New York (AFP) – Revitalized by Caitlin Clark and other stars and boosted by a new media rights deal, the Women’s NBA is struggling to reach a union deal 60 days before the deadline. Women’s National Basketball Players Association executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson told sports business website Front Office Sports in a story published Monday that the union feels a lack of urgency from the league in reaching a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
That could force the sides to try and extend the current October 31 deadline to make a deal, but it could also herald a labor shutdown and lockout in lieu of a deal. “The players are working diligently to achieve a transformational CBA that builds on the growth, momentum, and positive news surrounding women’s sports and the W,” Jackson told Front Office Sports in a statement. “As we approach the 60-day mark, the league’s lack of urgency leaves players wondering if it is focused on making this work or just running out the clock. Fans do not want that. They are with the players in demanding a new standard for the W.”
Players made their own statement while warming up at last month’s WNBA All-Star Game, wearing black shirts with white lettering that said, “Pay Us What You Owe Us,” in regards to the labor talks. Clark, who in 2024 became the all-time leading scorer in US college basketball history for men or women, signed with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and is in her second season with the club, which has been at the heart of record viewership and attendance figures for the 13-team league, which began play in 1997.
That led to the WNBA getting $200 million a season starting next year as part of an 11-year media rights deal worth $2.2 billion that the NBA signed with Disney, Amazon, and NBCUniversal. That begins next year.
The WNBA will also receive record fees for expansion teams in Portland and Toronto, set to begin play in 2026, and others worth $250 million each for Detroit, Cleveland, and Philadelphia that will take the court by 2030. The current WNBA regular season will last until September 11, with the playoffs lasting until October 19 at the latest. Both sides could agree to extend the deadline to avoid a work stoppage and continue talks, as they did in 2019 to set the stage for a new deal in early 2020.
The league must hammer out details of an expansion draft in the labor talks, with a new contract needed to settle free agency and expansion details. And while the 2025 playoffs are not threatened, a strike or lockout is also a possibility if no deal is made by the end of October. There are also two rival leagues to consider, which could offer top WNBA talent other options without a new union contract. Priorities for the union in making a transitional WNBA deal include improved revenue sharing, benefits such as better plane travel, expanded rosters, and improved workplace standards.
The first in-person talks came during All-Star Game weekend last month in Indianapolis, but union vice presidents Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier described them as a waste of time due to big differences over revenue sharing.
© 2024 AFP
