#WNBA players union

[clubhoops]

The WNBA Players Union has officially opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA), two years ahead of its expiration. Both the league and the players union had the option to make this move before the November 1 deadline.

This early opt-out signals a pivotal moment for the WNBA, following the signing of a landmark 11-year media rights deal valued at $200 million per year. The players are now advocating for a new economic model that replaces the current system, which they argue imposes arbitrary caps on player value and benefits.

The union is calling for an equity-based model that aligns with the league’s increasing business success, ensuring that players benefit directly from the league’s growth. Other priorities include improving salaries, retirement benefits, childcare, and family planning resources.

“This isn’t some sudden wake-up call. It’s the culmination of what we’ve been driving for over the last several seasons,” said WNBPA vice president Kelsey Plum. “We’ve played a key role in the league’s historic growth, and now we’re breaking free from the current system to demand full transparency and an equitable stake in the business we’ve helped build.”

The union’s decision marks a turning point in the future of the WNBA, with players asserting their influence and demanding meaningful change as the league grows in prominence.

[gogonzojournal]

For the Ladies: Women's Final Four, Comedian Cheryl Reeve, WNBA Draft, and PHF Playoffs

We discuss the Women's Final Four, Cheryl Reeve being hilarious, the WNBA Draft, the PHF Playoffs and news of the PWHPA unionizing. 

We preview the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, the Minnesota Lynx WNBA Draft, and discuss the comedy stylings of Cheryl Reeve, the Premier Hockey Federation playoffs, and news of the PWHPA forming a union.  Listen here. Watch here. Mujeres’ March Madness is About to Begin! NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship Game to air on network television with its own pregame show for the…

[strawberryblondebutch]

do you think philadelphia will get a single women's pro sports franchise by the end of the decade? (my hopes, which were originally low (based on nwsl and wnba competition), are now lower, specifically after seeing the neutral game sites for pwhl)

Josh Harris when I get you Josh Harris

(I take a deep sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose)

So. The WNBA, the PWHL, and the NWSL (in that order) are prioritizing expansion teams that can give players the facilities they need to thrive. When you submit your expansion bid, you need to have a home venue and a practice facility locked down so that those poor players aren't being shuffled around subpar facilities.

This is a good thing. A great thing, even! We've come a long way in the last ten years. However, this is also where Philly gets screwed, because:

Josh Harris is holding the Philadelphia 76ers hostage. If the local NBA team doesn't even know where they'll be playing by the end of the decade (South Philly? Chinatown? Fucking Camden, New Jersey? Who knows!), then Cathy won't let her players anywhere near that fuckery.

Not knowing where the Sixers will play affects PWHL expansion as well - unlike the WNBA, which plays in the summer, the PWHL and NHL season overlap entirely. So a women's hockey team in Philly (let's call them the Phoenix, that's what they are in my mind) might have to share with the Flyers and with the Sixers, which is not ideal. Until the Sixers leave their limbo, there's nowhere for the Phoenix to go. Sharing the Wells Fargo Center has already been a problem for the NHL, with opposing teams sometimes forced to do a practice skate at the Penn Ice Rink because there's just not enough space.

This one is not Josh Harris's fault, but as for the NWSL... the Union facilities suck. They do. They're not in Philly proper, they're in Chester, and they're right next to a garbage incinerator. The Union already have problems attracting fans because they're so out of the way, and those numbers don't look good to Jess Berman.

There's also a very silly excuse that some executives have made, which is that Philly doesn't need any pro women's teams because we're too close to the New York media market. Now, I don't know about you, but I'd rather stop watching sports forever than support a New York team. (The Yankees don't count, Anthony Volpe is my terrible Italian son.)

I think, if Philly gets any women's team, it'll be the upcoming Women's Pro Baseball League. Citizens Bank Park has gotten a lot of praise from players on its condition (although for some, they were recovering from the trauma of playing at the Vet), and they've also hosted the Savannah Bananas, so they're willing to rent out the space to other ballgames. The former Riversharks ballpark across the river in Camden has been demolished, but there's a very nice new athletics complex there.

Also, Jimmy Rollins has wanted a women's baseball league for years, and you don't want to disappoint JRoll. His mom Gigi is a better shortstop than he is, and he was featured in the See Her Be Her documentary about women's baseball.

[lezzballer]

do you know anything about sue bird being a zionist?

