With the WNBA season coming to an end and the Las Vegas Aces raising their third banner, there are clouds looming around what should be a happy event for the WNBA community.
On Sept. 28, after the Phoenix Mercury beat the Minnesota Lynx in game four of the semifinals, Napheesa Collier faced the media in her exit interview and delivered a scathing statement about the leadership of the WNBA under commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Collier called Engelbert out on a plethora of things, sharing private conversations between her and the commissioner about the league’s expiring collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and the officiating.
“We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world, but right now we have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier told the media.
The clear disagreement with the CBA comes with the split of the revenue. With how the current CBA is set up, players only receive about 9.3% of the revenue from the league.
They also don’t receive any of the revenue the league might pull in from jersey or ticket sales. Currently the four major sports leagues have a 50/50 revenue split, and this is what the Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association (WNBPA) is fighting for, but the league seems unwilling to budge.
“The league has made it clear, it isn’t about innovation. It isn’t about collaboration. It’s about control and power,” said Collier about the league’s direction.
During her statement, Collier talked about her and Engelbert’s discussion at Unrivaled, the three-on-three basketball league co-founded by Collier. She asked how Engelbert was going to handle young stars like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, who are making over double the money from sponsors than the league.
According to Collier, Engelbert said, “Caitlin should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”
In the same conversation, Engelbert told Collier players should be “on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.” The new 11-year deal, worth $22 billion, will go into effect next year.
“The league has a buzzword that they’ve rolled out as talking points for the CBA as to why they can’t pay the players what we’re worth, and that word is sustainability,” Collier said during the statement.
The league has seen record growth in viewership and revenue, as well as five new teams joining the already existing 13. All of the new members are paying $250 million each just to join the WNBA.
It is clear the league feels if they are going to give players the raised minimum salary of $250,000 and a 50/50 revenue split the league would struggle to sustain the money it has been pulling in. But players are seeing Engelbert argue both sides. One saying it would not be sustainable to pay the players more, but the other championing the new money the league is bringing in through media rights deals and viewership.
While the CBA discussions are a major part of the struggles, another aspect of Collier’s argument was the officiating and how she feels the league isn’t doing enough to address it.
During a press conference on Oct. 3 during the WNBA Finals, Engelbert countered Collier’s statement by saying “There’s a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all this reporting.”
Engelbert never directly denied the comments she made about Clark or the conversations with Collier. She instead blamed the media for inaccurate reporting and social media for spreading false information.
During the WNBA postseason, there were many instances of missed calls and issues with the officiating that have caused problems for players, coaches and the fans watching the game.
For instance, Collier was unable to play in game four of the WNBA semifinals after suffering an ankle injury during a scramble. She fell on the floor as the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas was trying to steal the ball from her.
There was no foul called, and Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve had to be held back by players and coaches as she tried to charge at the referees over the calls. In the postgame press conference, she called for a change in officiating in the league, with some added expletives.
The league’s response was to fine her $15,000 and suspend her from coaching game four where the Lynx would be eliminated from the playoffs.
“Fans see it every night. Coaches, both winning and losing, point it out every night in pregame and postgame media, yet leadership just issues fines and looks the other way,” said Collier. “They ignore the issues that everyone inside the game is begging to be fixed. That is negligence.”
Engelbert, during her press conference on Oct. 3, admitted there was an officiating problem and said the league will be establishing a task force to address and evaluate the officials.
It is clear there are many problems that the WNBA is currently facing, and that the leadership leading the WNBA doesn’t see eye to eye with the players.
Both sides need each other. Until they agree and the league starts to make players feel more seen with greater equity, we are headed for a situation neither side wants. A work stoppage will cause damage that will take a long time to recover from.
