WNBA players have until June 25 to notify their teams if they will participate in the seasonNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The WNBA plans to have a 22-game regular season starting in late July, and players who opt into the '20 season will receive 100% of their salaries, assuming the league is "able to complete both the regular season and playoffs," according to Howard Megdal of the N.Y. TIMES. WNBPA Exec Dir Terri Jackson said that the full salary guarantee was "critical to getting the players to agree." Jackson: "They understood that if players are committing to this, that we needed their commitment on that." Megdal reports players have until June 25 to "notify their teams if they will participate." Many details about the plan to return "remain to be sorted out: A start date has not been finalized, and the league has identified several other potential destinations as fallback options if the plan to play at IMG Academy becomes untenable." Jackson said that another round of approval from the players' union "would be required before the season actually begins." Both sides also expect to address "how the league's return would affect activism related to police brutality and systemic racism." WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, "The players are launching a bold social justice reform. And one of the positives of being all together is their ability to use that time as a call to action around driving change" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/16).
USING THEIR PLATFORM: WNBA Las Vegas Aces President of Basketball Operations and coach Bill Laimbeer said that players "have been the driving force behind the league's dialogue and messaging about social justice and are working with the league on a comprehensive platform 'for all of us' to use during the season." Laimbeer: "We're all going to be very supportive. (The players) are the ones people pay attention to. They don't pay attention to staff. They're the ones that are going to come up with collectively how we're going to approach all this, and rightfully so" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/16). Engelbert said, "We have one of the most diverse leagues in professional sports -- 80% black women -- and all of our players are really, really actually looking forward to the platform that they can launch from IMG Academy around social justice and their voice.” Engelbert: “We’re going to work together with the players around that and make sure we support them in every way we can” (“The Return of Sports,” ESPN, 6/15).
MONEY MATTERS: WNBA Chicago Sky F Jantel Lavender said that she is "'most definitely' concerned about the financial strain the pandemic has had on teams and the league," which lost a reported $12M in '18, and "could see that as being a reason to have a season." In Chicago, Madeline Kenney notes Sky Owner Michael Alter "figures the team will lose" an estimated 40% of its "overall revenue without ticket sales this season." How the WNBA "will make up for lost revenue remains unclear." For now, the league "will rely on its 'WNBA Changemakers' corporate partnerships and TV deals for financial support" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/16).
LOOKING TO CAPITALIZE: In Dallas, Callie Caplan notes off the court, WNBA Dallas Wings President & CEO Greg Bibb "hopes to capitalize on the league's 'momentum' from the historic collective bargaining agreement the WNBA and the players’ association passed before the pandemic hit." With the WNBA's return-to-play format in place, Bibb "plans to focus on showcasing the Wings" on FS Southwest and to "use the team's digital and social media platforms to promote the season despite playing games in empty arenas away from Dallas" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/16).