Sue Bird is not a Zionist. She played basketball for a KGB spy and mobster named Shabtai Kalmanovich. There were rules in the Russian league preventing teams from stuffing rosters with US players. In order to get around those rules, Shabtai got an Israeli passport for Sue and an Italian passport for Diana. He was very good at this passport game because he had all kinds of connections. He could just pick up the phone, have a 10 minute conversation, and produce a passport out of thin air. Sue and Dee talk about it in this podcast.

The Soviet Union sent Shabtai to Israel to be a spy. He spied on them for years and years. Then he was caught and served a long sentence in an Israeli prison. This was all before his Russian basketball era. His money came from the sweat and labor of Soviet workers. The KGB took public money to set up their own financial portfolios before the Soviet Union dissolved. Most of the businesses they invested in were connected to the mafia. So that's the money he was paying Sue and Diana with until he was killed in a mob war.

[f1ghtsoftly]

All The Women’s News You Missed Last Week:

9/9/24-9/16/24

US Reproductive Rights:

The Young Woman Making Kamala Harris’ Strongest Case on Abortion Rights

A judge strikes down North Dakota’s abortion ban and rules that access is protected

Missouri’s ballot will include abortion rights measure in November, court rules

More Women Had Their Tubes Tied After Roe V. Wade Was Overturned

Transgender/Gender Critical:

A look at Trump's 'transgender operations on illegal aliens' debate claim

Transgender New Hampshire teens can play for girls' sports teams during lawsuit, judge says

Sarah McBride is one step closer to becoming the first trans member of Congress

Greens hit with £90,000 bill after discrimination case

Graham Linehan 'subjected to discrimination in Belfast pub over gender critical beliefs'

US:

Trump says 'I hate Taylor Swift' after pop star endorses Harris

If Harris wins, she would make history. But she isn’t talking about that

A’ja Wilson becomes 1st WNBA player to reach 1,000 points in a season as Aces top Sun

WNY high school athletes, transgender advocates bring awareness to NY PROP 1

New York officials to release new renderings of possible Gilgo Beach victim

The anti-abortion activist urging followers not to support Trump

Trailblazing ballerina Michaela DePrince dies aged 29

Arkansas’ gov says Medicaid extension for new moms isn’t needed. Advisers disagree

Biden commemorates Violence Against Women Act as 'proudest' legislative win on eve of its 30th anniversary

She couldn't go to her daughter's graduation, so the hospital brought it to her

A venture capital grant program for Black women officially ends after court ruling

U.S. urges Israel to swiftly investigate killing of American woman in West Bank

Global:

Man accused of killing a Ugandan Olympian by setting her on fire, dies of burn wounds

Channel 4 will not remove alleged abuser from show

'Baby Reindeer' is facing a lawsuit — that didn't stop it from winning 6 Emmys

Kidnapped and trafficked twice - a sex worker's life in Sierra Leone

Couple accused of murdering teen to steal baby acquitted

'Lashed for a social media photo' in Iran

Olympic runner Cheptegei defied her violent ex. She lost her life anyway

Former prominent BBC news anchor gets suspended sentence for indecent images of children on phone

A union leader freed from prison vows to continue a strike against Cambodia’s’s biggest casino

Mother in Gaza longs for triplets in Jerusalem hospital

Princess Kate completes chemotherapy treatment for cancer

A Filipino preacher on the run from sexual abuse charges surrenders

Culture:

Profiles in clean energy: She founded a business to keep EV charging stations up and running

Hillary Clinton takes stock of life’s wins and losses in a memoir inspired by a Joni Mitchell lyric

Her piano concert was six years in the making. Then Puerto Rico's power went out

'I wanted to make a gay Clueless': Jamie Babbit on how her lesbian comedy But I'm a Cheerleader became a cult classic

'Criminally underrated': Why My Brilliant Friend is one of the best shows on TV

Jessica Pratt cracks open the sunny veneer of the California dream

Cooking for the most powerful person in the world

Rachel Kushner's new espionage thriller may be her coolest book yet

Want this emailed to you instead? Subscribe here.

As always, this is global and domestic news from a US perspective covering feminist issues and women in the news more generally. As of right now, I do not cover Women’s Sports. Published each Monday afternoon. 

I am looking for better sources on women’s arts and culture outside of the English-speaking world, if you know of any-please be in touch.

[siddysthings]

WNBA players' union calls out journalist writing Caitlin Clark book for fueling 'racist, homophobic and misogynistic' abuse | Daily Mail Online

[wikiuntamed]

Top 5 @Wikipedia pages from yesterday: Tuesday, 16th April 2024

Welcome, chào mừng, добродошли (dobrodošli), bem-vindo 🤗 What were the top pages visited on @Wikipedia (16th April 2024) 🏆🌟🔥?

