EBOG: Euros, WAFCON, and Boston x Boston
Dear readers, I must say, writing about the NWSL while the NWSL is on break is a different challenge. I’ve never had to do this before, so I hope what […]
Swish Happens Here: CBA negotiations, where they go from here, and Black women in the WNBA enduring endless scrutiny from Fever fans
It’s been quite the tumultuous week in the WNBA, but let us be honest. Is there ever a dull moment, whether it be thrilling or downright uncomfortable? Unfortunately for fans, the last several days have brought an overabundance of the latter. With that said, let us dive into this week’s jam-packed Swish Happens Here.
The WNBA’s best and brightest have converged on Indianapolis for All-Star festivities, but one reason is central to them all – CBA negotiations with league officials.
On Wednesday afternoon, the WNBA and its players’ association (WNBPA) met face-to-face in Indianapolis during All-Star weekend as the two parties continued negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) ahead of the Oct. 8 deadline. This was the second meeting between the two since the WNBPA opted out of its current CBA.
There’s no clear indication of how the meeting went, but after several damning calls for action from players across the league, the WNBPA’s statement makes it clear that the two sides are not any closer to a new deal.
“The WNBA’s response to our proposals fails to address the priorities we’ve voiced from the day we opted out,” said a statement issued by the WNBPA, “a transformational CBA that delivers our rightful share of the business that we’ve built, improves working conditions, and ensures the success we create lifts both today’s players and the generation that follow.”
The meeting, which drew the largest in-person turnout in the union’s history, was a defining moment in the process as players continue to advocate for what they consider a fair deal for the league, both now and for its future.
WNBPA CBA Elevator selfie is my Met Gala Bathroom selfie
— Anna ‘Huff Hive’ D. (@gnocchifc.bsky.social) Jul 18, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Players have long voiced their concerns about what they see as crucial in negotiations. Increased salaries, a softer salary cap, a better revenue-sharing model, and roster expansion are key elements.
In late June, the WNBPA received the league’s first counterproposal. As several viral clips have shown, players were not pleased with what they saw.
During practice last month, Phoenix Mercury All-Star and WNBPA representative Satou Sabally told reporters that the league’s counteroffer was a “slap in the face.”
Keep in mind that this came less than 24 hours after the league announced plans to add five more expansion teams by 2030, bringing the total to a league-record 18 teams.
“I think we can focus on our players,” Sabally said. “In the union, we got a proposal from the league which was honestly a slap in the face. We really have to put an emphasis on the players in our league right now, but I love to see the league growing.”
One thing about it, Satou doesn’t hold back
— Vanessa Tompkins (@sand33-ch33kz.bsky.social) Jul 2, 2025 at 2:41 AM
In addition to the Golden State Valkyries this season, the Portland and Toronto franchises begin play in 2026, followed by Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Detroit from 2028-30.
Last month, the WNBA received record-breaking $250 million expansion fees from each new ownership group. It also landed a substantial $2.2 billion media rights deal. Team evaluations have also seen record-highs, with the New York Liberty’s most recent round of capital raising from a group of investors that increased the franchise’s valuation to a record $450 million.
Less than a week after Sabally sounded off, Liberty star and WNBPA representative Breanna Stewart said the league’s response was “pretty polar opposite” of the union’s requests. The three-time league champion said the WNBA “kind of just ignored everything we said.”
“That was the hardest part,” Stewart said after practice. “It’s like, we’re not even talking about the same thing right now. We’re talking about X’s and O’s at this point and completely different sides of the game.”
If one thing is clear, it is the fact that the WNBPA and its representatives are united on one front, which will prove to be a crucial tool on the journey ahead.
Women’s sports are surfing a wave unseen before in history, and the WNBA is no exception. From attendance, ticket sales, television ratings, and newfound interest in the league, the WNBPA has no choice but to strike while the iron is scalding hot. This is not lost on the union, nor its president, Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike.
“It’s been made clear that this perception that the players don’t understand the business,” the 10-time All-Star told reporters after practice earlier this month. “[WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert] told me that to my face myself. I communicated that to the players and I said, ‘OK, let’s demonstrate that we do understand the business, especially as we’re going back and forth in negotiations.”
