Latest news with #collective bargaining agreement
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Dave Portnoy: WNBA players SHOULD get paid more... it's a sporting scandal that morons are missing
Barstool Sports chief Dave Portnoy has taken aim at 'morons' as he weighed in on the WNBA 's pay scandal in a fiery rant. Caitlin Clark and her fellow WNBA stars took a stand during Saturday night's All-Star game when they called out the league with a pointed jibe over its failure to pay them what they believe they deserve. The league's All-Stars took to the court in T-shirts telling league bosses to 'pay us what you owe us' talks over a new collective bargaining agreement stalled in Indianapolis this week. However, the players faced backlash on social media with fans questioning why players should be paid more when the league has been operating at a loss. Yet Portnoy, who has become heavily invested in the WNBA over the past year as a staunch supporter of Clark, fired back as he defended the players over the scandal. 'I see lots of morons trying to act like WNBA players don't deserve more money,' the media mogul, who inked a deal with Fox Sports this week, began in a fiery rant on X. 'They are throwing around this 'lost 50 million' number that nobody even knows where it comes from. The finances of the league are a mess, tied in with NBA and purposely murkey. The owners don't want to say how the league is doing cause then you gotta pay more going into bargaining agreement. 'The league is exploding. Franchise values are exploding. Ticket sales, merch, tv rights all exploding. The players have an opt out in their CBA. Of course they took it. 'It's all about leverage in re-negotiations and for the 1st time in history of league players have power. The players make virtually nothing while the entire league explodes. Of course they deserve more money. 'Just the values of the team pay for it without all the other stuff. If somebody told me I could buy a Boston team for 250 million I would do it without blinking. That's all you got to know about the WNBA finances.' Negotiations between the WNBA and Women's National Basketball Players Association continued in Indianapolis this week but failed to reach a deal and erase the friction between the two sides. In fact, many WNBA players were disappointed in the lack of progress of an in- person session on Thursday that was attended by 40 players. The negotiations certainly didn't narrow the gap between the two sides. 'I think (Thursday's) meeting was good for the fact that we could be in the same room as the league and the Board of Governors,' said Liberty star Breanna Stewart, a union vice president. 'But, I think, to be frank, it was a wasted opportunity.' The dispute began when the players union announced after the 2024 season that they would opt out of the CBA on October 31, 2025. With television revenues on the rise - largely due to the presence of Clark - the players want a larger piece of the financial pie. The Barstool Sports chief shared a lengthy rant to social media about the issue on Sunday The players' top priorities are greatly increased salaries and a revenue sharing plan. In the WNBA, players reportedly only receive 9.3 per cent of league revenue which is way less than athletes in most other sports leagues. But, as a New York Post article in October pointed out, the WNBA was set to lose $40million last season and NBA owners were starting to get frustrated by it. The NBA owns nearly 60 per cent of the league and owners were pressing commissioner Adam Silver for answers on when they can expect a return on their investment. There's a lot of money coming into the league over the next few years with a new 11-year media rights deal worth over $2.2billion, three new expansion teams that each paid $250m in fees and many new sponsors. According to Sports Illustrated, WNBA salaries roughly range from a minimum of $66,000 to a super maximum contract of around $250,000. For reference, Clark will earn $78,000 in the 2025 season while All-Star rival Napheesa Collier has an average annual salary of $184,000. Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings has the highest average annual salary in the WNBA at $241,000. Players can supplement their income through commercial deals and it's thought Clark, the Indiana Fever sensation, earned $11million in 2024. The deadline to reach a new agreement is just three-and-a-half months away. 'Rev sharing is truly transformational,' Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum told reporters. 'We want a piece of the entire pie. Not a piece of part of the pie. We're a resilient group. We know the unity it takes to be able to get the outcome desired.' Chicago Sky second-year forward Angel Reese termed the negotiations as 'disrespectful.' 'Obviously, women's basketball is skyrocketing,' Reese told reporters. 'And it's important for us to get what we want now, not just now, but for the future as well. ... 'It was an eye-opener for me ... hearing the language of things, not things that I was happy to hear. It was disrespectful -- the proposal that we were sent back.' 'We're on a time crunch. No one wants a lockout,' said Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, another vice president of the WNBPA. 'But at the end of the day, we have to stand firm, and we're not going to be moved on certain topics. So hopefully the league comes back quickly so that we can get have more dialog, more conversations and can get the ball rolling.' Collier and Stewart were co-founders of Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league that debuted last offseason. The fact that both players are part of the WNBPA negotiating party while having significant financial investments in a rival league would appear to be a conflict of interest, though Collier has fought back against that narrative. That also is part of the discussions as the WNBA wants its league to be prioritized among the players, some of whom play overseas. Players point out that Unrivaled's pay scale was better for most players than what they receive in WNBA salary. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert described the negotiations as 'very constructive dialog.' Engelbert said she remains optimistic that a deal with get done.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Rob Manfred is Bypassing Union Leadership to Court Players
An MLB lockout after the 2026 season seems inevitable when the current collective bargaining agreement expires that December. During his annual meetings with teams, Commissioner Rob Manfred has reportedly been telling players that MLB Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark and union leadership are not interested in delivering change for rank-and-file members. Front Office Sports reporter Eric Fisher is calling Manfred's strategy 'potentially high-risk, high-reward.' The Athletic's Evan Drelich reported last month that Manfred believes there is a disconnect in thinking between the union and players. 'There seems to be kind of a mismatch between what we see at the union leadership level and what the players are thinking,' Manfred said at an investor event held by the Atlanta Braves recently. 'The strategy is to get directly to the players. I don't think the leadership of this union is anxious to lead the way to change. So we need to energize the workforce in order to get them familiar with or supportive of the idea that maybe change in the system could be good for everybody.' In the last labor deal, the executive committee was against it, but the union members voted for it and it passed. In an interview with Sportsnaut's 'Big League Buzz,' Fisher noted that Manfred is hoping to get his point across to rank-and-file members without union leadership present. 