1️⃣: Indian Premier League "The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as the TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's Twenty20 (T20) cricket league held annually in India. Founded by the BCCI in 2007, the league features ten city-based franchise teams. The IPL usually takes place during the summer, between March and May..."

2️⃣: Fallout (American TV series) "Fallout is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the role-playing video game franchise created by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, the series stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moisés..."

3️⃣: 2024 Indian Premier League "The 2024 Indian Premier League (also known as IPL 17 and branded as TATA IPL 2024) is the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league in India, organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The tournament features ten teams competing 74 matches from 22..."

4️⃣: UEFA Champions League "The UEFA Champions League (previously known as the European Cup, abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition..."

5️⃣: Caitlin Clark "Caitlin Clark (born January 22, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes and is regarded as one of the greatest collegiate players of all time. Clark is the..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by John Mac

[guerranarcos]

Viktor Bout

Image Source: ABC News

Viktor Bout is a notorious Russian arms dealer who was arrested in Thailand in 2008 as part of a United States backed sting operation. Bout became well known when he was released as part of the 2022 prisoner swap to free WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was being held in a Russian prison after being convicted of smuggling and possession of cannabis in Russia.

Little is known about Bout’s origins and early life to the point where even his birthday is not confidently known. It is known that Bout served as a Lieutenant in the Soviet Army as a translator, as he is fluent in at least five languages (English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, and Persian).

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Bout was able to gain access to surplus Soviet weapons, which he used to start his own weapon smuggling business. Bout made a fortune (approximately $50 billion) by selling and smuggling weapons to countries and regimes that were under U.N. sanction.

While Bout was known mainly for smuggling arms illegally, it is suspected that he also smuggled for cartels. Even if Bout did not move a large percentage of product for cartels, his methods of smuggling have become very popular among the organizations. Bout’s method of using a fleet of planes to move product is commonly used by cartels to this day.

Here is a short 60 Minutes documentary on Bout: 60 Minutes

[addc10]

Proud of every single athlete who protested tonight, but I am especially proud of those who did it on MLS and WNBA salaries

[thundergrace]

By any measure, it should be the biggest story in sports: A franchise owner runs a racist Senate campaign, throwing their own Black players under the bus in the process. Meanwhile, one of those players takes the year off from playing ball to dedicate themselves to social justice concerns. That player asks to meet with the aforementioned franchise owner to discuss those concerns and is denied. The franchise owner refuses to meet and respectfully engage with someone who disagrees with them for political reasons. After the franchise owner faceplants their election campaign, ending in ignominious defeat, the players, the union, fans, and eventually even the league pressures them to sell the club.

That in and of itself would be a hell of a story. But this one goes to the next level: The aforementioned player joins an ownership group and buys the team. It’s positively cinematic. But this story isn’t getting the media attention it should be. That’s because it took place in the WNBA. Sexism is a hell of a drug, and it’s a damn shame because this is a story for the ages.

The now-former franchise owner is of course Trumpist lickspittle Kelly Loeffler, who lost her bid for Georgia’s senate seat to the Rev. Raphael Warnock. The team is the Atlanta Dream. The player is two-time WNBA champ Renee Montgomery. And this is truly news to celebrate.

[rapeculturerealities]

By any measure, it should be the biggest story in sports: A franchise owner runs a racist Senate campaign, throwing her own Black players under the bus in the process. Meanwhile, one of those players takes the year off from playing ball to dedicate herself to social justice concerns. That player asks to meet with the aforementioned franchise owner to discuss those concerns and is denied. The franchise owner refuses to meet and respectfully engage with someone who disagrees with her for political reasons. After the franchise owner faceplants their election campaign, ending in ignominious defeat, the players, the union, fans, and eventually even the league pressures her to sell the club.

That in and of itself would be a hell of a story. But this one goes to the next level: The aforementioned player joins an ownership group and buys the team. It’s positively cinematic. But this story isn’t getting the media attention it should be. That’s because it took place in the WNBA. Sexism is a hell of a drug, and it’s a damn shame because this is a story for the ages.

read more

[female-buckets]

But is it maybe unfair that all this stuff about Liz is only coming out a year after the fact? Could Nneka be right that someone has an agenda in releasing this now?

AGENDA!?!?!?

Agenda? Agenda.

🙄🙄🙄 So. You think the Nigerian national team has an agenda. They have some sneaky agenda. And that's why they spoke to the Australian press. They want to ruin Liz. Is that right? Is that what you and Nneka Ogwumike are saying?

