Latest news with #GainbridgeFieldhouse
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
WNBA's Cathy Engelbert counters on ‘constructive' CBA talks as players send message before All-Star game
INDIANAPOLIS — As WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert held a press conference in the depths of Gainbridge Fieldhouse ahead of Saturday night's All-Star Game, players used their pregame warmups as a chance to send a message. 'Pay us what you owe us,' the T-shirts worn by each player read. The Women's National Basketball Players' Association and league stakeholders remain at an impasse as negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement become more strained and the likelihood of work stoppage after this season grows. While many players felt Thursday's CBA meeting was a 'wasted opportunity' and said little-to-no progress was achieved, Engelbert said she thought the gathering with 40-plus players and league stakeholders was 'constructive.' 'We had candid dialogue, and this is part of the process,' Engelbert said. 'I fully respect the players who are listening. They're listening to our owners, and we're kind of in the middle of the league trying to make sure we're setting this league up for success for decades. And that's the goal. To have a fair CBA for all.' Both sides want to write out a 'transformational' CBA, but the WNBA and players' union have different viewpoints on what that might look like. It took the league five months to counter the union's initial proposals, and the WNBA's response was not well received among players. Some called it 'disrespectful' and said the two parties are oceans away on important issues, especially in terms of creating a robust revenue sharing model that allows players to benefit as the WNBA's popularity and profitability continues to grow. Union president Nneka Ogwumike said she interpreted the league's initial response to include fixed salary-cap numbers. But Engelbert refuted that, saying it's 'not accurate.' 'We've been talking about different ways to do revenue sharing,' she said. 'You'll see the revenue sharing be a much more lucrative one as we go forward because we're in a better place. 'We want to significantly increase their salary and benefits while balancing with our owners their ability to have a path of profitability as well to continued investment.' The union's stern stance on implementing a fluid revenue sharing system is rooted in the fact that the league has a new 11-year media rights deal valued at $2.2 billion starting in 2026. They also took note that the WNBA's most recent expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia coughed up a whopping $250 million to buy in. Engelbert mentioned that national viewership year-over-year is up 23 percent, attendance is the highest it's been in decades and merchandise sales shattered previous records — all promising stats that show the league's surge in popularity. Players see those numbers and want their fair share. They used the opportunity of the nationally televised All-Star Game to make a statement. Not only did players wear the shirts, but Mystics guard Brittney Sykes also held up a 'Pay The Players' sign when she was presented the All-Star Game's MVP trophy. Breanna Stewart, a member of the WNBPA executive committee, said the demonstration likely would've happened regardless of how Thursday's tempestuous meeting went. 'We wanted to do something united,' Stewart said. 'We have strength in numbers, and we know that we don't always have this opportunity to be together like this. So making a statement where everyone will see it.' The union has said it's preparing for a work stoppage when the current CBA expires Oct. 31. Engelbert said she has 'confidence' a deal can be struck before the Halloween deadline, but also said she's 'not going to put an exact date on it. 'We're in a good place and we're going back and forth,' she said. The current CBA was signed in January 2020. But there's extra urgency to get this deal done by the deadline so teams can prepare for the Toronto and Portland expansion drafts, which are expected to take place in December. Rules for expansion drafts are part of the CBA, so teams don't know what to expect yet. Free agency, which usually starts in late January, and potentially the April draft would also be on hold as long as a deal remains unfinalized. Neither side wants that to be a case. Engelbert remains optimistic that the two sides will be able to agree on a CBA that people will hopefully be raving about at next year's All-Star event. 'I want a lot of the same things the players want. I said that last time, too, and it's not changed,' she said. 'But we also have to have a process where we got back and forth and that's where we're in the process. Again, still really optimistic that we get something done that will be transformational.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Basketball Fans Boycotting Kelsey Plum After 'Petty' Behavior
