Complaints over WNBA player salaries continue to mount, and Caitlin Clark, the league’s brightest current star and leader of the Indiana Fever-is expected to make her voice heard in upcoming negotiations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the WNBA and the players’ union, set to take place in Indianapolis.
Much of the discussion was reignited earlier this year after public criticism from one of her top rivals, Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, who expressed frustration over the league’s current salary structure.
A rivalry that began in college between Clark and Reese
Long before they landed on their respective WNBA teams, Caitlin Clark at Iowa and Angel Reese at LSU, their rivalry was already a headline-maker in college basketball.
That competitive tension has now carried over into the professional stage.
Reese compared earnings in the new Unrivaled league-which awards $50,000 to the champion-with those in the WNBA. Despite having star status upon entering the league, salaries remain significantly lower than those in many other sports, sparking public debate and fan concern.
Earlier this year, Reese openly questioned the fairness of the pay scale after winning $50,000 in Unrivaled-more than her entire rookie salary in the WNBA. She used that disparity to argue that the league’s players deserve significantly better compensation.
These issues take center stage as negotiations resume ahead of the All-Star Game on July 19 in Indianapolis.
Obviously, the meetings that are going to happen in Indianapolis are gonna be really important. And although I’m not our team rep or on the committee, I’m still trying to understand and engage as much as possible.
Clark said.
Unfortunately, Clark suffered another injury on Tuesday, and her emotional reaction suggests the issue may be more serious or recurring.
She added
Obviously, this is my second year in the league, but also this is also a very important time for our league, and where it’s going to continue to grow. So I’m certainly looking forward to those meetings, and being in them. And I think everybody in our league is, to help these CBA talks to continue to move forward. So should be very important for us on Thursday.
The talks are set to resume after the players’ union walked away from negotiations, feeling dismissed and unheard-a major obstacle in the push for improved conditions.
Absolutely frustrated,”… “Anytime you go back-and-forth, you’re not expecting to hear that ‘yes’ on the first [proposal], but you’re expecting to have a conversation. They kind of just ignored everything we said.
Said Breanna Stewart.
WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike remains hopeful that face-to-face talks will produce better results.
When you’re doing things via documents, when you’re doing things via proxy, whether it’s… our union staff and league staff, it’s different,” she said. “When you’re sitting at the table, things a lot of times, in my experience, you get done a little bit more efficiently.
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has also expressed optimism that a strong agreement can be reached.
We’ll get something done and it’ll be transformational,” Engelbert said. “These things take time… We want to have a fair deal for all, but it has to be within the confines of a sustainable economic model that goes on for 10 years. We’ve had a few years of great growth… but we need to continue to make sure that we can fund the things that the players are asking for, that we want for them, too.
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