'That's kind of the thinking this time around,' said Fisher. 'If Manfred can meet with individual players, get his point across, maybe a similar situation can happen again in 2026. Regardless of what executive leadership at the union — either from a staff basis or a player-based executive committee — thinks of what's on the table, again, if a plurality of players like it, maybe they can get to a different place. 'That's the overarching strategy. I also think there are some personality issues at play. I think the principals involved on both sides of the table don't necessarily like each other that much.' The biggest issue will be owners wanting to institute a salary cap. The MLBPA and union members have been against it, pointing to what happens in the NFL every year where players are getting released or having their deals restructured. 'There's a principle that's been in place for decades, but they also, on a very tangible, real-world basis, see negative outcomes elsewhere in sports that they don't want to copy,' said Fisher about the MLBPA being against a salary cap in baseball. The last MLB lockout occurred from Dec. 2, 2021 until March 10, 2022. It delayed the start of the season but no regular season games were missed. Related Headlines '1 Percent Chance': Pirates Reporter Shares Bleak Take on Paul Skenes Extension Prospects Yankees Expected 'To Get After It' Before Trade Deadline: 6 Blockbuster Trade Targets, Including Chris Sale Top MLB reporter: Teams Will 'Laugh At' Luis Robert Jr. If He Makes This Demand Did Kyle Schwarber's All-Star Game Heroics Drive Up His Price With Free Agency Looming?
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
WNBA commissioner optimistic about getting new CBA deal done
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert feels optimistic that the league and the players' union will be able to come to a new collective bargaining agreement at some point, even if it's after the end of October deadline. While the two sides are far apart right now after meeting for the first time in person on Thursday since December with more than 40 players in attendance, Engelbert has faith that a deal will get finished. 'I'm still really optimistic that we'll get something done that would be transformational,' she said before the All-Star Game on Saturday night. 'And that, next year at All-Star, we'll be talking about how great everything is. Obviously there's a lot of hard work to be done on both sides to get there.' Engelbert said that more meetings are planned in the future. The current CBA will expire on Oct. 31 after the season is over. 'I have confidence we can get something done by October, but I'm not going to put an exact date on it,' she said. 'We've got some room to continue negotiations if we're close at that point.' There's a lot of money coming into the league over the next few years with a new 11-year media rights deal worth over $2.2 billion, three new expansion teams that each paid $250 million in fees and many new sponsors. The players top priorities are greatly increased salaries and a revenue sharing plan which Engelbert understands. 'We're going to do something transformational here because we we want the same things as the players, but 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 in to continued investment,' she said. Other areas that Engelbert discussed included: Globalization Engelbert talked about trying to expand the footprint of the league around the world more. The league will welcome its first team outside the U.S. next year with the addition of the Toronto Tempo. Engelbert mentioned Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa as places that could have huge interest in the WNBA. 'I think we're really strong domestically now ... There's a huge amount of possibilities, to turn these players into a global household being stars that they've now become here in the United States domestically,' she said. Officiating The consistency of officiating has been a topic that players and coaches have been discussing a lot this season and Engelbert said that the league is aware and will evaluate it. 'I realize consistency is the name of the game and I think it's something we definitely need to look at and evaluate. There's an independent evaluation of our officials and there are ramifications. It's something we need to continue to work on. As our game evolves so does our officiating, so we're on it." Scheduling Engelbert said that the league would look at possibly expanding the length of the season in the future on the backend of the season. The WNBA can't really start any earlier because of the NCAA Tournament, but could go into early November. There's a good shot that will happen next year with the FIBA World Cup taking place in early September. 'We're looking about what's the best footprint, what's the best number of games?" she said. ___ AP WNBA:
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
WNBA commissioner optimistic about getting new CBA deal done
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert feels optimistic that the league and the players' union will be able to come to a new collective bargaining agreement at some point, even if it's after the end of October deadline. While the two sides are far apart right now after meeting for the first time in person on Thursday since December with more than 40 players in attendance, Engelbert has faith that a deal will get finished.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
WNBA stars send message to league before All-Star Game amid contentious CBA negotiations
WNBA stars fired off a message to the league before the All-Star Game Saturday night when players expressed frustration with negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The players wore T-shirts that said "Pay Us What You Owe Us" during warmups. The shirts included the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) logo. The game featured Team Caitlin Clark against Team Napheesa Collier. Both players were named captains for the game. Both of the All-Stars emerged wearing the shirts. Clark did so even though she is sidelined for the game because of a groin injury. The players met with league officials Thursday, and the sides did not reach a deal. Chicago Sky star Angel Reese was one of many WNBA players who have expressed criticism of the league's handling of negotiations. "It was an eye-opener for me. Like, hearing the things and hearing the language of things and not things that I was happy to hear. It was disrespectful the things that we were sent back, the proposal that we were sent back," she said Friday. "It's important to be able to be vocal. If I sit back, it looks like I don't care." New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu said the players weren't going to settle for "the minimum" in negotiations, while Phoenix Mercury player Satou Sabally called the league's latest CBA offer a "slap in the face." WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press after the meeting that the meeting was "constructive." "It was very constructive dialogue. I think, you know, obviously, part of the process is to go back and forth and listen to the players. They listen to us and the owners who represent the Board of Governors," Engelbert said. "I still feel really optimistic that we can get something transformational done by the end. But it's a process." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
