After nearly 13 hours of negotiations Tuesday night that bled into early Wednesday morning, WNBA and WNBPA officials left talks with no finalized deal for the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The WNBA had previously set Tuesday as a deadline to ensure the start date of the regular season would not be affected.
The league and its’ players’ union have been negotiating for a new CBA for nearly 18 months with no deal agreed to. This lack of a deal does not guarantee a delay to the season, but
the league’s warning casts doubt that games will start as currently scheduled on May 8.
The players’ union has demanded a higher percentage of the league’s revenue sharing. The players’ union’s proposal in late February asked for 26% of gross revenue, meaning total revenue brought in by the league, while the league countered with 70% of net revenue, meaning 70% of the profit the league turns.
The sides have not publicly disclosed their offers in later negotiations and both sides have given optimistic comments about where things stand, but no one is willing to put a timeline on these negotiations and the clock is ticking.
Before a season can begin, the league must:
- Hold expansion drafts for its new franchises, Portland and Toronto
- Hold a collegiate players’ draft
- Conduct a free agency period
- Give players time to go to training camp with their teams
These things can happen on a shortened schedule, but every day that passes makes it less and less likely the league’s original 44-game, May 8 starting date schedule will hold, which could be detrimental to the league.
Lockouts hurt any league’s ratings, but a league like the WNBA is in a pivotal phase of its growth. With transformational young players like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers and established superstars that include A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, the league is seeing its highest ratings ever.
The two sides are meeting again Wednesday and will continue to meet until a deal is agreed to. If a deal is not agreed to, a lockout is all but certain.
