Once we thought we had seen it all in the negotiation to reach a better agreement for the players of the WNBA, a recent announcement has made them go a couple of steps backwards. What should be a celebratory milestone for the athletes who have brought the league to a whole new level, the feedback they keep receiving is not promising at all.
The latest statement from the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) executive committee, released this Wednesday, makes one thing clear about the deal: the league’s recent attempts to find common ground are not just vanishing, they are being viewed by the players as an attempt to break their unity.
The revenue gap discussion
The main topic of disagreement is over how to slice the league’s growing financial pie. In a recent survey done by the WNBA among players, what was expected to be a plan seen with generosity and happiness, turned out to be received with dramatic disappointment .
The plan was simple: The offer involves 50% of net revenue, a figure the WNBPA points out actually amounts to less than 15% of gross revenue in an eight-year deal. The union wants a share of gross revenue, meaning the money earned before expenses like travel, marketing, and arenas are deducted.
After this, an Instagram post was uploaded as a response. In it, the WNBPA revealed that around 84% of players rejected this initial offer, choosing to keep negotiating rather than settle for the current terms. Figures like A’ja Wilson and Nneka Ogwumike liked the post in a sign of support.
The statement they released read:
“In every CBA negotiation, the goal of the league and teams is to divide the players. These negotiations are no different. We remain united and focused on delivering a transformational CBA for all members of this Union
With this message, the league’s most prominent stars are signaling that their resolve is unbroken.
A potential WNBA season delay
Some are considering this possibility in order to claim their discomfort with how they are treated. The WNBPA reminds the league that the authorization for a strike, which was voted on nearly unanimously back in December, remains a very real tool and asset in their arsenal if an agreement is not reached before the deadline.
“That decision, and the results of our recent player survey, reaffirm that the current league proposal is not worth taking. We will not stop fighting. There is no WNBA without the players
The message from the players is simple to understand: They want to be on the court, but they will never bend their knee for an unfair deal that goes against their interests. If a deal is not agreed upon by the March 10 deadline, the consequences will be felt across the entire sport.
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