The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the WNBA and its players expires Friday night, and according to reports from ESPN, there likely won’t be another deadline extension. The deal was initially due to expire on October 31, but was extended to November 30 and then extended again to January 9. However, letting the agreement expire does not automatically mean there will be a work stoppage.
At Unrivaled practice on Thursday, Breanna Stewart told the media, “We’re not going to make a deal tomorrow, I can tell you that.” He went on to say that both sides will continue to negotiate in good faith. There is also a lot of confidence on the part of both sides that a deal will indeed be reached and that the 2026 WNBA season will end up happening, a fear among many as negotiations continue to drag on.
The latest report from ESPN’s Alexa Philippou adds another interesting tidbit: that the league realizes how much is at stake if games are lost (which could happen if a deal isn’t reached soon).
This information is somewhat new, but it has been alluded to for a while. The momentum the WNBA has gained in recent years continues to move forward, and skipping a season would do no good for the league. There is too much money at stake, even when you think about the media rights deal, endorsements and sponsorships. There is a lot of support for the league, but of course that support depends on what season actually unfolds.
That’s why the players have had more influence all this time. You can’t have all this support and attention in the league without the games happening, and you can’t have the games without the players. Players also have options, meaning they aren’t as desperate as they were just five years ago to accept whatever the WNBA was willing to offer. They can tough it out and not feel the effects as bad, because most players have other sources of income to depend on. Even if they don’t, they can easily go out and look for those opportunities.
It’s not that players don’t want to play either. The opposite is true; These players love being on that court more than anything. However, they also understand what is at stake. The fact that they have worked incredibly hard to build the league to what it is now, is that they put their bodies on the line for the league. They know they deserve better compensation for that, not only with money but also with treatment.
So they will stay strong now, to honor the people who paved the way for them and to make things better for the players who will play in this league once they are done.