Possible WNBA Work Stoppage Coming - Players Opt Out Of CBA

WNBA players have opted out of their current collective bargaining agreement and face the prospect of a work stoppage if they don't negotiate a new deal with the league by the end of the 2025 season.

The elected members of the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) announced Monday that players are seeking "a business model that reflects their true value, encompassing higher salaries, enhanced professional working conditions, expanded health benefits, and crucial investments needed for long-term growth."

https://www.espn.ph/wnba/story/_/id/41927950/wnba-players-opt-cba-face-potential-work-stoppage

Also, unprofitable for 28 years straight, and just had their worst losses ever despite record interest

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news...athy-engelbert-adam-silver-caitlin-clark-nba/

new TV deal kicking in and they want more money and better conditions. They see the average players making gazillions in the NBA and think they deserve a bigger piece of the pie, but if it's actually related to the piece of the pie, they may have had to pay to play. Interesting predicament that league will be in.

NBA Owners Reportedly Furious With WNBA For Losing More Money During Most Popular Season

https://brobible.com/sports/article/wnba-money-financial-report-revenue-loss-nba-owner-reaction/

"To be fair, the WNBA was projected to lose $50 million in 2024. It did $10 million better than expected — in a year that saw unprecedented viewership, attendance and popularity — and… still lost money."

The NBA owns approximately 60% of its female counterpart. That number is actually closer to 75% when the owners’ personal stakes are factored into the equation.

NBA team owners want to see a return on their investment into the WNBA. They are frustrated.

The WNBA owes the NBA so much we won’t see any windfall for years.

— NBA team executive, via The New York Post

 

What a high stakes conundrum.

 

It's an interesting case. I'm all for gender equality, but in sports it's ridiculous. And specifically to the NBA and WNBA, it's literally a share of the earnings of the sports, there's nothing more fair than that. If your team/sport doesn't make money, you don't get it. If it does, you get more. Perfect system

I think women's sports need to detach themselves from men's sports. Strike their own deals, create their own bubble and maybe people understand.
I mean, the league is in the red for 28 years and players want to be paid more? Does that make any sense?

 

The WNBA is a total loss.

 

yeah, i really don't see how this ends well for the players. hopefully, the demands are modest/reasonable, as it would be a shame to have the whole thing close because folks overestimated their worth.

 

the League can wait them out as long as they want. I'm sure they will attempt to be fair, but let's not pretend you really have ANY bargaining power whatsoever if your league is losing money. Just plain silly entitlement. But the way our own government operates in spending money it doesn't have, and just prints more when they want to, is infecting mindsets like this. It's just not reality. If the league gets tired of losing money, they are out of luck.

 

not going to get into you government stuff. i think it makes sense for the nba to underwrite the wnba as a matter of principle and as a long-term theoretical investment in the inclusion of a broader appreciation for the game itself. it just doesn't make sense to bite the hand that's feeding you, especially when you'd have serious trouble feeding yourself.