Napheesa Collier on how the players are approaching WNBA CNA negotiations and the strengths Nneka Ogwumike continually demonstrates as president of the players association.
— Nancy Drew: Girl Detective (@sonjajacobsen.bsky.social) Jul 17, 2025 at 5:53 AM
My question is a simple, yet fair one. If this is what WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is saying to a 14-year veteran’s face, what is being said behind closed doors where players are not?
From the tone of the union’s statement and the rash of players airing their grievances through the media (as they should), it seems rather clear that they are ready for what comes next, whether that be a new CBA before Oct. 8 or a possible lockout, as reported by the New York Post. Ogwumike made it clear this week that the WNBPA is focused on accomplishing its goal of a new deal.
“Recent report from who? Really? I guess that’s what they’re saying. That’s not what we’re saying. We want to get a good deal done. This meeting that we’re going to have comes with high player participation, which is exactly what is most important to me is player engagement. Of course, being informed and understanding of what we’re going in there with the little time that we have to discuss, because, you know, these negotiations take weeks and months. That’s why we started so early. I think the league and players understand what’s at stake, especially with the growth we’re experiencing, both as teams, players, and organizations. And of course, as fans. I feel encouraged, especially because of how many players. want to be at the table. We’ll see what that yields, and I anticipate that a lot of the questions that people have been having about the CBA will probably change after this meeting. Involved. You kind of get to things. A lot gets done, or things get done a little bit faster, for you to understand the trajectory of where the negotiations are going.”
Fever Fan Ejected from Sun/Fever Game
As a colleague of mine put it, it’s not all Fever fans, but somehow, it’s always a Fever fan.
On Tuesday, the Connecticut Sun hosted the Indiana Fever at TD Garden for the Uncasville-based franchise’s second home game in Boston to connect the WNBA with the rest of New England. In the third quarter, a Fever fan sitting courtside was escorted off the court and out of the game.
Ask and ye shall receive. (No sound) Fever fan getting rejected from Sun-Fever game.
— Nancy Drew: Girl Detective (@sonjajacobsen.bsky.social) Jul 16, 2025 at 4:29 AM
The fan was sitting near the Sun bench when Sun rookie Saniya Rivers was attempting to inbound the ball, which is when the altercation occurred. Rivers then stepped away from the sideline and spoke with two referees. This led to security finding the fan, who donned a Caitlin Clark t-shirt jersey, and ejecting them from the game. The initial report was that the fan touched Rivers, which was then later retracted once the rookie guard clarified that this did not happen.
The Hartford Courant’s Emily Adams provided clarity: “The ejected fan did NOT touch her, he made a comment that warranted ejection. Rivers was in great spirits about it, joked that he wasted all that money on a seat just to get tossed.”
Let one thing be clear. Whether the person who paid for the ticket, who I cannot call a true “fan” of basketball due to their actions, touched Rivers or not, these usurpers of the game are reaching a level of boldness unseen before. And it is quite ironic that the vitriol spewed is always in the direction of a Black woman.
Whether it be Angel Reese, DiJonai Carrington, Alyssa Thomas, or Saniya Rivers, Black women in the WNBA have been subjected to some of the most vile and disparaging attacks I have seen on professional athletes. The nature of these situations and how they always seem to come from one fan base in particular is not uncanny. It is intentional.
These are not fans of basketball or fans of sport in general. These are the lowest of the low who utilize a professional basketball league to act out their disgusting, perverse view of the world, and Black women are at the forefront of it.
For some reason, nothing is done about it at the league level besides a “No Space for Hate” campaign that has proven to be a laughingstock on numerous occasions. When professional athletes who have to call out racism as often as they score a bucket, it should be clear that we have surpassed the boiling point of a laissez-faire approach.
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Born and raised in Chicago, Christan Braswell is a women’s sports journalist with a focus on the WNBA and women’s college basketball. He’s an avid fan of elevator screens and stuffed crust pizza. Outside of sports, he’s an avid cook and lover the great outdoors.
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