INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The WNBA All-Stars needed to ship a transparent message to the league on the sport’s brightest stage.
The entire gamers on Crew Clark and Crew Collier warmed up for Saturday night time’s WNBA All-Star Recreation in shirts that learn “Pay us what you owe us.”
“We get a really tiny proportion of all the cash that’s made by the WNBA, which clearly is made by the leisure we offer,” stated Napheesa Collier on the choice to put on the shirts. “So we would like a good and affordable proportion of that.”
The concept was hatched Saturday morning at a gamers assembly.
The demonstration comes after the gamers and the league failed to achieve a brand new collective bargaining settlement at an in-person assembly Thursday. The league’s gamers opted out of their final CBA in October, and are on the lookout for a greater revenue-sharing mannequin, elevated salaries, improved advantages and a softer wage cap.
After the failed negotiations, many gamers stated there was a big discrepancy between what they needed and what the league was providing. If a brand new CBA shouldn’t be reached by October some gamers, together with All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese, have talked about the potential of a walkout.
On the finish of the sport, chants of “Pay them!” broke out within the enviornment. Some followers held indicators that learn “Pay the gamers,” throughout the recreation.
“We had no concept that they have been in solidarity with our demonstration,” stated Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA. “I’ve been listening to all of it weekend on the fan occasions, supporting us and wanting us to get our fair proportion of the worth.”
This was probably the final time that so many gamers could be collectively in a single place earlier than the season ends — a truth not misplaced on the union management.
“This can be a excellent alternative to lift consciousness for what we’re doing and do it collectively,” Collier stated.
The gamers aren’t determined whether or not they’ll put on the shirts on their very own groups over the course of the second half of the season which begins Tuesday. They hope that followers will put on them because the union introduced on social media throughout the recreation that the shirts have been on sale.
Ogwumike was unaware that the shirts have been already on sale.
“You set it on the market, and also you stand on enterprise,” stated Courtney Williams concerning the shirts. “And we’re standing on enterprise.”
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