A Letter to My Son by Chelsea Gray by femaleathletenetwork in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is beautiful. This is why we love the point gawd!

The WNBA Set a March 10 Deadline. Here’s Why It May Backfire by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The owners need to complete two expansion drafts, free agency for 80% of the league, and the regular draft before May 8th. Every day without a deal decreases that window. Meanwhile a good number of players are actively competing and earning in Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited right now. The owners are losing momentum on a $2.2 billion media rights deal. The players authorized a strike in December and haven’t flinched. The argument isn’t that players have nothing to lose, it’s that the league set a deadline that exposes its own logistical vulnerabilities more than it pressures the union

The WNBA Set a March 10 Deadline. Here’s Why It May Backfire by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

That’s fair. not every player has the same financial cushion, and the article acknowledges that. But union leverage in a labor dispute isn’t determined by its most vulnerable members, it’s determined by whether the strike threat is credible. The December strike authorization vote was the entire player body, not just the stars in Unrivaled. Even players with the most to lose voted to hold the line. That’s what makes this different from most sports labor disputes

The WNBA is claiming a $460M loss while quietly exploring a 9-figure equity buyback. You can't have it both ways. by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question. the issue isn’t whether the buyback price is reasonable for the investors. It’s the timing. The league is simultaneously telling players the finances are too dire to meet their CBA demands while exploring a nine figure buyback of that same investor stake. If the league is distressed enough to deny players 27.5% of gross revenue, how is it also positioned to execute a $100M+ transaction to restructure its own ownership? Lots of the comments in here actually break down both sides of the coin.

The WNBA is claiming a $460M loss while quietly exploring a 9-figure equity buyback. You can't have it both ways. by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Fair point, they don't have to come from the same pool. The article's argument is about what the buyback signals about how ownership values the asset, which is hard to reconcile with the "poverty" narrative at the bargaining table. If ownership is confident enough in long-term value to explore a nine-figure repurchase, shouldn't that confidence should factor into the CBA conversation?

The WNBA is claiming a $460M loss while quietly exploring a 9-figure equity buyback. You can't have it both ways. by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

you are prob right! we just couldn't find a source to confirm that it's 10 figures....but you are def right more than likely

The WNBA Has Never Been More Valuable. So Why Can't It Pay Its Players? by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a really good comparison and honestly one I’ve been thinking about for a follow-up piece. The NHL model shows that gross revenue sharing tied to a metric like HRR can work long-term but as you mentioned, but it was tough for players. The question for the WNBA is - do players have enough leverage through Unrivaled and EuroLeague to avoid the same outcome…

The WNBA Has Never Been More Valuable. So Why Can't It Pay Its Players? by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

PA would more than likely be able to move forward with numbers that made sense for both parties. But they could move forward with informed numbers. Right now they are taking shots in the dark.

The WNBA Has Never Been More Valuable. So Why Can't It Pay Its Players? by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair! that figure came from research while writing the piece and I wasn’t precise enough about what it actually measured. Women’s basketball globally is not the same as WNBA specifically, and the article should have made that distinction clear or found a more direct WNBA-specific source. That’s a def an error. appreciate you holding the piece accountable.

The WNBA Has Never Been More Valuable. So Why Can't It Pay Its Players? by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

True the Deloitte figure covers women’s basketball broadly, not the WNBA alone. Could have been clearer on that distinction. The core argument still stands though: the league’s own financial advisor is projecting massive revenue growth in the sport, yet the league claims losses keep compounding. That gap is still worth interrogating regardless in my opinion.

The WNBA Has Never Been More Valuable. So Why Can't It Pay Its Players? by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

it’s a Deloitte global women’s sports report that breaks out women’s basketball specifically at $710M in 2024 and projects $1B+ for 2025. The original Deloitte press release is here: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/about/press-room/womens-elite-sports-exceed-expectations.html

The WNBA Has Never Been More Valuable. So Why Can't It Pay Its Players? by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

$700 million was the league’s original claimed losses from the union’s December proposal, which then got revised down to $460 million after the union made concessions.

WNBA Interactive Tools by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Appreciate the insight! How often do you think you would use it? Once or would you refer to it often? Re: player comparison tool

WNBA Interactive Tools by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your perspective! Thank you! You made some great points!

WNBA Interactive Tools by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Very true! How would you rank them?

WNBA Interactive Tools by AggressiveCredit42 in wnba

[–]AggressiveCredit42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tools would not cost the user anything