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There haven’t been many WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement updates over the past week, as the holidays have been in full swing, but surely work is going on behind the scenes as the Jan. 9 deadline approaches. With the explosive growth of the WNBA over the last few years, this may be the first time many newer fans are witnessing a CBA negotiation process in real time, and it can be confusing.
Obviously, labor movements and negotiations are a huge part of human history, and the one the WNBA is doing right now may seem trivial, and some may say “it’s just sports.” Yet, given the turning point in history we seem to be at right now, with the growth of women’s sports and also being at such a divisive period in society, this negotiation also feels like more than just a game.
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For maybe the first time in the WNBA’s 30-year history, it’s the players who have the majority of leverage here, and they get to call a lot more shots than in negotiations past. It’s a time for them to demand things that haven’t been mandatory in the league historically; to get themselves up to speed with other professional leagues, because there are still so many ways in which these players aren’t treated like true professionals.
The salary and revenue proposals are one thing, but there are many other items on the negotiation table as well. This fight is about more than revenue sharing and basketball-related income: these players are fighting to be treated like valued, human workers who deserve some of the benefits of the product they create, and not just replaceable drones who should be happy to be there.
That will be important to remember in the coming weeks when they will be reprimanded for being “spoiled” because people think their sole reason for shutting down proposals from the league is because they aren’t offering enough money individually, because this fight is about more than any one player, it’s about setting a precedent for how they will all be treated for years to come.
Staff requirements
It’s only been in the past five years that WNBA team ownership groups have begun to provide WNBA players with things like state-of-the-art, private, and dedicated practice and treatment facilities. For example, there has never been a rule in the contract between the league and the players that requires teams to have personnel like physical therapists, athletic trainers, and team physicians on staff. For professional athletes. Imagine the biggest WNBA stars having to go to their local physical therapy office on their own dime instead of being treated by the best, most specialized women’s basketball trainers and massage therapists in a dedicated facility, and you get a sense of what players have been dealing with while being expected to create the best women’s basketball product in the world.
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That’s something the players are fighting for in these negotiations. It’s not just for recovery purposes, but injury prevention as well. Having athletic trainers and other similar health and performance professionals on staff to be able to get to know players, their histories, and their tendencies will help them be able to prevent injury. If the league is asking players to increase the number of games, the frequency of games, and the season length, they need to be providing the proper healthcare to keep them healthy as well.
The players also want to put into writing that this new trend of practice facilities, dedicated locker rooms, and amenities is also a requirement for teams.
Retirement benefits
A lot of professional leagues have retirement benefits for their players that span a certain amount of time after they finish playing their sport. It’s hard, of course, because athletes don’t have the same retirement timeline as non-athletic careers. An athlete can retire before they turn 30, while most people aren’t thinking about that until they are closer to 60.
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In some cases, like the NFL, leagues will keep retired players under league insurance for about five years after they finish playing. Sort of to give them time to either figure out other insurance or settle into their next career, hopefully. The WNBA doesn’t have anything like that.
So now, a proposal in these current negotiations is to build out some retirement benefits for the league. Not just for players who are currently playing, but with the idea that previously retired players may get a bit of back pay or support to help them out. The way they are proposing it works is that players who have had a certain amount of experience in the league will be given a one-time imbursement, per The Athletic.
Security and Mental Health
With the sudden increase in the WNBA’s popularity, security has become an issue. It’s a big reason that the chartered flights program was rushed in during the 2024 season. Having a player with the celebrity status that say, Cailtin Clark has, walking around an airport with limited security wasn’t a good look. It was also incredibly unsafe.
Still, the WNBA only has the requirement that each team have one security guard. Players have their own personal security as well, like Clark and A’ja Wilson. The players are proposing that each team be required to have two team security guards on staff.
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Another part of the proposed benefits package is a $500 per month reimbursement for mental health services, something that does not currently exist. Another effect of this big boom of the league has been the effects on player mental health, the pressure from fans, and the toxicity that has seemed to infiltrate the league in recent years. Add on the regular struggles of being a professional athlete, and everything going on in the world, and the least the league can do is add mental health benefits into their CBA.
Hopefully, we get a status update on these negotiation points (and everything else the players are fighting for) this week. The fight the players are in right now is about more than just the future of the WNBA (though that’s at stake, as well); it’s about legitimizing the growth of women’s sports, treating women’s athletes like true professionals, and bridging the large gap between the way the best men and women in their fields are treated just a little more.
