Latest news with #CathyEngelbert
Vancouver Sun
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Tickets go on sale for another precedent-setting moment in Vancouver women's pro sports
Soccer? Check. Hockey? About to be checked. Basketball? Check. The Vancouver Rise soccer team is trail-blazing its way through its first professional season . The Professional Women's Hockey League has welcomed Vancouver as its newest franchise. Now, basketball will complete the trifecta for women's sports in the city. The Atlanta Dream face and Seattle Storm will faceoff at Rogers Arena on Aug. 15, marking the WNBA's first regular-season game outside of the U.S. Tickets for the game, early awaited since the December announcement, finally go on sale on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m., through Ticketmaster . Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'This is a monumental moment for the WNBA, and we are honoured that the league chose the Dream to participate in the first regular-season game outside the U.S,' Atlanta Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in a news release announcing the game. 'We look forward to showcasing our amazing athletes on a global stage in Vancouver. Members of our team have competed internationally, and now they will be doing so wearing Dream colours and representing the city of Atlanta.' The WNBA has staged games in Canada twice before, both exhibitions in Toronto in 2023, drumming up interest in the game. Toronto was announces as a WNBA expansion city, along with Portland, for 2026. Overall, this will be the fifth WNBA game played outside the U.S., with a previous contest played in Mexico in 2004 to go along with the Canada and England games. The Dream were part of the first WNBA pre-season events in Europe when they beat the British national team in 2011. 'The WNBA Canada Game has been a tremendous opportunity to grow our league's footprint, and we look forward to hosting the first international regular season game with the Seattle Storm's return to Canada to face the Atlanta Dream,' WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. 'As we prepare to establish permanent roots in Canada with a Toronto franchise, this game and our year-round engagement efforts are a nod to the incredible momentum around women's basketball in Canada.' The Dream are currently 3-2 and second in the Eastern Conference heading into Tuesday night's game. They made a second straight playoff appearance last season, and count Canadian Laeticia Amihere of Mississauga, Ont., and 2022 rookie of the year Tina Charles on their roster. Brittney Griner also graces the Dream team. The 6-foot-8 centre, a dunking machine and former No. 1 pick, burst on the mainstream consciousness after being arrested in Russia for drug possession — border officials found cartridges containing less than a gram of medically prescribed hash oil in her luggage — in 2022. She was arrested and sent to a Russian gulag, eventually being released in a prisoner exchange for a Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout. The Storm, who have won the league title four times, are 3-1 on the season, and sit third in the West. Seattle boasts sine-time all-star and 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike, Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
What are WNBA players seeking in the next collective bargaining agreement?
For 18 months leading up to last October's opt-out deadline for the current WNBA collective bargaining agreement, executive director of the players association Terri Jackson heard a consistent drumbeat about what the league's players wanted to prioritize. Fair wages, consistent codified minimum work standards and expanded retirement benefits were among players' demands. In an era of explosive growth for the WNBA, players' desire for meaningful changes increased, too. So it came as no surprise that just days after the 2024 WNBA season ended, players opted out of the current CBA three years before its expiration. Advertisement The current CBA, agreed to in January 2020, created significant shifts in the WNBA. Maximum player salary jumped from $117,500 to more than $200,000. Groundbreaking maternity benefits were enacted, and granular aspects of the player experience were adjusted: For the first time, players would be entitled to individual hotel rooms instead of shared rooms. 'I think what we did last time was right for the time,' Jackson said. 'This has to be different. … This has got to be seen as a moment, as a CBA that is building on the winds of last time and still pushing this league — not just the players but the players and the teams and the league — forward.' The two sides have been negotiating for months. Jackson said league executives and WNBPA leaders talk 'often.' WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike (a Seattle Storm forward) and Jackson said they want the new agreement to be 'transformational.' 'I think the players are in solidarity of what we want and making sure that we're continuing to fight and advocate for our rights and making sure this league is continuing to get better,' said Breanna Stewart, a vice president on the WNBPA's executive committee and New York Liberty forward. The 2025 WNBA season has just begun, but questions about the future of the league are swirling. Here are answers to important questions about where the negotiations stand: Players are coming to the negotiating table with several priorities, including increased salaries, a softened salary cap and more access to family planning services. Retirement benefits that provide long-term security for players and their families are also among key priorities, and standardizing team work environments, including facility and travel accommodations as well as support staff minimums, are on the list too. Jackson said the WNBPA has asked to have a seat at the table for future media rights negotiations, too. Jackson had previously said players should be informed how the deal was valued at $200 million. As is the case across other professional sports leagues, media rights are a significant revenue driver for the WNBA. Advertisement 'We asked to be a part of media rights negotiations (that resulted in last year's agreement),' Jackson said. 