
Record sale of WNBA's Sun adds fuel to the league's smoldering contract dispute
The last time a WNBA team was sold, in 2021, the price tag was estimated at $10 million for the Atlanta Dream.
It's yet another log tossed onto the blaze building beneath the contract negotiations between the league and the WNBA Player's Association over a new collective bargaining agreement.
The money is rolling into the WNBA.
The Golden State Valkyries — which Joe Lacob bought in 2023 for a $50 million expansion fee — were recently valued at $500 million and Lacob thinks it could have been higher. Three new expansion teams — Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia — recently went for $250 million apiece. Last year, the league signed a monster media rights deal for $2.2 billion. The league set a record in attendance last season and is up even more this year. Viewership is also up 21%, even though megastar Caitlin Clark has missed several games with injury.
All of this is the backdrop to the CBA negotiations that have been looming over the entire season. Last October, the players opted out of the remaining year of their contract — which was signed in 2020, when things were much different, a move everyone could see coming for a couple of years. The current contract expires Oct. 31.
But despite all the forewarning, the rapid growth of the league and the increased value, negotiations aren't going smoothly. That became clear at last month's All-Star Game, when more than 40 players showed up to an in-person bargaining session in Indianapolis, a turnout that WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike called 'historic.'
But no progress was made.
'I think, to be frank, it was a wasted opportunity,' Liberty star Breanna Stweart said afterwards. 'It was pretty shocking to see. Not many things we agreed on.'
The players want a number of things including roster expansion and improved conditions around things such as travel and schedule. But the main thing they want is a significant piece of the pie that they have been baking for years.
'We feel we are owed a piece of the pie we helped create,' WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier said.
The players know it is their play and their connection with fans that has made their league so successful and so attractive to new investors.
'We should be paid more and hopefully that's the case moving forward,' said Clark, the catalyst for much of the growth.
The players, like most professional athletes, want revenue sharing. While most men's CBAs call for a 50-50 split in revenues, the WNBA is woefully under 10%.
'We players know what we're worth,' Ogwumike said. 'The fans know what we're worth. Now we need the league to know what we're worth.'
The All-Star players took the court for the game in Indianapolis in black warmup shirts that read 'PAY US WHAT YOU OWE US.' Signs saying 'Pay the players' were waved in the crowd. After the game, when commissioner Cathy Englebert took the court, she was booed by the crowd and drowned out by chants of 'Pay them! Pay them!'
The event was reminiscent of other times female athletes have used the power of clothing and when they have understood the significance of getting the public on their side. In 2019, the U.S. women's national soccer team sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay prior to the World Cup, which they went on to win. Their achievement was celebrated by roars of 'Equal pay! Equal pay!' The soccer players took the field for a game wearing inside-out shirts to protest their situation — facsimiles of which were later marketed. The lawsuit was finally settled in the players' favor in 2022.
WNBA players know the power of a persuasive T-shirt. They were at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement, years before it swept the country after George Floyd's murder. They used their platform in the 'Wubble' during the pandemic, wearing shirts saying 'Vote Warnock,' in protest of Atlanta Dream owner Kelly Loeffler. That boost in recognition helped the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who subsequently won a Georgia senate seat and flipped the U.S. Senate.
The WNBA players have long known how to use their platform. And their fans will support them.
Smart business people like Lacob see the value in the league. He believes the Valkyries, with their spectacular game day experience and state-of-the-art facilities, are raising the bar for the entire league.
'The whole league is doing much better,' Lacob told me in June. 'Some aren't. Some are weak sisters, so to speak. We need to make it a better league. I think that's going to happen. It just takes time.'
One of those weak sisters has been the Sun. Connecticut plays in a casino, doesn't have its own facilities and is considered one of the worst-run franchises in the league. But the Sun is now headed for a brighter future, with the pending sale to a group led by private equity investor Steve Pagliuca.
The evidence keeps mounting: the WNBA — and the league players — are valuable entities worthy of investment. But will a deal get done? Or will the soaring popularity of the league come to a screeching halt with a work stoppage?
'We're on a time crunch,' Collier said. 'No one wants a lock out.'
With every positive development for the WNBA, the fire burning under contract negotiations keeps getting bigger and bigger. Does management feel the heat?

