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New York Times
7 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
What cities did WNBA players think would suit expansion? Not where the league picked
The WNBA is at an inflection point. The league has experienced record-breaking jumps in attendance, ticket sales and TV viewership in three consecutive seasons. A massive media rights deal valued at $2.2 billion over 11 years begins in 2026. After more than a decade of staying stagnant at 12 teams, the WNBA finally expanded to Golden State this season and will have welcomed five teams, Valkyries included, by 2030. Advertisement All of this growth comes with the looming backdrop of collective bargaining negotiations. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Oct. 31, 2025, and the players and league appear far apart on a resolution, as Satou Sabally called the league's latest proposal a 'slap in the face.' Though players fought for the WNBA's survival during the last round of negotiations in 2019, they now have leverage thanks to the exploding business of women's sports. Today's section of The Athletic's anonymous player poll deals with player priorities for the CBA negotiations, as well as their desires for salary increases and on league expansion. Earlier this week, players weighed in on who they think will be the face of the league in five years and who's the league's best player and biggest trash-talker. Our reporters spoke to nearly 40 players from the start of the 2025 season. All 13 teams are represented, but none of the 30 rookies on rosters are included as the survey attempted to gather veterans' perspectives, making up a field composed of nearly a third of the league's non-rookies. Players were granted anonymity to speak freely. They were also permitted to skip individual questions; as a result, each question shows the total number of responses for full transparency. Players were not allowed to vote for their team or teammates. The players union identified five priorities for the new CBA when it decided to opt out: a new economic model, player salaries, minimum professional standards, retirement benefits, and pregnancy and family planning benefits. Those issues are all echoed in these results, with the added priority of extra roster spots (the general consensus was 14 per team) earning three votes. In its more recent public messaging, union leadership emphasized the importance of a more equitable revenue sharing system in this CBA so that the players can participate in the growth of the business. The present agreement has revenue sharing beyond certain targets. Although the league has brought in substantial revenue over the past three seasons, the revenue targets are cumulative, and the economic impact of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 meant that the WNBA has been playing catch-up on those targets and unable to hit them. As a result, players currently receive about only 10 percent of the basketball-related income the league brings in. Their counterparts in the NBA have a 50-50 split. Advertisement For now, the rank-and-file membership of the union is predominantly interested in higher salaries, which earned 70 percent of the votes. What shows up on a paycheck is top of mind for most players, though the best way to ensure continually growing salaries would be through a higher percentage of revenue share. That way, as the WNBA brings in more money, players will consistently partake in that growth. Because salaries were highlighted in the answers, we also asked players what they thought they should earn with a WNBA maximum salary. The majority of players (25 total out of 30 answers) said "as high as possible," $1 million or "at least" $1 million. Two players said $1.5 million and there was one vote apiece for $750,000 and $500,000. Another simply answered, "something fair." The maximum salary in the WNBA in the 2025 season is $249,244, so the majority of respondents want to at least quadruple that. The current CBA doubled maximum salaries from the previous agreement, but the players have a much stronger negotiating position this time around, and many players hope that can be leveraged into seven-figure salaries for the first time in league history. 'Raise salaries, as much as we can raise them.' 'With more money in the league, people are going to try to play around and find loopholes and all this other s---. I just want to make sure that there's clarity in terms of making sure players are protected and that they know their rights.' 'Bigger apartments, daycare stipend, little things like that'll help alleviate stress (for parents) during the season." The timing of this survey meant that most players were polled before the announcement of expansion teams coming to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, and some were polled afterward. Even so, there wasn't much enthusiasm for those three cities. Cleveland collected only two votes and Philadelphia one. Advertisement The winner with 37 percent of the vote was Miami, which has to make the founders of Unrivaled feel good about their choice of headquarters. Players like the idea of adding Miami to their travel schedule. That city also fulfills a geographic need for the WNBA, as its footprint continues to evade the Southeast, excluding Atlanta. Beyond Miami, Nashville (which put in a bid during the most recent expansion process) was the second-most popular answer, Charlotte third, and one answer was simply 'somewhere in the Southeast.' Boston was tied for third with Charlotte. It seems unlikely that Boston will join the WNBA so long as Connecticut still has a franchise, considering their close proximity. (Boston hosted its second annual Sun game at TD Garden Tuesday against the Indiana Fever and played in front of a sellout crowd.) However, Connecticut has explored selling its team, and a relocation to Boston could help retain some of the fans in that market. 'Atlanta is in an eight-state radius of the next WNBA team. So somewhere else in the Southeast or that area. A Nashville, Miami or South Carolina. We need more basketball around there. There are a lot of girls that play basketball around there that have to drive hours to see a game or are forced to watch it on TV.' 'Tropical destination.' 'Somewhere down there in the South.' 'It's beautiful there (in Miami), and I think they'll have a lot of fans there as well.' 'It would be so nice to travel (to Miami) in the summer." 'I feel like it's time (for Boston), and I feel like another big market NBA franchise would be great.' Thursday What's the best-run franchise? What's the worst-run franchise? Friday What's the best rivalry? Who's going to win the WNBA championship? (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images, istock)
New York Times
15-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
As NBA's board of governors meets Tuesday, is it ready to move forward on expansion?