'And we are hopeful to be a part of them this next go-round. The commissioner seemed inclined to do that.' Player leadership has been consulting an advisory committee, which is composed of experts in sports and media rights, labor negotiations and economics. Player leadership interviewed and selected the group to inform it on as much as possible across topics. 'The resources are different and make us even stronger this time around,' Jackson said. Engelbert has not publicly commented on what team ownership seeks at the bargaining table. At April's draft, she said she wants 'a fair deal for all, but it has to be within the confines of a sustainable economic model that goes on for 10 years.' Englebert has said she wants to work within the growth framework that allows the league to invest in players. She said introducing full charter travel last season cost more than $20 million. 'That has to be recognized as part of the economic model that we've built,' she said. 'We've had a few years of great growth, hyper-growth, I would call it. But we need to continue to make sure that we can fund the things that the players are asking for, that we want for them, too.' 'We continue to meet regularly and engage in productive discussions with the WNBPA as we work collaboratively toward a new agreement,' a WNBA spokesperson said in a statement to The Athletic. In the last agreement, owners successfully pushed for league prioritization in a clause that forces most players competing internationally to return for the start of WNBA training camp or face suspension. Prioritization would seemingly remain important as owners are likely to try to keep this clause in the CBA as it helps bolster the WNBA talent pool at the start of the season. Advertisement Salaries are expected to significantly increase in the upcoming agreement. This year's top four draft picks will make around $79,000. The minimum player salary for a player with three-plus years of service is also around $79,000, with this season's maximum salary around $250,000. In addition to salary increases, protections on players' contracts could be negotiated. The first three seasons of WNBA rookie contracts are unprotected — meaning players are not guaranteed any of their salaries. This creates greater uncertainty for younger players relative to the NBA, where first-round rookie contracts are guaranteed for the first two seasons. Stewart also said she'd like to see developmental roster spots added for practice players who are not on teams' active rosters in the new agreement. If enacted, that would presumably require another salary framework. Stewart said the sides are still in 'preliminary rounds.' Ogwumike seems content with the process so far. 'As a union and as union staff, we're on schedule with where we want to be,' Ogwumike said. Jackson said players have submitted multiple proposals to the league. Engelbert said at the 2025 WNBA Draft that they received partial proposals. Jackson said that she would like to see significant progress made on the deal by the mid-July All-Star break, and a deal finalized, or close to being completed, by the conclusion of the 2025 season in mid-October. 'We're hopeful that the league and the teams are as committed to those due dates for this group project as we are,' she said. The new 3×3 winter professional women's basketball league that debuted last winter does not have a CBA. However, it's hard to overlook the impact the winter league could have on the ongoing talks. Unrivaled is a reminder of what players could be worth in a non-CBA environment. It paid its 30-plus players an average salary of more than $220,000 for a 10-week season and signed a six-figure TV deal ahead of its debut. The league, which provided players with equity, also put a premium on amenities. Advertisement Unrivaled created a private professional training facility in a matter of months and ensured its facility offered numerous childcare options. The league made $27 million in revenue this year, a source with knowledge of its financials said. That's double what league officials had projected last summer, and Unrivaled nearly broke even. 'A league at this level happening in the WNBA offseason built by players, just hitting high marks, and they almost broke even, I am paying attention,' Jackson said. 'I think it adds more detail and more information and context to the business of women's basketball.' While Ogwumike, Jackson and the rest of the WNBPA hope an agreement is in place by Oct. 31, which is the final day of the current agreement, players association leadership has also not ruled out the possibility of a work stoppage. 'The job is to get a CBA done and to get it done on time,' Jackson said. 'We're not interested in doing anything but getting a deal done. The players opted out early, announced early and hit the ground running. And that's what we're doing. We still have time on our side and we're gonna manage that.' As negotiations progress, there's a question about how long any new agreement will be in place. The current agreement included an option for either party to terminate the deal by Nov. 1, 2024, if it didn't want to see the document through until the end of the 2027 season. That seven-year span is consistent with past CBAs the two sides have agreed to. However, Ogwumike acknowledged that an agreement's longevity could change. 'We've only known it to have the statute that it has now,' she said. 'As we've currently known it to be, whenever we do come to an agreement, it probably feels like it's too long. The changes that we're seeking. The changes that the players want, I'm not sure if we would want to lock ourselves into anything that we're not necessarily able to attain for too long.'
