Latest news with #PlayersAssociation
GMA Network
20-07-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Stark divide in CBA negotiations comes to light at WNBA All-Star Game
Speaking to the media ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis on Saturday, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert opened by speaking of the boom in popularity the league is enjoying. But the topic most people wanted to hear about was the ongoing negotiations between the league and the players for a new collective bargaining agreement. And it became clear the league and the players have a very different view on the current state of those negotiations. "We had a productive meeting on Thursday with the WNBA (Players Association) and the players," Engelbert said. "We're engaged in constructive conversations. I remain confident we'll reach a new CBA, one that's transformational for the teams, players and owners for the future of our league." And then the All-Star players took the court for pregame warm-ups wearing T-shirts reading, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." Following in-person negotiations between both sides on Thursday, players expressed disappointment that more progress was not made at the bargaining table. "I think (Thursday's) meeting was good for the fact that we could be in the same room as the league and the Board of Governors," said Liberty star Breanna Stewart, a union vice president. "But, I think, to be frank, it was a wasted opportunity." The dispute began when the players union announced after the 2024 season that they would opt out of the CBA on Oct. 31, 2025. With television revenues on the rise -- largely due to the presence of Caitlin Clark -- the players want a larger piece of the financial pie. "Obviously, women's basketball is skyrocketing," Chicago Sky second-year forward Angel Reese told reporters. "And it's important for us to get what we want now, not just now, but for the future as well. ... hearing the language of things, not things that I was happy to hear. It was disrespectful -- the proposal that we were sent back." One of the key sticking points is revenue sharing. With money pouring into the league at record levels, players want what they consider to be a fair share of revenues. "We want a piece of the entire pie. Not a piece of part of the pie," Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said Thursday. For her part, Engelbert said the league is already sharing revenue with the players, and she anticipates the sharing to evolve to a place both sides can agree with. "We've been talking about different ways to do revenue sharing," she said Saturday. "There is revenue sharing in our existing CBA that is expiring after this season. So, we already have revenue sharing. We were at a very different place in 2020 than we are in 2025. So, 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." Following the game Saturday, players continued to express their dissatisfaction with negotiations, and some addressed the message they were trying to send with the shirts. "When we say the 'W' we're at the forefront of a lot of different things," three-time MVP A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces said. "There are things we deserve and we're demanding. Right now, during this transformative time that we're in, we need to start capitalizing on that. We need to get what we're well overdue for and it shows how powerful our league is and how powerful our voices are on our platform." Added Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever: "I think the statement spoke for itself. ... It was important for our statement to remain clear. We just want the respect we deserve at the end of the day." --Field Level Media/Reuters
Washington Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Lloyd Howell steps down as executive director of NFL Players Association
Lloyd Howell has resigned as executive director of the NFL Players Association, citing distractions his leadership has caused in recent weeks. 'Two years ago, I accepted the role of Executive Director of the NFLPA because I believe deeply in the mission of this union and the power of collective action to drive positive change for the players of America's most popular sport,' Howell said in a statement released late Thursday night. 'Our members deserve a union that will fight relentlessly for their health, safety, financial futures, and long-term well-being. My priority has been to lead that fight by serving this union with focus and dedication.
Washington Post
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Lloyd Howell resigns as NFLPA's executive director
Lloyd Howell announced his resignation Thursday night as executive director of the NFL Players Association amid a series of controversies that led to intense scrutiny and growing unrest among some players and their agents. 'It's clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day,' Howell said in a written statement released by the union. 'For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately. I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.'
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lloyd Howell steps down as the executive director of the NFL Players Association
NEW YORK (AP) — Lloyd Howell steps down as the executive director of the NFL Players Association.
