Latest news with #NnekaOgwumike
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chicago faces Seattle, looks to break 3-game slide
Seattle Storm (14-10, 9-6 Western Conference) at Chicago Sky (7-16, 1-9 Eastern Conference) Chicago; Thursday, 8:30 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Chicago Sky enters the matchup with Seattle Storm as losers of three straight games. The Sky have gone 4-6 at home. Chicago is second in the Eastern Conference in rebounding averaging 36.6 rebounds. Angel Reese paces the Sky with 12.5 boards. The Storm are 6-5 on the road. Seattle is seventh in the Western Conference with 7.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Ezi Magbegor averaging 2.3. Chicago scores 77.6 points per game, 0.9 fewer points than the 78.5 Seattle allows. Seattle averages 80.2 points per game, 6.3 fewer points than the 86.5 Chicago allows. The matchup Thursday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams. TOP PERFORMERS: Reese is scoring 13.8 points per game and averaging 12.5 rebounds for the Sky. Rachel Banham is averaging 11.7 points and 1.6 rebounds over the last 10 games. Nneka Ogwumike is scoring 17.3 points per game and averaging 7.5 rebounds for the Storm. Erica Wheeler is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Sky: 4-6, averaging 79.0 points, 38.3 rebounds, 18.4 assists, 5.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 41.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 84.0 points per game. Storm: 5-5, averaging 76.0 points, 30.7 rebounds, 18.3 assists, 8.3 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 40.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 78.5 points. INJURIES: Sky: Courtney Vandersloot: out for season (acl). Storm: Katie Lou Samuelson: out for season (knee). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Associated Press
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Chicago faces Seattle, looks to break 3-game slide
Seattle Storm (14-10, 9-6 Western Conference) at Chicago Sky (7-16, 1-9 Eastern Conference) Chicago; Thursday, 8:30 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Chicago Sky enters the matchup with Seattle Storm as losers of three straight games. The Sky have gone 4-6 at home. Chicago is second in the Eastern Conference in rebounding averaging 36.6 rebounds. Angel Reese paces the Sky with 12.5 boards. The Storm are 6-5 on the road. Seattle is seventh in the Western Conference with 7.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Ezi Magbegor averaging 2.3. Chicago scores 77.6 points per game, 0.9 fewer points than the 78.5 Seattle allows. Seattle averages 80.2 points per game, 6.3 fewer points than the 86.5 Chicago allows. The matchup Thursday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams. TOP PERFORMERS: Reese is scoring 13.8 points per game and averaging 12.5 rebounds for the Sky. Rachel Banham is averaging 11.7 points and 1.6 rebounds over the last 10 games. Nneka Ogwumike is scoring 17.3 points per game and averaging 7.5 rebounds for the Storm. Erica Wheeler is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Sky: 4-6, averaging 79.0 points, 38.3 rebounds, 18.4 assists, 5.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 41.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 84.0 points per game. Storm: 5-5, averaging 76.0 points, 30.7 rebounds, 18.3 assists, 8.3 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 40.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 78.5 points. INJURIES: Sky: Courtney Vandersloot: out for season (acl). Storm: Katie Lou Samuelson: out for season (knee). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
WNBA Players Getting Share of Expansion Fees Would Be Unique
The WNBA has experienced explosive growth across TV ratings, attendance, sponsorships, revenue and franchise values. It has been a boon for the league's stakeholders, and now players want their share after players opted out of the current CBA at the end of 2024. One negotiating point: soaring expansion fees. More from WNBA National Viewership Up Despite Clark's Injury Absences Caitlin Clark's All-Star Absence Fuels Condensed Schedule Fight Caitlin Clark's Role Expands With Expected Presence at CBA Talks 'It's interesting that there's a $250 million expansion fee, and there's no openness to have that be reflected in revenue share that goes to the players, especially as we're experiencing growth,' Nneka Ogwumike, WNBPA president, said in an interview with the Associated Press this week. 'It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but we're hoping we can get some clarity on that in Indiana.' Expansion fees in the biggest North American sports leagues are typically split among existing owners. The calculus is trickier in the WNBA, as their governors own only 42% of the league; the NBA holds another 42% of the league and the remaining 16% belongs to a 2022 investment consortium. Expansion dilutes solely the 42% held by WNBA teams and not the share held by the NBA or investors, as Sportico reported in March. More than 40 players attended Thursday's meeting between the PA and league in Indianapolis, with everyone on-site for WNBA All-Star weekend. Both the league and union have talked about a transformational CBA, but the WNBPA has clearly been underwhelmed by the WNBA's counters. 