Fox News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Caitlin Clark is the 'most popular athlete in America,' WNBA commissioner declares
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark's popularity ahead of the 2025 WNBA season is unquestioned, and the league's commissioner put any debate to rest Thursday. Clark and the Fever will play in 41 nationally televised games this season, more than the defending champion New York Liberty. The Fever also announced a direct-to-consumer service in partnership with Endeavor Streaming after Clark's memorable rookie season and unprecedented viewership of WNBA games in 2024. Clark may be just one player in a league of terrific basketball players, but the numbers don't lie. "It is a balance, but she's a generational talent," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said on "The Bill Simmons Podcast." "No league is ever about one player, but in this case, Caitlin brought tens of millions of new viewers into the W. "And there's no denying that impact. Not just in the WNBA, but the world of sports. (NBA Commissioner) Adam (Silver) and I talk all the time about this. She's the most popular athlete in America." Engelbert stressed the balance there has to be because of a potential risk of injury, pointing to JuJu Watkins' knee injury in the women's NCAA Tournament. She highlighted other stars in the legue, including Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson, Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier. The Fever's first game of the season is expected to draw huge ratings when Indiana opens the season against the Chicago Sky. Angel Reese is another budding young star who finished behind Clark in the Rookie of the Year voting. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Judge dismisses Hamby lawsuit against WNBA alleging mistreatment; she can pursue claim against Aces
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge last week dismissed Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby's lawsuit against the WNBA, but said her litigation against the Las Vegas Aces over alleged mistreatment because of her pregnancy could continue. Hamby filed the suit in August that alleged the Aces discriminated and retaliated against her, resulting in her January 2023 trade to the Sparks. The league and club filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit in September. U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon wrote in his ruling that Hamby failed to prove her allegations the WNBA failed to properly investigate her claims against the Aces and didn't renew her league marketing contract. He dismissed those claims with prejudice. There was no immediate comment from the league. The judge determined Hamby proved enough to move forward with her discrimination claim against the Aces and partially with her retaliation allegations. Hamby, an All-Star three of the past four seasons, averaged career highs of 17.3 points and 9.2 rebounds last season. She was a two-time WNBA Sixth Player of the Year for the Aces. The Aces remain under investigation by the WNBA regarding a two-year sponsorship deal offered by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in which each player receives $25,000 per month and up to $100,000 per season. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at last month's draft that it's a time-consuming process handled by an outside law firm. 'I think there's a lot of document requests and things like that, so it takes time,' Engelbert said. 'Nothing to report at this time.' ___ AP WNBA:
CNBC
15-05-2025
- Sport
- CNBC
WNBA Commissioner Engelbert on the growth of women's sports ahead of the WNBA's opening weekend
Cathy Engelbert, WNBA Commissioner, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss the WNBA's recent traction and expectations for the season, if women's sports are still undervalued, and much more.
