'Black Lives Matter' on the back after the police killing of Philando Castile in 2016. The entire league wore Breonna Taylor's name on their jerseys in the 2020 WNBA bubble after she was killed by a police officer. And in 2022, the WNBA All-Stars changed at halftime into Brittney Griner jerseys to bring attention to her detention in Russia. At a moment that is critical to determine their future, players don't want to leave any stones unturned. They need participation from throughout the union, which is why a record number of players showed up to the bargaining meeting. For instance, Satou Sabally was unable to play in the All-Star Game but flew to Indiana on Thursday to attend the negotiations. Players have to publicly apply pressure on the league, using their collective, consistent messaging and their fan bases to rally behind them. They are preparing for a lockout, putting money away in case negotiations stall. They are appealing to Engelbert's legacy: Does she want to be the commissioner who presided over the most significant growth in women's sports history, or the one who oversaw a work stoppage? The wording of 'owe us' on the T-shirts was clarifying. The players have talked about getting what is fair, but this was a crucial change in the strategy to signify that a piece of the business already belongs to them. 'We're going to continue to push for everything that we've earned,' Liberty guard Natasha Cloud said. 'The word earned is something that needs to be highlighted. I think a lot of times you get told to just continue to take crumbs and be thankful for what we have,and that's just not the case anymore.' By hijacking a tentpole event for the league, players are expressing that they will not settle. They can't afford to do anything less. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA 2025 The Athletic Media Company

WNBA players wisely use All-Star spotlight for CBA leverage: ‘Pay us what you owe us'
WNBA players wisely use All-Star spotlight for CBA leverage: ‘Pay us what you owe us'

New York Times

time5 days ago

  • Business
  • New York Times

WNBA players wisely use All-Star spotlight for CBA leverage: ‘Pay us what you owe us'

INDIANAPOLIS — The WNBA All-Star Weekend represented the league at its peak: a massive mid-season showcase featuring the best players in the world, hosted in a city that has become synonymous with the rapid explosion of women's sports. But the celebrations took place in front of a backdrop of labor uncertainty. The league and the players' union remain far apart in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, with the current CBA set to expire on Oct. 31, 2025. With all eyes on the league, the All-Stars emerged for pregame warmups Saturday to reveal a message on their shirts: 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' The players had a breakfast meeting the morning of the All-Star game when they collectively decided to make the shirts. The shirt is available for sale on the players' union's Instagram account, with all proceeds going to the WNBPA and the players. A post shared by WNBPA (@thewnbpa) After years of fighting an existential battle for the survival of the league, WNBA players enter this bargaining cycle with a rare power: leverage. The league is generating record revenue, it's expanding, and it's become part of the national consciousness. Now is the time for the players to cash in on what they have brought to the table. They want a business model that allows them to share in the growth of the WNBA and direct more of the revenue towards salaries and player experience. Advertisement 'We see the growth in the league and as it stands, the current salary system is not really paying us what we're owed,' said union president Nneka Ogwumike, a Seattle Storm forward. 'We want to be able to have that fair share moving forward, especially as we see all of the investment going in, and we want to be able to have our salaries be reflected in a structure that makes sense for us.' The league is in a period of hyper growth, as commissioner Cathy Engelbert illuminated in her annual mid-season address. Viewership is up 23 percent year over year, attendance 26 percent, and merchandise sales 40 percent. Money is pouring into the league — via media rights, expansion fees and other avenues — but players need to secure a piece of the growing business before the WNBA enters a sustainability mode. Their prominent message on one of the league's biggest nights, and their commitment to a united front, shows that the union understands its strength and is taking control of the narrative. Doing so on All-Star weekend isn't just about getting all of the players in one room together, though the breakfast meeting composed mostly of union leadership couldn't have happened if the players weren't all in one place. The timing is also important to engage fans when they are paying attention and when players are speaking to a nationally-televised audience on ABC. This effort allowed players to tap into the community that supports them and wants to help. At a panel earlier Saturday, fans asked Dawn Staley, Sydney Colson and Kate Martin how they could make a difference in the negotiations. Fans brought 'Pay the Players' signs to the game, and Mystics guard Brittney Sykes displayed one visible on the broadcast behind Engelbert during postgame interviews. The crowd also drowned out Englebert's speech with chants of 'pay them.' 'Pay them!' WNBA All-Star fans drowned out commissioner Cathy Engelbert during her presentation of the game's MVP award. With several CBA conversations in Indy this weekend, players warmed up in shirts that read 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 20, 2025 'It's huge to have the fans backing us,' union vice president Napheesa Collier said. 'A lot of things are the court of public opinion, and it does matter what people think, they of course, at the league recognize that as well, so adding that pressure is really great for us.' Players are not new to public activism. As WNBPA first vice president Kelsey Plum said, this is a resilient group that was politically outspoken during the Georgia Senate race in 2020. They understand the unity it takes to achieve a desired outcome. Advertisement Fashion as a visual forum for protest is a familiar tactic. The Minnesota Lynx wore T-shirts that said 'Change starts with us' and 'Black Lives Matter' on the back after the police killing of Philando Castile in 2016. The entire league wore Breonna Taylor's name on their jerseys in the 2020 WNBA bubble after she was killed by a police officer. And in 2022, the WNBA All-Stars changed at halftime into Brittney Griner jerseys to bring attention to her detention in Russia. At a moment that is critical to determine their future, players don't want to leave any stones unturned. They need participation from throughout the union, which is why a record number of players showed up to the bargaining meeting. For instance, Satou Sabally was unable to play in the All-Star Game but flew to Indiana on Thursday to attend the negotiations. Players have to publicly apply pressure on the league, using their collective, consistent messaging and their fan bases to rally behind them. They are preparing for a lockout, putting money away in case negotiations stall. They are appealing to Engelbert's legacy: Does she want to be the commissioner who presided over the most significant growth in women's sports history, or the one who oversaw a work stoppage? The wording of 'owe us' on the T-shirts was clarifying. The players have talked about getting what is fair, but this was a crucial change in the strategy to signify that a piece of the business already belongs to them. 'We're going to continue to push for everything that we've earned,' Liberty guard Natasha Cloud said. 'The word earned is something that needs to be highlighted. I think a lot of times you get told to just continue to take crumbs and be thankful for what we have,and that's just not the case anymore.' By hijacking a tentpole event for the league, players are expressing that they will not settle. They can't afford to do anything less. (Photo of Brittney Sykes: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

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