P
amela Wheeler is the first woman ever to lead a professional sports union in the United States and, as director of operations for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, she has negotiated the first four collective-bargaining agreements for WNBA players.
The WNBPA was established in November 1998; Wheeler was hired in April 1999. She led the negotiations for the 1999, 2003, 2008 and 2014 CBAs, and in each of those deals, notable strides were made on behalf of the players.
When the WNBA launched, all player contracts were negotiated with the league office. The 2003 CBA established free agency and allowed players and their agents to negotiate with teams instead of the league. The 2008 CBA established a flexible salary cap instead of the “hard cap” teams had before, which prevented clubs from spending above the cap. Then, in the most recent CBA, the league allowed teams to add a 12th roster spot, an issue that was important to players because it gives clubs greater roster depth for practice in the event that players are injured.
Wheeler’s position lets her see the strides made by the league and the players over the years.
“What I don’t like about my job is constantly having to answer the question of ‘Are women’s sports going to survive?’ Or, ‘Is the WNBA going to survive?’ and the constant comparisons to men’s sports,” Wheeler said.
On the flip side, what does she like most about her job? That would be working with the player members. “They are the best at what they do in the world,” Wheeler said, “but they are also just regular people.”
— Liz Mullen
