With WNBA players in the middle of ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the league, they decided to make a statement ahead of the All-Star Game last month. During warm-ups, both teams wore shirts that read, “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” The players decided to wear the shirt at a meeting the morning of the game. […]
With WNBA players in the middle of ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the league, they decided to make a statement ahead of the All-Star Game last month. During warm-ups, both teams wore shirts that read, “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”
The players decided to wear the shirt at a meeting the morning of the game. However, after the All-Star Game, Kelsey Plum, a member of Napheesa Collier‘s team, revealed that one team played a larger role in the decision than another.
“The T-shirt, just [a] united front, was determined this morning, that we had a meeting for. And, uh, not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that,” Plum said.
Plum received a wave of backlash online for her comments since everybody on Caitlin Clark‘s team also wore the shirt. During an appearance on Sue Bird’s podcast, Bird’s Eye View, Kelsey Plum reflected on her inflammatory comment.
“I made a really bad joke… I was making a joke they were hungover even though our team nickname was ‘Hungover,’” Plum said. “I was like, ‘At least we made it.’ Obviously, we were all on the same page. We all wore the shirts. We’re all unified. I think if anything I was more discouraged because I felt like (the comments) took away from the moment of what we were trying to do.”
The WNBA players’ union announced the players were opting out of their collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the league last October. The CBA lasts through Oct. 31, 2025.
The players’ union and WNBA agreed upon the current CBA in January 2020. Obviously, the popularity of the WNBA has skyrocketed since then, and the players are hopeful to reap the benefits.
If the players’ union and the league cannot come to an agreement by the beginning of the 2026 season, the league could have a lockout. While the NBA has dealt with a lockout before, the WNBA never has.
Of course, WNBA players have never had more leverage than they do now. In July, the WNBA announced a new 11-year media rights deal featuring partnerships with Disney, Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal.
The deal is valued at approximately $2.2 billion, or $200 million per year, but future agreements with additional partners could bring the league’s overall media deals closer to $3 billion. No player has played a larger role in the WNBA’s sudden surge in popularity than Caitlin Clark. With Plum’s clarification on her previous comments, it appears WNBA players are on the same page as they search for a new agreement with the league.
Category: General Sports
