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New York Times
3 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
What to know about WNBA CBA negotiations: Revenue sharing, salary increases and scheduling
On Saturday night, as WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was in the middle of her annual midseason news conference, players made a statement of their own by taking off their All-Star Game warmups to reveal T-shirts with the tagline, 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' 'We see the growth in the league and as it stands, the current salary system is not really paying us what we're owed,' union president and Seattle Storm star forward Nneka Ogwumike said. '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 be reflected in a structure that makes sense for us.' Advertisement Engelbert, in one room, was discussing how the two sides in the collective bargaining agreement negotiations had recently had 'constructive' talks. On the court, players were issuing a call to action. WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson has said that union leaders and league executives have talked 'often' throughout the months-long negotiations, but Indianapolis was the site of their most important meeting yet. Central to the talks is the future of the league's business and how revenue is distributed. According to sources with knowledge of the discussions who are not authorized to speak about the matter publicly, the league and teams combined have not been profitable since the WNBA's inception in 1996. (Play began in 1997.) In other words, the aggregate sum of the league and team revenues minus the sum of their expenses has always been a negative number. Yet the business around the WNBA and its teams is growing as the sport has reached a transformative moment. 'Pay them!' WNBA All-Star fans drowned out commissioner Cathy Engelbert during her presentation of the game's MVP award. With several CBA conversations in Indy this weekend, players warmed up in shirts that read 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 20, 2025 Here are answers to important questions about where the negotiations stand as the second half of the season gets underway. Last week's meeting in Indy was the first in-person bargaining session that players have attended since December. More than 40 players were present, a union record in its CBA discussions. The meeting was held weeks after the WNBPA received a counterproposal from the league. Players said that in the first week of February, they submitted an initial version of a proposal to the league. It focused on salary and revenue-sharing systems, the sources said. The union sent supplemental information, then in April submitted a more comprehensive proposal with more than 20 additional pages focused on a variety of topics. The league issued its counterproposal in June. Advertisement Multiple players expressed frustration with the league's response, heightening tension leading into last week's meeting. The league's revenue-sharing system was a key topic of conversation, they said. Los Angeles Sparks forward Kelsey Plum said that at one point in the meeting, she appealed to the commissioner's legacy. 'Cathy has an opportunity to make a transformational decision, not just for our league but for women in the workforce,' Plum said. 'It's a symbol that matters. You start a whole tsunami wave.' She added: 'Never have we had this much leverage. Never have we had over 40 players talking to the other side. It's unbelievable.' The meeting lasted a couple of hours, and Jackson said that some players sacrificed opportunities for paid appearances to attend. It's premature to say agreements were reached in the bargaining session. But multiple players, including Liberty star Breanna Stewart, the union vice president, said progress was made on a policy related to family planning and on another related to retirement benefits. Engelbert and other executives from the league office, as well as the league's lawyers, were at last week's meeting. The WNBA also has a committee of team representatives, who are a mix of owners and senior team leadership. The league's labor committee is composed of seven representatives from various backgrounds, with different experience levels in the WNBA and from teams in various market sizes. Multiple sources with knowledge of the meetings confirmed to The Athletic that the following team representatives and members of the league's labor committee attended last Thursday's meeting: • Atlanta Dream — Suzanne Abair, co-owner and CEO • Chicago Sky — Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and operating chairperson • Connecticut Sun — Jennifer Rizzotti, team president Advertisement • Indiana Fever — Kelly Krauskopf, president of basketball and business operations • Dallas Wings — Greg Bibb, managing partner and CEO • Seattle Storm — Ginny Gilder, co-owner Phoenix Mercury owner Mat Ishbia is also a representative on the league's labor committee, though the Mercury are the lone team with committee representation not at last Thursday's meeting and the December meeting, the sources said. The Mercury declined The Athletic's request to comment regarding their representative's absence. Players have been outspoken about their desire for increased salaries — the league's current maximum for a player is around $250,000 — and a revenue-sharing system that does not have a fixed component. The topic appears to be at the crux of the negotiation. 'If anything is fixed, especially at a small percentage, naturally we're not actually going to grow with the business,' Ogwumike said. 