San Francisco Chronicle
15-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. front-runner for 2028 All-Star Game if MLB players compete in Olympics, source says
ATLANTA — Should Major League Baseball and the Players Association agree to allow players to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, San Francisco might be a major beneficiary. The momentum appears to be in favor of allowing Olympic participation, coinciding with a longer All-Star break — and in that case, one league source told the Chronicle, the San Francisco Giants' Oracle Park would be the front-runner for the All-Star Game. The league and union would want an All-Star location on the West Coast in order to get the sport's stars to Los Angeles easily rather than having to go cross-country, and San Diego, Seattle and Arizona all have played host to the event more recently than San Francisco, while Sacramento is a minor-league park and is not a consideration. MLB held the 2007 event in San Francisco at what was then called AT&T Park. The All-Star Game is a huge money-maker for cities, with Atlanta and its surrounding areas expected to reap $100 million or more during this year's edition. More For You Is A's Brent Rooker, an early out in the Home Run Derby, on Giants' radar? Why Giants' Randy Rodriguez is an All-Star players picked, but don't want to face The Olympics debate was one of the major issues discussed Tuesday morning when union chief Tony Clark and Commissioner Rob Manfred, separately, spoke to the Baseball Writers' Association of America. 'I think that the idea of playing in L.A. in '28 … there's some merit to it,' said Manfred, who met with L.A. Olympic organizers Monday. 'I think it is an opportunity to market the game on a really global stage. I think because it's in the U.S., the logistics of it are easier. 'We're going to have to have some conversations with Tony, but that process continues forward in a positive way. … Obviously, the clubs are going to have to endorse this.' Asked whether scheduling participation in the middle of the season is even possible, Manfred said, 'Yes, it's doable.' Clark said that players are interested, but the details would need to be worked out, especially with the schedule and things such as travel concerns (that's where San Francisco comes into play) and some practical considerations such as insurance, but such matters were worked out for the World Baseball Classic. 'There's just a lot of conversation that needs to be had sooner rather than later to see how viable this is,' Clark said. 'But we're hopeful that we can figure our way through it for the benefit of the game.' Minor-league parks: Sacramento, the A's temporary home as they await their planned stadium in Las Vegas, continues to be an issue for players, Clark said. 'Having our guys, whether it's in Tampa or whether it's in Sacramento, playing in a minor-league ballpark, is less than ideal,' Clark said. 'One was an act of God. One was a decision. In either instance, they are affecting the game and they are affecting the players. Our hope is that the guys find themselves back in a major-league ballpark as soon as humanly possible.' The Rays expect to move back into Tropicana Field, which lost its roof in a hurricane last winter, by the start of next season. The A's could play three or four more seasons in Sacramento. Clark emphasized that the union has no say in teams' locations, only working conditions, but the union continues to get negative feedback. 'This one doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon, but there's still a little hope something comes to fruition before 2028,' Clark said. Manfred has said repeatedly that he expects the A's to remain in Sacramento until the Vegas ballpark opens, and he reiterated that Tuesday. When asked about the most recent problem at Sutter Health Park — the foul poles aren't high enough, nor is the camera coverage adequate to provide accurate replay reviews on balls hit down the line, Manfred said, 'We are getting continual feedback on Sacramento and are doing our very best to address each of those pieces of feedback in real time. You know, it is not perfect. If I had a brand new, gleaming stadium to move them into, we would have done that. We need to get there, and we will continue to work to make it the best from both a competitive perspective and from the perspective of the players' comfort.' Expansion: Manfred was unwilling to discuss potential expansion to the Bay Area when at the A's groundbreaking ceremony in Las Vegas last month, but Tuesday he said that the league will look at every possibility when it comes to expansion, with nothing off the table. During the Las Vegas event, a major-league source told the Chronicle that after A's stadium talks with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's administration went south, Manfred never would consider Oakland again. Tuesday, Manfred said of the city's previous mayor, 'Honestly, I had a great relationship with Libby Schaaf, we worked very hard with her to try to make it work in Oakland. I don't have any problem with any government official in Oakland.' Of Thao, since indicted and recalled, he said, 'I thought Mayor Thao was not particularly helpful when we got down to brass tacks — but I don't think I'm probably going to have to deal with her going forward.' San Jose is the largest city in Northern California and the highest-income area in the nation without a major-league team, and the Giants' territorial rights extended only to the A's, so it could be an option. 'I think by being wide open, no predeterminations as to where it's going, we're going to end up with the best locations if and when we expand,' Manfred said.