Basketball Fans Boycotting Kelsey Plum After 'Petty' Behavior originally appeared on The Spun. Kelsey Plum is one of the most popular players in the WNBA with over 1.2 million Instagram followers and a lucrative Under Armour deal. That being said, it sounds like fans are starting to turn on her. Plum, who is in her first season with the Los Angeles Sparks, competed in the WNBA All-Star Game this past weekend. The two-time champion is averaging 20.1 points and 5.8 assists per game for her new squad. Prior to tipoff on Saturday night, Plum and every player participating in the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse wore shirts that had this message on the front: "Pay us what you owe us." During her postgame press conference, she talked about how the shirts came about. Although it wasn't necessary at all, Plum felt the need to throw shade at clark. "It was a very powerful moment. As players, we didn't know that that was going to happen. It was a genuine surprise," Plum said. "The T-shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that." WNBA fans were shocked by Plum's remarks. They thought she came across as petty and childish. Some people are so disappointed in Plum that they refuse to watch her play moving forward. "See me personally, if I worked in an industry where one of my coworkers was about to increase my earning potential by 500% or more I would simply not attack them every time the chance presented itself," one person said. "You can totally tell why this league didn't work before hand. Players like Kelsey plum are never in the headlines unless they say stuff about CC bc they know people are going to say their name. It's so petty and childish," a second person wrote on X. "They simply cannot stop dumping on the woman who is single-handedly making the league popular and relevant for the first time. And it's so obviously driven by petty, self-destructive jealously," a third person said. "I can't stand Kelsey Plum anymore. She's a real life hater," a social media user commented. "Kelsey Plum is unwatchable, her hate and jealousy is next level," another user declared. As of Monday afternoon, Plum hasn't addressed any of the backlash she's receiving on social media. The WNBA season will resume on Tuesday night when Plum and the Sparks take on the Washington Fans Boycotting Kelsey Plum After 'Petty' Behavior first appeared on The Spun on Jul 21, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Caitlin Clark 'beyond thankful' for WNBA All-Star weekend, fans in Indianapolis
Caitlin Clark was the focal point of the WNBA All-Star Game, even though she couldn't play. The second-year Indiana Fever star had far and away the most fan votes, served as a team captain and was front-and-center at Gainbridge Fieldhouse cheering on teammates Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. She expressed gratitude and pride over the weekend's festivities on social media. "Incredible weekend in Indy!! Our organization gave everything to make this the best WNBA All-Star Weekend yet — and it delivered in every way. Grateful to call this city home and beyond thankful for the incredible fans who brought the energy and made it special ❤️"
Washington Post
3 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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Has Hilarious Goal For WNBA All-Star Game
Caitlin Clark Has Hilarious Goal For WNBA All-Star Game originally appeared on The Spun. While an injury may keep Caitlin Clark from playing in the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, she's still representing the league by being there and appears to have a gameplan for sitting in the stands. Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Clark said that in lieu of playing, she'll be doing her part by heckling the referees a bit. She joked that she would decide how much to heckle them once she learned who was there. "I think I gotta heckle the refs a little bit," Clark said. "I don't know who's reffing yet, but that'll determine how much I'm going to heckle them. I mean obviously if they're at the All-Star game, usually it's some of the better ones. Maybe I can get a technical or something." Clark has had no shortage of run-ins with WNBA officials in the month of July alone. Some have even blamed the officiating for the injury that is causing her to miss the All-Star Game. Fans certainly appreciated the dig at the officials: "She's so damn unserious! OMG love you! Hahaha," one user replied. "Of course," another said. "I hope she gets the first ever technical in an All Star game." Clark has also been there to show solidarity with the players in their battle for a new and more lucrative Collective Bargaining Agreement. She showed up on the court for warm-ups wearing a "Pay Us What We're Worth" t-shirt. "Honestly, I feel like that's where we're really fortunate is that we have those other deals. And I think that's one of the things we're in the room fighting for," Clark said today. "Like (Napheesa Collier) said, we should be paid more and hopefully that's the case moving forward as the league continues to grow. That's probably the most important thing that we're in the room advocating for."Caitlin Clark Has Hilarious Goal For WNBA All-Star Game first appeared on The Spun on Jul 20, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