'We're at a point now where we're growing, so we want to make sure that as the business grows, the only thing that isn't capped is the player revenue share.' Neither side has disclosed the specific terms of their recent proposals. Engelbert said on Saturday: '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.' She added: '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 continued investment. You see tens of millions of dollars being invested in practice facilities and other player experience by teams. We want to strike the right balance between those two so that can continue.' While the league and teams combined have not been profitable at any point since inception, the league is closer than ever to making a profit (on a combined league and team basis) as a result of continued growth, sources with knowledge of negotiations said. Advertisement Engelbert said Saturday that national TV viewership is up 23 percent year-over-year, attendance is up 26 percent, and merchandise sales are up 40 percent. A new media rights deal with ESPN/Disney, Amazon and NBC, worth $200 million per season for 11 years, will go into effect next year. And the total new rights fees could have as much as six times the league's current media rights fees, because the new deals leave room for the WNBA to bring in additional partners. (In June, the WNBA announced a new multi-year deal with Scripps/Ion, for example.) It stands to reason that with the record media rights deal slated to go into effect and an increase in corporate partnerships and other positive developments, the league has a realistic opportunity to be profitable for the first time in 2026. Of course, any financial projection is difficult to predict without knowing the league's CBA. The health of the WNBA business can also be observed in the increase in franchise valuations. The New York Liberty recently raised capital from a group of investors at a record valuation for a professional women's sports franchise of $450 million, with ownership having purchased the franchise as a distressed asset in 2019. League expansion fees have also significantly increased; the three teams recently granted to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia were awarded for a record $250 million fee, up from the $50 million the Golden State Valkyries' ownership group paid in September 2023. 'We're fighting for what we're due, what we're worth, our value,' Liberty guard Natasha Cloud said. 'They're going to be fighting for what they think protects the business. Our job is to find the common ground. But that doesn't mean we keep taking the crumbs of the pie.' The NBA and WNBA generate significantly different amounts of revenue, and each league's revenue is allocated differently. For instance, the WNBA's full charter flight program and other team travel expenses (hotels and ground transportation) cost nine percent of combined league and team revenues, sources said. That percentage is smaller in the NBA. The two leagues also have different revenue-sharing systems. In the NBA, players take home roughly half of basketball-related income (BRI), while the other half goes to owners. BRI then determines the league's annual salary cap. In the WNBA, the league's current CBA does not explicitly use BRI to determine its salary cap. The CBA sets the salary cap for each year of the agreement; increases between seasons are fixed at a rate of three percent. The league has an additional mechanism for revenue sharing if certain targets are reached. However, that agreement was created in 2020, when the WNBA played a pandemic-impacted bubble season and essentially made no money. Because revenue targets are cumulative, the WNBA hasn't caught up despite recent rapid growth, preventing all players from benefiting from financial gains. 'We want a piece of the entire pie, not a piece of part of the pie,' Plum said. The future WNBA schedule seems to be another important topic in negotiations. Players have said that the league has discussed the possibility of adding more games. This season, teams are playing a record 44 games, the maximum under the current CBA. Historically, the WNBA plays from mid-May until either mid-September or mid-October. The college season ending in early April, impacting incoming rookies, doesn't allow for much flexibility in the league's start date. However, Engelbert said there is slightly more flexibility on seasons' back ends. In the 'near-term,' especially because of the 2026 FIBA World Cup running in early September, she said the WNBA season could run into November. Advertisement 'We want to make sure we're trying to fit our footprint in so that we can support those international competitions, but also have a season worthy of where we are today as a hyper-growth league. We're trying to strike that right balance from that perspective,' Engelbert said. 'Again, the scheduling is always a Rubik's cube when you're dealing with arena, broadcast windows, international competition, things like that.' Both sides sound like they want a new agreement signed by the Oct. 31 deadline. Englebert said she had 'confidence' in reaching a deal. However, it's possible that they will not reach an agreement by that date. Stewart called Thursday's meeting a 'wasted opportunity' with 'a lot of fluff that we couldn't get past.' Ogwumike said players haven't discussed a work stoppage, 'at least not recently.' Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, a WNBPA vice president, said: 'If a lockout is what it comes to, then I think we're prepared for that.' Depending on the progress, the sides could agree to an extension before the deadline. That was the case in the 2019-20 talks, as two extensions were agreed to before the current deal was struck on Jan. 14, 2020. The timing of an agreement will also dictate several key offseason events, including an expansion draft for two incoming franchises, the start of free agency and the college draft. Stewart said she wants 'more of a sense of urgency' in the talks. Jackson told reporters on Thursday that another meeting is scheduled, although she did not provide specifics on time or place. With the second half of the season underway, the meetings will mostly have to occur virtually.
USA Today
17 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Storm vs. Sky odds, tips and betting trends - 7/24/2025
The Chicago Sky (7-16) will be trying to end a three-game losing streak when hosting the Seattle Storm (14-10) on Thursday, July 24, 2025 at Wintrust Arena. It airs at 8:30 p.m. ET on The U, KOMO 4, and CW Seattle. In its most recent game, Seattle fell at home to Dallas, 87-63. Its top performers were Nneka Ogwumike (22 PTS, 52.6 FG%, 2-4 from 3PT) and Gabby Williams (14 PTS, 8 AST, 4 STL, 35.7 FG%). Chicago lost to Minnesota 91-68 on the road last time out, and were led by Kia Nurse (16 PTS, 8 REB, 50.0 FG%, 3-5 from 3PT) and Angel Reese (11 PTS, 11 REB, 50.0 FG%). Before watching this matchup, here's everything you need to know about Thursday's action on the court. Watch the WNBA on Fubo! Seattle Storm vs. Chicago Sky odds and betting lines WNBA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Storm moneyline insights Sky moneyline insights Storm vs. Sky: Game time and info Watch the WNBA on Fubo!
Yahoo
a day 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
a day 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
2 days 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
