The WNBA turns 30 next year and the leadup has been the sort of chaotic and emotional countdown that befits a Saturn return. From near constant roster changes, injuries and generational rookies to 72-hour livestreams and green dildos flying in from the stands, this season has been far from normal. It has almost served as a gap year – a filler episode, if you will – between last year’s explosion into the cultural zeitgeist and the next era to be marked by a new collective bargaining agreement.
On the court, the top 3 teams flip between defending champion New York Liberty, the Napheesa Collier-led Minnesota Lynx, and A’ja Wilson’s Las Vegas Aces. Off the court, the biggest clashes are between the league, its players, and its fans, who are vocal about how it’s getting harder and harder to watch games live, either through the paltry LeaguePass app or the price-hiked season and single game tickets.
Meanwhile, the latest update from CBA talks indicate that both sides are stalled, and sources are reporting that unless an extension is granted before the October 31 deadline, the league may see its first lockout. Unfortunately for the league, that’s not the only non-game story dominating the headlines, and its tie to the last major sports league lockout may be a good omen for the players.
The Mohegan Tribe are looking to sell the Connecticut Sun, one of the only teams in the Northeast. Several organizations have come forward with offers, including an ownership group tied to the Boston Celtics and a former Milwaukee Bucks owner who would move the team to Hartford, to buy the team for upwards of $325 million. Cathy, however, has stepped in and attempted to drive negotiations away from those potential buyers in favor of the league acquiring the team to move it to another city, preferably Houston.
What’s worse, is that the league only wants to pay $250 million for the team, well below the team’s valuation. There’s no shortage of folks who oppose this interference, whether it be for the racist implications or the abandonment of a fanbase that historically adores women’s basketball. Monday, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal added his name to the list with a letter to the league that says the quiet part out loud – stay out sale negotiations or risk federal antitrust violations.
Funny enough, in 2011 when the NBA locked out the season, anti-trust lawsuits led to a swift agreement on their new collective bargaining agreement. The league and union started negotiations earlier that year, but by May, talks had soured to the point that the NBPA had to start considering their options. (Be clear – the owners were the ones unwilling to concede anything because they claimed they were losing millions, but wouldn’t produce the numbers to show so.) In order to sue, the NBPA dissolved from a trade union to a trade association, allowing two groups of players to file antitrust lawsuits in California and Minnesota. Eleven days after the suits were filed, the league and the players reached a tentative agreement that reduced player salaries from 57% to 52% of league revenue.
Mind you, per the current CBA, the women of the W only get 4% of league revenue.
I, for one, hope players follow through with a lockout. I’m sure I’m not the only one though, judging by the way fans chanted “Pay them!” during Cathy’s speech at this year’s All-Star game. It’s the biggest hand in their deck to get every penny and every benefit that they are long overdue. It’s the best leverage to keep the league from being turned into another sideshow act for greedy billionaires who see women’s basketball (and any artistic industry) as another cash grab. And it’s the best chance to get back the WNBA of my youth, where the most important story involved what happened on the court.
Sometimes, you need to flex your leverage for the world to see in order to truly get what you want. The US Women’s National soccer team had to sue to get equity player pay, and these same players used their power to get a senator elected and an owner removed from a team. There’s no reason why they couldn’t – and shouldn’t – hold the line.
In any case, next year will prove to be full of accountability and wake ups that’ll kill the league’s inflated ego, like a good Saturn return should.