The clock is ticking, and the WNBA is under more pressure with each passing day. A new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the players and the league has yet to be signed, with several of the players’ demands still unmet. But since what they’re asking for isn’t all that unreasonable, this standoff feels all the more surprising.
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WNBA’s current CBA expires at the end of the month, and according to Nneka Ogwumike, the most important thing that they’re looking for is trust between the two parties. The Seattle Storm star sat down with legend Sue Bird on her podcast and discussed what it is that the players are truly prioritizing. And going by what she said, it’s honestly not too much.
Ogwumike explained that the previous CBA, signed in 2020, was unlike anything that came before it. It served as a launchpad that helped elevate both the players and the league to where they are today. But now, with the WNBA more popular than ever, there’s got to be changes.
“Now, you hit the point of trust,” Ogwumike insisted. “We were hopeful in the last CBA, we trusted what we’re experiencing right now. And it’s important for us to realize that trust has to yield that hope is now a reality.”
The word trust has been coming up a lot lately, not just from Ogwumike but from many across the league. That’s because there’s a real lack of it. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has found herself in hot water with players following allegations from Napheesa Collier, who claimed Engelbert said trailblazer Caitlin Clark should be “grateful” for the WNBA’s platform and for the millions she earns.
Ogwumike, however, didn’t dwell on that topic during the podcast. Instead, she made it clear what she and the other players expect moving forward. In the last CBA, they were told the league needed “time to grow,” but now it’s undeniable that the WNBA has become incredibly popular. Just recently, they signed an 11-year bumper TV deal that will see them earn around $200 million per season.
“Now, the growth is here. The business is growing. The only part of the business that doesn’t grow is which that represents the value of the players and, so, what we’re seeking is simply a salary structure that resembles a portion that the players get that grows with the business,” Ogwumike continued.
“We know that deal can get done, and we look forward to seeing it through. But we also know that negotiations have to happen along the way.”
In the podcast, Bird herself admitted that during her playing days, the WNBA always claimed it wanted to increase player salaries as the league grew. But now that the money is finally flowing in, it seems like the league is more interested in taking its share.
For the future of the league to be stable, that’s something that has to change. Well, that, standardization of facilities, and a retirement plan in place.
“We’ve moved past the narrative that having a practice facility is not a competitive advantage,” Ogwumike continued. “With the majority of the teams having their own dedicated facilities, not having one now is probably competitive disadvantage. [Plus] seeing some language that contributes towards a retirement plan or a retirement process.”
Halloween marks the deadline. If an agreement isn’t reached by then, the immediate future of the league is put in jeopardy.
