Its been a long time coming since 2018 when players in the Women’s National Basketball Association opted out of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in an effort to seek higher pay and better working conditions. On Tuesday, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) reached an agreement on a new historic CBA that will chart a fresh course for women’s professional basketball.
The new eight-year CBA, which commences with the 2020 season and runs through 2027, features significant investments by the league and its teams aimed directly at increasing player salary and compensation, improvements to the overall player experience, resources specifically designed with the professional female athlete in mind, as well as a commitment to implement an integrated marketing plan league-wide.
Last year, I spoke to @T_Cloud4 about the ongoing #WNBA CBA negotiations: “We’re not asking to be paid millions like our #NBA counterparts. We’re asking for enough to be financially stable.” The league’s new CBA features increased salaries, better travel accommodations & more. pic.twitter.com/1CBiMnF6EV
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) January 14, 2020
Under the new CBA, the league’s top players will be able to earn cash compensation in excess of $500,000, representing a more than tripling of the maximum compensation under the prior deal. Other top players will have an opportunity to earn between $200,000 and $300,000. For the first time in WNBA history, the average cash compensation for players will exceed six figures, averaging nearly $130,000, resulting in an increase for all players from rookies to veterans.
Additional highlights include enhanced player experience with respect to travel and child care benefits, and expanded offseason career development opportunities. The landmark agreement also features a more liberal free agency system, and a more robust and equitable revenue-sharing model based on league revenue growth.
“We approached these negotiations with a player-first agenda, and I am pleased that this agreement guarantees substantial increases in compensation and progressive benefits for the women of the WNBA,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
“Cathy Engelbert, the first WNBA Commissioner, brought her perspective as a former women’s basketball student-athlete, her experience as a business professional and her passion for the game to these negotiations,” said WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike. “We found common ground in areas that confirmed the league’s and the players’ intentions to not only make meaningful improvements in working conditions and overall professional experience, but also to improve the business with strategic planning and intentional marketing that will keep the WNBA front and center year-round.”
“With cautious optimism and trusting the league’s renewed commitment and investment, the players demonstrated a willingness to ‘lean in’ themselves and show an even greater commitment and investment in the W,” said WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson. “There are significant gains all across the board in this new agreement, and everything is in place for our players and the league to thrive.”
Below is a more in-depth overview of key elements in the new 2020 WNBA-WNBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Additional cash compensation:
• Minimum of $1.6 million in offseason league and team marketing agreements, and up to $300,000 in additional annual cash compensation for select players.
• Minimum of $750,000 in prize money for special competitions beginning with the 2021 season.
• New 50-50 revenue sharing beginning with the 2021 season, based on the league achieving revenue growth targets from broadcast agreements, marketing partnerships and licensing deals.
• Increases in cash bonuses for performance awards (such as for WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year) and newly created cash bonuses (such as for each player named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team).
Quality of travel:
• Premium Economy class status for all players for regular-season air travel.
• Individual hotel room accommodations for every player.
• A collaborative effort to address travel concerns through the Player Advisory Panel.
Motherhood and family planning:
• Players to receive full salary while on maternity leave.
• New annual childcare stipend of $5,000.
• Two-bedroom apartments for players with children.
• Workplace accommodations that provide a comfortable, safe and private place for nursing mothers.
• New, progressive family planning benefits of up to a $60,000 reimbursement for veteran players for costs directly related to adoption, surrogacy, oocyte cryopreservation or fertility/infertility treatment.
Free agency:
• Unrestricted free agency available to players one year earlier than under the prior agreement beginning with the free agency period leading up to the 2021 season. Specifically, players who complete the playing services called for in their contract and have five or more years of service will become unrestricted free agents (if they are not designated as a “Core” player).
• Reduction in the number of times a player can receive the “Core” designation – from four to three beginning with the 2020 season, dropping to two beginning with the 2022 season.
Career development and other quality of life:
• The WNBA will work with its affiliated leagues, teams and sponsors to provide off-season job opportunities designed to prepare players for their post-playing careers and will advance diversity in coaching initiatives for veteran players interested in coaching careers.
• Enhanced mental health benefits and resources.
• Augmented and holistic domestic/intimate partner violence program that includes education and counseling.
• Joint Nutrition Council committed to identifying resources and address proper nutrition to optimize athletic performance.
• Access to experts in women’s health and representation on league policy committees.
The new CBA will be finalized after ratification by the players and the league’s Board of Governors.