As the NBA's board of governors meets Tuesday afternoon at Las Vegas summer league, the subject of expansion is front and center for fan bases in Seattle, Las Vegas and other cities hoping to join the league. But the appetite for adding new teams might not be as strong as previously believed. Multiple senior team officials and people with knowledge of at least some owners' thoughts have told The Athletic in recent days that while Seattle remains a top candidate for a new or potentially relocated team among owners, there is not overwhelming momentum among governors to immediately expand past the current 30 teams. Advertisement Central to that reticence is the league's new 10-year, $76 billion media rights deal, beginning next season, with new partners NBC, Peacock – NBC's streaming service – and Amazon Prime, along with existing partners ABC and ESPN. Warner Bros. Discovery, which had broadcast NBA games since 1989, was left out of the new deal. Several owners would, at present, rather begin collecting and splitting the massive new revenues among the existing teams, rather than bringing in new partners that would also receive a cut of the financial pie. Along with a discussion on expansion, the board will get updates on the pending sale of the Celtics to a new ownership group headed by private equity firm magnate Bill Chisholm, a deal that is ultimately expected to be approved for more than $6.1 billion. A vote on the sale will not be taken in Vegas, however. In addition, teams will get updates on the potential new European basketball league that the NBA is endeavoring to create with FIBA, basketball's international federation. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has, in recent months, softened his public comments on the inevitability of expansion and relayed that the league's timetable has slowed as it processed sales of the Celtics and Lakers. The NBA has also set its sights abroad and could launch the new European basketball league in the next two to three years. 'I view that as a form of expansion as well,' he said. Podcaster Bill Simmons claimed last month that Knicks owner James Dolan was central to the resistance among owners, claiming Dolan leads 'a little cabal of anti-expansion owners' that will block potential expansion. But people with knowledge of at least some owners' thinking say that sentiment is not only being pushed by Dolan. 'It's more than JD,' one senior team official said last week. Advertisement A senior team official from another team opined that the league was less inclined at the moment to push for expansion, after finally getting the new media deal done, on top of the new collective bargaining agreement reached in 2023, and that at least some owners agree. 'There are people who are, I wouldn't say rethinking, but asking why we need to move as quickly as we expected,' the official said. But the official added that the likelihood is still that the league will ultimately expand – just not right away. Another NBA owner shared that sentiment and said he believes expansion will still occur, though he did not put a timeline on the process. The math is the math. Each current team is set to collect hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the new rights deal – a welcome salve as many teams deal with the rupturing of the regional sports network model. One industry source believes that, collectively, NBA teams have lost nine figures' worth of revenues over the last year or two, as local RSNs collapsed. 'They want to see how the new TV money plays out next year,' a senior executive from another team said. In March, Silver said that that was 'giving me just a bit of pause' in the context of expansion. While the NBA has that handsome national media rights deal, the local media rights landscape has atrophied in recent years as a number of regional sports networks have gone into bankruptcy or flirted with it and revenue to teams has dropped. A handful of teams have scrambled with local TV stations to put their games on over the air. Utah introduced a local streaming service for its games, Jazz+, in 2023. Adding two new teams within the next year or two would dilute the potential revenue from the national TV networks significantly over the next decade. So there's sentiment to let current teams pocket at least some of the new money before cutting anyone else in. Advertisement The NBA would draw boffo amounts in expansion fees if it does add two new teams. An expansion team in Las Vegas or Seattle has been expected to go for around $5 billion-$6 billion apiece, but that number might need an adjustment after the Celtics sale — for a team that does not own its arena or the land around it — and the $10 billion valuation the Lakers drew. Silver said during his news conference at the finals last month that 'the current sense is we should be exploring' expansion, but didn't think it was 'automatic, because it depends on your perspective of the future of the league.' 