'The WNBA's response to our proposals fails to address the priorities we've voiced from the day we opted out: a transformational CBA that delivers our rightful share of the business we built, improves working conditions, and ensures the success we create lifts both today's players and the generations that follow,' the WNBPA said in a statement after the talks. If the WNBA is looking to get a piece of the expansion fees, it would be more than transformational; it would be unprecedented. The NBA, NFL and NHL have strict language about expansion fees in their CBAs when it comes to calculating revenue that helps shape their payroll ranges. The fees are excluded in each case in systems the WNBA wants to mirror, where players are entitled to a percentage of overall revenue, versus their current plan of sharing only 'incremental' revenue. MLB does not have a salary cap tied to revenue, so its CBA avoids the subject of who is entitled to share in expansion fees. The CBAs for the NWSL and MLS also do not address expansion fees. Those leagues assign salary cap values—MLS uses salary 'budget'—through the terms of the deal. The caps in both leagues can increase if incremental revenue goals are reached. The NBA, NFL and NHL are all much more mature leagues than the WNBA. The only franchises added during the past 20 years were two NHL teams: the Vegas Golden Knights in 2016 and Seattle Kraken in 2021. So, expansion fees are not exactly front of mind in those labor negotiations, although the NBA is now considering whether it wants to launch an expansion process that would potentially net owners more than $10 billion for two teams. In the WNBA, Golden State and Toronto were awarded teams in late 2023 and May 2024 for $50 million fees; Portland was also added in 2024 for a $75 million fee. Last month, the league selected three expansion cities where owners each paid $250 million. Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia will launch one at a time between 2028 and 2030. It will push the league from 12 teams in 2024 to 18 teams. MLS is the closest recent comp to the pace of expansion the WNBA is going through. MLS expanded to 13 teams in 2007 when Toronto FC started play after it paid a $10 million fee. By 2015, the league had 20 teams, and the fee was $100 million. San Diego paid $500 million and started play this year as MLS' 30th team. Like MLS, the WNBA was launched as a single-entity structure. Both leagues have moved toward traditional structures of individually owned teams. The regular MLS expansion at rising prices helped owners cover operating losses and also provided capital for owners to invest in their facilities, with 19 soccer-specific stadiums opened since 2007. The WNBA is in the middle of its facilities arms race. 'It's not complicated,' the union's statement said. 'We are committed to the fight. We are committed to returning to the negotiating table. And we will not stop until we achieve the transformational CBA this moment demands.' Best of Tennis Prize Money Tracker: Which Player Has Earned the Most in 2025? Browns Officially Get Public Money for New Stadium in Ohio Budget WNBA Franchise Valuations Ranking List: From Golden State to Atlanta
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Why WNBA players are wearing 'pay us what you owe us' shirts: 'We want to be able to have that fair share'
WNBA players sent a message to the league ahead of their All-Star Game in Indianapolis Saturday: "Pay us what you owe us." All of the players on Team Clark and Team Collier wore shirts with the message as they warmed up in front of a sold-out crowd of over 16,000 attendees and millions more viewers at home. The declaration came days after more than 40 players met with the WNBA and failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. The players opted out of their last CBA in October and are negotiating for a better revenue-sharing model, higher salaries, better benefits and a softer salary cap. The players weren't satisfied with the progress in negotiations as they head toward a late-October deadline, the Associated Press reports. They decided to wear the "pay us what you owe us" shirts at a meeting Saturday morning, knowing the All-Star Game was one of the last high-profile events where all players would be in one place before the regular season ends in September. One major sticking point in negotiations between WNBA players and the league is the salary structure and revenue-sharing agreements. The league wants to pay based on a fixed percentage whereas players want "a better share where our salaries grow with the business, and not just a fixed percentage over time," according to Nneka Ogwumike, president of the Women's National Basketball Players Association labor union and Seattle Storm forward. WNBA players currently receive 9.3% of league revenue, including TV deals, tickets and merchandise sales, MarketWatch reports. In comparison, NBA revenue is split roughly 50/50 between players and owners, with players receiving between 49% and 51% of basketball-related income. The WNBA has grown rapidly in recent years, including a new $2.2 billion media deal and expansion fees of $250 million. It recently awarded three new expansion teams to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, which will grow the league to 18 teams over the next five years. The league had a record 2024 season with historic viewership, attendance