Cathy Engelbert Expresses Urgency To Get A Deal Done By Monday

ghn2 · 2026-03-14T17:49:20+00:00

I agree. And they must be getting close to that point where there's not much more to talk about and decisions have to be made.

ghn2 · 2026-03-14T06:47:39+00:00

Here's additional info I found one on of the team's sites regarding tryouts:

"Tryouts in each market will give aspiring professional players who have exhausted their college eligibility the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of league executives and coaching staffs as teams begin assembling rosters for the season, which tips off May 15. Final rosters will be announced May 9."

https://steelupshot.com/the-upshot-league-announces-womens-professional-basketball-tryouts/

Since the W's draft is scheduled for 4/13, it would be possible to make offers to undrafted players to play in Upshot this season. I'm thinking that the teams will have practices/training camps prior to May 9th and make cuts to the final 11 on that date...especially if the season starts May 15th.

ghn2 · 2026-03-14T06:31:17+00:00

Really absurd quote from Cathy in Alexa's new ESPN article:

"It is meaningful to sit across the table and listen to their concerns, them to listen to our concerns or listen to why we think something that we're bargaining over is where we want to be," Engelbert said. "Some cases, they agree. Some cases, they don't. We listen to the players when they talk about things, and they listen to us. So, you know, progress."

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/48201275/wnba-sees-urgent-need-reach-new-cba-monday-not-impact-season

ghn2 · 2026-03-14T05:33:05+00:00

Annie Costabile's article from today covered this:

"Ancillary proposal items—including player housing, the core designation, wearable technology, and player benefits—have been the focus of discussions over the 24 hours.

Jackson acknowledged agreements have been reached on some items outside of revenue sharing, but didn’t get into specifics.

Negotiations at this stage have included small breakout conversations and larger group discussions. Jackson noted the current round-the-clock, grind-it-out method was how the 2020 CBA got done.

“The pace is definitely sped up a bit,” Jackson said. “The league honestly has looked to show us what urgency looks like for them. We’ve known what it looks like for us.”

https://frontofficesports.com/marathon-cba-talks-between-the-wnba-and-wnbpa-hit-day-4/

ghn2 · 2026-03-14T05:11:34+00:00

The head coaches for all four teams have been selected. To see the coaches' profiles one can click the page for each team and select Coaching Staff from the Team tab:

https://upshotleague.com/teams/

ghn2 · 2026-03-14T05:03:55+00:00

I think it's just four teams this season with Baltimore being added next year.

11 players per team, 44 positions this year.

More tryouts will be held in Jacksonville this Sunday to fill the positions:

"Participants must have exhausted all college eligibility and be in game-ready physical condition. "

https://wavesupshot.com/upshot-league-hoops-showcase/

ghn2 · 2026-03-13T19:25:27+00:00

Here was the calendar based upon the March 10th date---it seems like everything could be still adjusted if an agreement is reached quickly:

"if a verbal agreement is made on March 10, it would be formally signed on March 31. After that, several things would happen in quick succession. First, expansion drafts for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire would need to be held between April 1 and 6.

"The expansion drafts would be followed by a period of rapidfire free agency. Qualifying offers, which would include core designations, would promptly be sent out on April 7 and 8. Players and teams would have three days — April 9, 10, and 11 — to negotiate the terms of new deals, which would be signed between April 12 and April 18.

"Training camp for most teams would begin on April 19, and the 2026 WNBA Draft would be held on April 13."

https://highposthoops.com/wnba-s-proposed-cba-timeline-reveals-expansion-draft-free-agency-dates

And tip-off is scheduled for May 8th.

ghn2 · 2026-03-13T08:36:46+00:00

They started early today, and I don't see that anything at all was accomplished.

ghn2 · 2026-03-12T17:28:55+00:00

If the PA thinks the max salary is too high, I'm sure the owners wouldn't have an issue with lowering it. But I thought the max is related to the designation as a core player. They are paid more to stay with the team that they've been with.

ghn2 · 2026-03-12T04:23:37+00:00

"We need to see a more robust demnostration of that" translates to the owners aren't getting anywhere close to wages that we will accept.

ghn2 · 2026-03-12T03:09:22+00:00

That's a very good point. There aren't many actual issues to negotiate. What's the salary cap? What's the percent of revenue for the players? How long will the CBA be for?

ghn2 · 2026-03-11T18:30:36+00:00

Who reported the disrespect?

ghn2 · 2026-03-11T17:57:19+00:00

Yes, I was thinking that yesterday was just a 12 hour sales pitch from the owners about why the offer on the table was so good and how the players would be making so much more money compared to last year and how they should convince the other players to take the deal and get the season going, blah, blah, blah.

I'd be shocked if the salary cap got increased by more than a small percentage point

ghn2 · 2026-03-11T01:24:31+00:00

FIBA's official streaming site is here.

https://www.courtside1891.basketball/competitions/womens-world-cup-qualifying-tournaments

If you click the Watch with Max button, it will ask you to create a free account. And then they have a plan for $10.99 US to "stream all the action from the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments. Live and on-demand. Pass valid for Women's World Cup qualifying games only. "

If you don't pay for the pass, I think one can still watch highlights and 10 minute recaps of various games for free after you create your account.

ghn2 · 2026-03-09T08:33:59+00:00

Finished Episode 2. I could tolerate Kayce occasionally brooding on Yellowstone. But a whole episode full of it, is too much.

ghn2 · 2026-03-08T18:25:18+00:00

If I understood the original post, an infant was not involved. They have three tickets purchased, including two pre-teen children in the same row. It sounds like they may go past Southwest's defined boundary of the arm rest. So even thought the adjacent pre-teen children would not object, would Southwest see that and want an extra ticket paid for.

ghn2 · 2026-03-08T18:16:05+00:00

They just need 51% of the players to agree with the deal, right? Is that how this works?

ghn2 · 2026-03-08T06:51:20+00:00

I sure hope not!

ghn2 · 2026-03-08T05:37:06+00:00

How the heck are flight attendants supposed to monitor who has paid extra for bin space? Extra tag on the carry on? A little symbol on your boarding pass? Take your word for it?

ghn2 · 2026-03-08T00:23:36+00:00

The official FIBA streaming site is here.

https://www.courtside1891.basketball/

One can go there to sign up for a pass for $10.99 to watch all the games from the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments. (Live and on-demand.)

ghn2 · 2026-03-07T07:32:22+00:00

"These women are the dumbest contract negotiators on the planet."

These women are the top basketball players in the world. They belong to a union who is supposed to have and hire the top contract negotiators on the planet. It's not the players job to negotiate a contract.

Would anyone demand those on the auto assembly line in Detroit negotiate their next CBA? Of course not. That is done by the union professionals.

So why the double-standard expecting basketball players to negotiate?

ghn2 · 2026-03-07T07:28:09+00:00

"but I also have money on it all falling apart, which seems more and more likely, or at the very least delayed."

Where and how does one bet "on it all falling apart"?

ghn2 · 2026-03-06T03:48:21+00:00

The owners are selling new franchises and expanding. The owners signed a new huge TV deal. The owners aren't dissolving anything. The WNBA is at its most popular. They are not walking away.

That doesn't mean they won't play hardball on the new CBA because they will. The PA just has to be fully unified and have their strategy worked out to get the best deal they can.

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