'As I've said before, expansion in a way is selling equity in the league,' Silver said. 'If you believe in the league, you don't necessarily want to add partners. On the other hand, we recognize there are underserved markets in the United States and elsewhere, I think markets that deserve to have NBA teams. Probably even if we were to expand, more than we can serve. …It will be on the agenda to take the temperature of the room. We have committees that are already talking about it. But my sense is at that meeting, they're going to give direction to me and my colleagues at the league office that we should continue to explore it.' There are, theoretically, workarounds to the television revenue question. When the ABA and NBA merged in 1976, the four incoming ABA teams – the New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers – did not, as one of the requirements for joining the NBA, receive national television revenue in their first three years in the league. Seattle has been the frontrunner to be made whole since the Supersonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008. The city has, in the intervening years, worked with the Oak View Group, which led the development project to gut and rebuild the old Key Arena, now called Climate Pledge Arena, which houses the NHL's Seattle Kraken. Climate Pledge was specifically developed to meet both NHL and NBA arena specifications. Oak View has also announced plans to build a $1 billion arena with private money in Las Vegas for a potential NBA team there. Advertisement The NBA has been at 30 teams since bringing the then-Bobcats into the league in Charlotte in 2004 as an expansion team. The Bobcats replaced the first iteration of the Charlotte Hornets, who relocated to New Orleans in 2002 after spending their 14 seasons in Charlotte. The New Orleans Hornets changed their name to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013, with the Bobcats becoming the second version of the Charlotte Hornets in 2014. Most of the established major U.S. pro sports leagues have stayed steady in the last two-plus decades. The NFL hasn't expanded since 2002, when it brought in the Houston Texans as its 32nd team. Major League Baseball last expanded to 30 teams in 1998, with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now the Rays) and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Kraken (2021) and Las Vegas Golden Knights (2017) were the last two NHL expansion franchises, bringing that league up to 32 teams. However, the WNBA is in the midst of an expansion boom, announcing last month that three new franchises will go to Detroit, Philadelphia and Cleveland, with Cleveland beginning play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030. That will increase the number of WNBA teams to 18. The Golden State Valkyries are in their first season in the NBA this year, and Portland and Toronto will begin play next season. Four of the six newly named franchises have owners who also currently own an NBA team, while Toronto is owned by Larry Tanenbaum, who is a minority owner in the franchise but the chairman of the NBA's board of governors. (Photo of Adam Silver: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NBA news: Amazon Prime Video adds legendary TNT broadcaster to coverage
The post NBA news: Amazon Prime Video adds legendary TNT broadcaster to coverage appeared first on ClutchPoints. Kevin Harlan, one of the most recognizable voices in basketball broadcasting, is set to join Amazon Prime Video as part of its NBA coverage beginning with the 2025–26 season, according to a report from The Athletic. Advertisement Harlan has reportedly signed a three-year deal with the streaming service, marking a major addition as Amazon gears up for its first full season as an NBA media rights holder. The veteran broadcaster leaves Turner Sports after nearly three decades of NBA coverage. Harlan's final assignment for TNT came on May 31, when he called Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. The broadcast marked the end of Turner Sports' run with NBA rights after nearly four decades. In addition to Harlan, Amazon has also added Brent Barry as a game analyst. Barry brings a multi-dimensional background, having spent 14 years as an NBA player before transitioning into broadcasting and front-office roles. Most recently, Barry served as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns during the 2024–25 season. Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock, and ABC/ESPN begin a new 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal with the NBA this fall. The deal ends TNT's long-standing relationship with the league and introduces Amazon and NBC as new broadcast partners. Advertisement Amazon builds star-studded NBA team with Kevin Harlan, Ian Eagle, and top analysts Amazon has rapidly built out its on-air talent roster ahead of the 2025–26 season. The streamer previously hired Ian Eagle and Michael Grady as play-by-play announcers. Game analysts now include Blake Griffin, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Candace Parker, Stan Van Gundy, and Dwyane Wade. Cassidy Hubbarth will serve as the lead sideline reporter, while Taylor Rooks will host the studio show. The Athletic also reported that Amazon Prime Video holds rights to one of the NBA Conference Finals in 2027. Eagle is expected to be the lead play-by-play announcer for that series, though the network is not internally designating 'A' or 'B' announcer roles for the regular season due to the strength of its broadcast lineup. In a February appearance on The Sports Media Podcast, Harlan acknowledged the end of TNT's coverage and reflected on his future in broadcasting. Advertisement 'With TNT losing the rights, and it's very sad there, it clearly has made a sea change for most of us and navigating that is always a challenge,' Harlan said. 'I am in my 60s and to have someone with a bright new shiny opportunity for someone at my stage of this career, which is dominated by younger broadcasters and incredibly talented people, to have them want me to join their roster is humbling and incredibly gratifying.' Harlan will continue his NFL broadcasting duties with CBS Sports. He noted that it was essential for him to ensure that CBS supported any new arrangements he made involving NBA coverage. The addition of Harlan further solidifies Amazon's commitment to assembling a high-caliber team as it enters a new era of NBA broadcasting. Related: 10 NBA teams that won a championship with the most undrafted players Related: NBA rumors: Brian Windhorst claims '5 or 6 teams' ready to strike after Giannis comments
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Apple makes staggering multi-million dollar offer for American F1 rights in bid to usurp ESPN
Encouraged with the box-office success of ' F1: The Movie, ' Apple is now in talks to buy Formula One's US media rights, sources familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. Apple senior VP of services Eddy Cue is believed to have offered something around $180 million annually to F1s parent company, Liberty Media, for the US media rights, Sportico has reported. That's about double what ESPN/ABC currently pays. ESPN/ABC holds those rights through the remainder of the 2025 season. But as sources previously told Reuters in February, ESPN's opportunity to exclusively negotiate with the open-wheel racing circuit has expired, allowing rival bidders to enter the media auction. Daily Mail has reached out to both Apple and F1 for comment. Apple is aiming to capitalize on the sport's growing popularity in the U.S. which was also driven by the success of Netflix 's hit docuseries 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' that provided an engaging behind-the-scenes look at the sport. Netflix is also among the contenders for the F1 U.S. broadcasting rights from the 2026 season, according to media reports in February. Apple TV+, known for original shows such as ' Ted Lasso ', 'The Morning Show', 'Shrinking' and 'Severance', has been trailing behind competitors like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video in subscriber numbers, and acquiring F1 rights could help boost its sports content offering. Streaming platforms are investing heavily in exclusive rights to dominate the lucrative live sports market to drive subscriber growth and increase ad dollars in an increasingly competitive landscape. Netflix paid more than $5 billion to be the exclusive home of World Wrestling Entertainment's 'Raw' in several territories in January, and previously drew an estimated 60 million households for the 2024 Mike Tyson-Jake Paul bout. But it's the success of F1: The Movie that may have convinced Apple to go after US media rights. Brad Pitt's latest film earned the top spot in its opening weekend by drawing $140 million globally. That includes $55.6 million in the United States, with $25 million of that coming on the movie's opening day Friday, according to The Numbers. The movie, which stars Pitt and was executive-produced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, was filmed at F1 racetracks through the 2024 season. Pitt plays an F1 driver who comes out of retirement to help a struggling team while also mentoring an up-and-coming young driver. According to Forbes, 'F1: The Movie' outpaced 'Napoleon' ($78.8 million in 2023) for the biggest opening weekend ever for an Apple Studios film. However, with the cost of making 'F1: The Movie' reportedly topping $350 million, it will need a continued run of success at the box office to make money.