and merchandise sales led by fandom around stars like Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark. In turn, players want a salary structure that gives them a "[larger] piece of the pie that we helped create," Minnesota Lynx forward and 2025 CNBC Changemaker Napheesa Collier said to press after the game. "We want to be able to have that fair share moving forward, especially as we see all of the investment going in, and we want to be able to have our salaries reflected in a structure that makes sense for us," Ogwumike said. WNBA salaries currently range from the league minimum of $66,079 to the maximum of $249,244. The average WNBA base salary is $102,249, according to Spotrac data. The league minimum in the NBA is now $1.27 million and the average salary is more than $13 million, according to data from Sports Reference. Some say comparing the pay structure between the men's and women's leagues isn't exactly fair. The NBA has been around for more than 75 years, has a six-month regular season and brings in billions of dollars in corporate sponsorships, while the WNBA is in its 29th season and plays four months out of the year. The NBA has around $13 billion in revenue while the WNBA is roughly around $200 million, CNBC reported in 2024. To others, WNBA's salary structure is "blatantly unfair to its players," top sports agent Jeff Schwartz said in an interview with CNBC Sport in January. Schwartz founded and runs Excel Sports Management, which represents more than 500 clients including Collier, Clark, Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning and has negotiated billions in athlete contracts. "The WNBA has to figure this out," Schwartz said of the CBA negotiations and player salaries, otherwise many athletes may choose to play overseas to supplement their league income. They could also start their own, like his client Collier's Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 startup women's basketball league which offers players equity and a reported $220,000 paycheck — the highest average player salary of any professional women's sports league, according to Unrivaled. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert described recent CBA talks as "constructive" and ongoing, talking to press ahead of the All-Star Game. "I want a lot of the same things the players want," she said. "I'm still really optimistic that we'll get something done that will be transformational and 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." "We were at a very different place in 2020 than we are in 2025," Engelbert said of when the last CBA was reached. "I think you'll see the revenue-sharing be a much more lucrative one as we go forward because we're in a better place, quite frankly." WNBA players characterized the meeting as a "missed opportunity," hence their Saturday warmup shirts. The second half of the WNBA season resumes Tuesday, and players from the All-Star Game say they haven't decided if they'll wear the shirts on their own teams in the weeks ahead, the AP reports. Some players, including All-Stars Collier and Angel Reese, say they may stage a walkout if a new CBA is not reached by October. The WNBA did not respond to CNBC Make It's request for comment by time of publication. S
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Seattle plays Dallas following Ogwumike's 22-point game
Dallas Wings (6-17, 2-10 Western Conference) at Seattle Storm (14-9, 9-5 Western Conference) Seattle; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Storm -9; over/under is 165.5 BOTTOM LINE: Seattle Storm hosts the Dallas Wings after Nneka Ogwumike scored 22 points in the Seattle Storm's 67-58 win against the Golden State Valkyries. The Storm are 9-5 against Western Conference opponents. Seattle is fifth in the Western Conference scoring 80.9 points while shooting 44.7% from the field. The Wings' record in Western Conference play is 2-10. Dallas is 1-1 in games decided by 3 points or fewer. Seattle is shooting 44.7% from the field this season, 0.6 percentage points lower than the 45.3% Dallas allows to opponents. Dallas has shot at a 41.5% rate from the field this season, 1.7 percentage points below the 43.2% shooting opponents of Seattle have averaged. The teams square off for the third time this season. The Storm won 83-77 in the last meeting on June 4. Gabby Williams led the Storm with 18 points, and DiJonai Carrington led the Wings with 22 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Ogwumike is averaging 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds for the Storm. Skylar Diggins is averaging 16.5 points over the last 10 games. Paige Bueckers is averaging 18.4 points, 5.5 assists and 1.7 steals for the Wings. Aziaha James is averaging 13.2 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Storm: 6-4, averaging 78.6 points, 30.5 rebounds, 18.9 assists, 8.8 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 41.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.7 points per game. Wings: 4-6, averaging 82.2 points, 37.3 rebounds, 20.2 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 41.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 86.4 points. INJURIES: Storm: Katie Lou Samuelson: out for season (knee). Wings: Maddy Siegrist: out (knee), Tyasha Harris: out for season (knee). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
