Cathy Engelbert meters on WNBA on CBA “construction” conversations, with all stars sending a message

Indianapolis-Self-Commissioner WNBA, Cathy Engelbert held a press conference in the depths of Guinebridge Fieldhaus before the game of all stars on Saturday night, the players used warm up before the match as an opportunity to send a message.

“Pay to us what you owe to us,” I read the shirts that every player wears.

The National Basketball Association for Women and the stakeholders in the league It remains on a dead end as negotiations As for the new collective negotiation agreement, it becomes more tense and the work stopped after this season is more likely.

While many players felt on Thursday CBA “Lost opportunity” He said that Engelber did not make a little progress, she believed that the gathering with 40 players and stakeholders in the league was “constructive”.

“We had an explicit dialogue and this is part of the operation,” Engelic said. “I completely respect the players who listen. They listen to our friends while we are in the middle of the league in an attempt to ensure that we are putting this league for decades. This is the goal. Getting CBA is fair to everyone.”

Both sides want to write a “transformative” CBA, but the WNBA Federation and the players have different views about this.

It took five months to meet the preliminary proposals of WNBPA, and WnBA’s response was not received between the players.

Some called it “lack of respect” and The two parties said away the oceans Regarding important issues, especially with regard to creating a strong model for revenue participation that allows players to benefit with the growth and profitability of WNBA.

Wnbpa NNEKA OGWUMIKE president said that she had explained the response of the first league to include fixed salary numbers.

But Engelbert refuted this, saying that it is “not accurate” to say that WNBA had not proposed a fluid revenue sharing system.

“We talked about different ways to share revenues,” she said. “You will see that you share revenues more profitable with our progress because we are in a better place. So I think again, and for this reason I am optimistic that we will do something transforming here because we want the same thing that players want.

“We want to increase their salaries and benefits significantly with the balance with our companions their ability to obtain a profitable path in addition to the continued investment.”

The strict position of the federation regarding the implementation of the fluid revenue sharing system is rooted in the fact that the league has a new 11 -year media rights deal worth $ 2.2 billion starting in 2026.

They also took note that Wnba’s latest expansion teams At Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia Dam $ 250 million for purchase.

Engelbert stated that national viewers on an annual basis increased by 23 %, and the attendees are the highest decades ago, and sales of goods have shattered previous records-all promising statistics that show an increase in the league’s popularity.

Players see these numbers and want their fair share – as shown in the shirts they chose to wear on Saturday.

WNBPA said it is preparing to stop the work when the current CBA expires on October 31.

Engelbert said it “has” a deal that could conclude a deal before the deadline of Halloween, but also said it “will not make a specific date for it.

She said, “We are in a good place and we go back and forth.”

The current CBA was signed in January 2020. But there is an additional urge to complete this deal on the deadline so that the teams can prepare for Dodes of expansion in Toronto and PortlandWhich is expected to take place in December.

Dodgers of expansion are part of CBA, so the difference does not know what to expect yet.

A free agency, which usually begins in late January, and the April draft may also be suspended as long as the deal remains perfect.

None of the two sides want to be an issue.

Engelbert is still optimistic that the two sides will be able to agree on CBA that people will go to it at the All-Star event for the next year.

“I want a lot of the same things that the players want. I said that last time, and that did not change,” she said. “But we also have to have a process as we got back and forth, and here we are in this process. Once again, we are still really optimistic because we are doing something that will be transformed.”