Caitlin Clark Applies Pressure On WNBA CBA Timeline

A few weeks ago, reports surfaced that the WNBA league office informed the players’ association about a “deadline” of March 10 to agree to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

This deadline wasn’t strict, in the sense that it was either a new CBA get finalized by that date, or else talks would end. But the reason for the deadline is that if a deal isn’t done by March 10 (or soon after), it would be inevitable that some of the upcoming WNBA season could be shortened, given everything that needs to happen between now and the beginning of May, which is when the season is meant to start.

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has remained relatively quiet while these CBA negotiations are underway. This was largely owed to her remaining relatively under the radar during this WNBA offseason, training in Indianapolis while many of her peers were competing in Unrivaled in Miami.

However, Clark is now training with Team USA ahead of the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament, which starts on March 11. This has allowed her to speak with the media for the first time in several months.

Clark was asked about the negotiations upon arriving at the camp last week and said, “I don’t understand why we don’t just get in a room and iron it out and shake hands. That’s how business is. You look each other in the eye, you shake hands, you respect both sides. For me, that’s what I would love to see,” per a March 7 article from Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports.

Caitlin Clark Points To Important Date During CBA Negotiations

Clark added additional comments about this over the weekend, which was included in a March 10 article from Costabile.

“There is a time crunch, and things do need to be solved. It is our responsibility to get something done for not only all of us—the players that are older in this league, the players that are younger in this league—but the next generation of hoopers. We don’t want to lose what we have right now. That’s my main focus, and I look forward to playing on April 25 in New York City, my first preseason game,” Clark was quoted as saying in the article.

The fact that Clark is so keen about the preseason beginning right on time speaks volumes about how quickly she wants these CBA negotiations to end. And every women’s basketball fan is feeling the same way.