Some strong words have come to light about the new collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and its players’ union.
Angel Reese, the second-year forward for Chicago, said on her podcast Unapologetically Angel that negotiations were not going well and that, “if they don’t give us what we want, we’re sitting out.”
The statement came in a conversation with fellow WNBA player Dijonai Carrington last Friday. The subtext of the conversation is that negotiations between the two sides are continuing this month with a couple of deadlines looming. One is the start of the WNBA season in mid-May; the other is the end of the season — and the current CBA — in October.
You see, it was last October when the WNBA players’ union opted out of the current CBA, shortening the time period of the current agreement by two years.
What happened in the intervening years between the start of the agreement and the opt-out? I’ll give you two names: Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
I’ll also offer a second factor as to what is happening in women’s pro basketball: the Unlimited 3-x-3 league, which has given WNBA stars a chance to make some serious coin in the WNBA’s offseason. Think of this: the winner of the WNBA’s 1-on-1 tournament, won by Napheesa Collier, took home $200,000 for the win.
Compare that with the WNBA’s rookie salary, which is a mere $74,000.
I’ve said for years that owners of WNBA teams — especially those who co-own NBA teams — have done a disservice to their female employees in underpaying them. You look at former WNBA markets like Portland, San Antonio, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Charlotte, you saw team owners for NBA teams wiping those responsibilities off their books, then subsequently signing multimillion-dollar men’s players.
It’s not right.
And neither is the enormous gap between salaries in the two leagues. It’s a gap which is exacerbated by owners who choose to put their teams in smaller arenas. In Chicago, the Sky play in Wintrust Arena, which is half the size of the United Center. In the nation’s capital, the Washington Mystics play in an arena a third the size of the downtown Capital One Arena.
And for years, the New York Liberty played their home games in a 5,000-seat arena in White Plains before the current owners moved them to Barclays Center. What happened? A true buzz surrounded the team, there were ticket sales aplenty, and the Liberty won the WNBA title last year.
A change is going to come in women’s basketball. I just hope a job action isn’t the catalyst.