A labor dispute is looming in the WNBA. The basketball players are demanding a higher share of the booming league’s income, new tournament series such as “Project B” are increasing the pressure on the clubs. The start of the new season is uncertain.
Last weekend, the American WNBA community got a video from the “NBC” channel onto their timeline: With a glossy clip, the broadcaster announced the start of the new season in May, which will be broadcast by “NBC” again after more than 25 years, on TV and on the digital channels in the stream.
At least this is the marketing strategists’ plan, but whether the season will actually start on time is currently uncertain. The club owners and the players’ union WNBPA have been stuck in a deadlocked collective bargaining dispute for months. It’s about a new framework agreement, the so-called “Collective Bargaining Agreement” (CBA), a permanent fixture in US sports: The CBA stipulates the level of salaries, but also other benefits such as educational programs or maternity leave. The possibility of a strike, as a last resort, was not explicitly ruled out by the players.
WNBA star Stewart: “Nothing has moved”
Last week there finally seemed to be some movement: the union and league met face-to-face for the first time in five months. Afterwards, a new proposal from the clubs was on the table, with concessions that only related to accommodation standards: In the future, all players should be provided with a two-room apartment; previously there was sometimes only a rent subsidy, especially for younger players.
Breanna Stewart, one of the vice presidents of the players’ union, spoke to “CBS” about an important step. It is a signal that “the league has heard what is important to us”said the New York Liberty star player. At the same time she made it clear: “As far as finances are concerned, nothing has changed.”
According to US media reports, the club owners had promised a significant increase in fixed salaries during the negotiations: with a future maximum salary of 1.3 million dollars, which should even grow to two million dollars by 2031. The average salary should also more than quadruple compared to the old tariff, to $540,000.
Female players demand 30 percent from them Total revenue
Significant increases, which, however, are put into perspective by the previously low salary level. The WNBA is also experiencing a boom in the USA, especially in terms of media revenue.
The sticking point, the players have made this clear again and again, is the distribution of the booming WNBA’s income: the league has offered the players 70 percent of the net profit. In return, the players demand a share of 30 percent of the gross income, before taxes and other expenses, as is also practiced in the NBA men’s league: There the players even receive 50 percent of the total income.
The WNBA’s offer, according to the union’s calculation, would correspond to a gross share of less than 15 percent. Stars like Caitlin Clark wore T-shirts with the slogan at the All-Star Game last summer “Pay us what you owe us” – (“Pay what you owe us”).
For the players, the labor dispute was also about a lack of appreciation right from the start; the WNBA had recently remained silent on a compromise proposal from October and gave the impression that it wanted to sit out the conflict with the players.
“Project B” – new competition for WNBA
League officials said the union’s demands would mean a loss of $700 million, ESPN said. The new league called “Project B” could also be an additional means of pressure for the clubs: a series of show tournaments financed by investor money from Silicon Valley.
Leonie Fiebich in the New York Liberty jersey
German playmaker Leonie Fiebich is one of the players who received an invitation to Project B. The investors are keeping a big secret about bonuses and modalities, but the signing fee is said to be significantly higher than the salary in the WNBA. Fiebich most recently received a salary of almost $70,000 at New York Liberty. While the US professional league is on pause, she is currently playing in Valencia.
“It’s no secret that Project B is very, very lucrative for many players”Fiebich told Sportschau_F: “It’s very nice to be paid well for the energy and work you put into your job.”
In addition, the players should also share in the income from the new basketball series. They would also like this from the WNBA, their actual employer, in the future.