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox News
37 minutes ago
- Fox News
Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox Reportedly Agree to Mammoth 8-Year Extension
It took 46 games for the Boston Red Sox to determine that Roman Anthony should be a prominent figure in their future. Anthony and the Red Sox have agreed to an eight-year, $130 million extension, ESPN reported on Wednesday. The contract keeps Anthony in Boston through 2034, includes a club option in the final year of the deal and could be worth as much as $230 million. The 21-year-old outfielder, who had been considered the top prospect in MLB, made his big-league debut in June. To date, the left-handed-hitting Anthony has totaled two home runs and 19 RBIs, while boasting a .283/.400/.428 slash line. He has started at both corner outfield positions, primarily right field, while also making 13 starts as the team's designated hitter. The Red Sox selected Anthony with the No. 79 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of high school. He began the 2025 season in Triple-A, after first reaching the level in August 2024. The Red Sox are 64-51, good for the No. 1 AL wild-card seed; they're three games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East. Boston has won seven consecutive games and went on a 10-game winning streak prior to the MLB All-Star break. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!


Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Sparks head coach fumes after another sex toy is thrown on WNBA court in game against Fever: ‘It's stupid'
The Los Angeles Sparks were the latest home team to see an obscene object being thrown on to the court during a game, an act that prompted a furious reaction from head coach Lynne Roberts. The WNBA has seen multiple games where a green sex toy has been launched on the court during games, resulting in at least one fan being arrested. Tuesday night's game between the Sparks and the Indiana Fever saw a repeat of the incident when the object was thrown on the court near Fever guard Sophie Cunningham late in the second quarter. Cunningham, who had earlier lashed out on social media over the seemingly viral trend, jumped back in surprise as Sparks star Kelsey Plum kicked the object off the court. "I thought we did a great job, Indiana included, just playing on," Plum told reporters after the game. "Don't give it any attention. The refs, I really appreciate them too." But Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts expressed her frustration with the repeated attacks. "I think it's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," she said plainly. "We take – it's also dangerous. Player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid. That's all I'm going to say." The WNBA announced last week that at least one person who allegedly threw one of the objects on the court during an Atlanta Dream game has been arrested and will face a minimum one-year ban for it. "The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans," the league said in a statement. "In line with WNBA Arena Security Standards, any fan who intentionally throws an object onto the court will be immediately ejected and face a minimum one-year ban in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution by local authorities." Sex toys have been thrown at multiple WNBA games, including a Chicago Sky game on Friday. According to social media posts, additional sex toys were thrown during games in New York and Phoenix, none of which reached the courts.


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Bengals' Shemar Stewart reveals key thing Trey Hendrickson taught him
For Cincinnati Bengals first-round rookie Shemar Stewart, the remainder of the summer is about refining his craft while he adapts to the program. With the contract impasse a thing of the past and Trey Hendrickson attending practice and helping out his teammates, Stewart has made sure to absorb as much information as possible. Right out of the gates after Hendrickson reported to the team, Stewart got a key nugget from the All-Pro, according to Geoff Hobson of "You want to be all extended when you make some kind of contact with O-linemen. If it's not, and he reaches you, your rush is basically over. Make sure your arms are fully extended before making contact with the offensive line." … RELATED: Shemar Stewart contract details cast Bengals holdout in strange light Billed as a project prospect, the biggest criticism of Stewart out of college was his lack of production as a pass-rusher and apparent lack of moves to help him get to opposing passers. Only live action will show fans if those concerns were misguided, but Bengals coaches have repeatedly beat the drum about his rare combination of size and athleticism that will help him play three downs all over the line. One guarantee? Stewart couldn't do much better than Hendrickson as a mentor, if at all. RELATED: Trey Hendrickson tells all on contract standoff with Bengals