When victims come forward, it's an agenda? Is that what the WNBA stands for??? Is that what the WNBPA president stands for???

Actually, it might be. When I went to that Storm game, they had the Storm mascot dressed like Jack Sparrow. Jack Sparrow??? Really? Right now? The Storm really made Jack Sparrow their mascot and didn't think anything of it. Like, if you want a pirate mascot, just dress him as a pirate! You don't have to say over the loudspeaker that he's Jack Sparrow! Think! Use your brains!

Ugh. I'm getting off topic. The point is, this journalist and Nneka are both sort of disgusting.

"Nneka is Nigerian. So she speaks for all Nigerians." What!?!? All 200+ million?? Is she the president of Nigeria now too??

Nneka and Chiney are from Texas. They're not on the Nigerian national team. But they have been friends with Liz for years. Do the math.

People have been claiming Chiney Ogwumike is on the Nigerian national team. That's fake news lol. Both of the Ogwumikes played for Team USA in FIBA events. They can't switch teams unless FIBA decides it would promote global basketball. I think they could easily make a case that it would. But in order to make that case, they'd have to have a good relationship with the Nigerian national team.

The Nigerian team is led by NCAA/EuroLeague stars Victoria Macauley and Adaora Elonu. There are no WNBA players on the team. When they spoke to the press, they requested anonymity. They believe if they made their names public, it would hurt their careers. And the literal WNBPA president is now calling them liars. So they were right.

So, let's go over what we've learned.

Lindsay Kagawa Colas slipped up and failed to prep Nneka with a woke response.

Nneka is claiming the Nigerian national team is lying and spreading an agenda.

The Ogwumikes do not have a positive relationship with the Nigerian national team.

Macauley and Elonu have no chance in the WNBA as long as Nneka is running things.

Ezi Magbegor's silence isn't just shyness, but fear of backlash from her union president.

Nneka and Derek Fisher care more about winning than about anti-racism.

The WNBPA needs a new president. It can't be Sue because she's about to retire. It can't be Layshia because she's not in the league. So... little baby Satou Sabally, 24, is the best option. Satou for president.

[mariacallous]

Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon

Earlier this month, a court in Moscow sentenced Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for bringing cannabis oil into Russia in February 2022. If forced to serve her full term, the American basketball star would be almost 40 before she’s free to come home. The outcome of Griner’s trial was never in doubt, but her fate remains undecided, pending negotiations between Moscow and Washington about a potential exchange that could involve another American citizen imprisoned in Russia (former Marine Paul Whelan) and two Russian nationals who are currently jailed in the West (arms trafficker Viktor Bout in the U.S. and convicted assassin Vadim Krasikov in Germany). Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon, a doctoral student in history at the University of Pennsylvania who writes about race, foreign policy, and culture in Russia, has been following Griner’s case closely and says it embodies the Putin regime’s newfound confidence in its bad reputation abroad.

Since the news of Brittney Griner’s conviction and nine-year sentence for violating Article 229 of Russia’s Criminal Code, American public discourse has been in a firestorm. Opposing sides argue that Brittney’s sentence is an example of Russian racism. Others blame Griner for breaking Russian law or for being in Russia as its diplomatic relations with the United States deteriorated. 

As many Americans focus their attention on transposing American understandings of justice and injustice onto Russia, I have been interested in how little we discuss what Griner’s case reveals about Russia. As I’ve argued previously, Griner’s conviction tells us how comfortable Russia (read: Putin and his administrative apparatus) has become as a pariah to the West. 

The latest invasion of Ukraine and the brutality with which Russian forces have behaved there (atrocities committed in Bucha, Irpin, and Mykolaiv are just a few examples) are only one facet of Russia’s growing international isolation and the embrace of its outcast position in the West. As the European Union, Great Britain, and the United States maintain their sanctions packages against Moscow, we’ve seen comical Russian reinventions of popular Western brands and foods. Vain attempts at Russianizing Western goods — like a McDonald’s replacement (“Delicious, Full Stop”) and prison versions of Ikea furniture — underscore how much Russia and Russians are economically connected to and dependent on the West.

So, how does Brittney Griner fit into this puzzle? Griner’s arrest, conviction, and sentencing are due to the war in Ukraine. It is not a coincidence that she was arrested a week before Russia began its latest assault. Griner’s imprisonment is now a warning to other Western athletes (particularly Americans) not to visit or compete in Russia anytime soon. She represents leverage that Russia has not held over the United States in decades, and we still do not know how Putin will use that leverage. Still, these are the overarching geopolitical implications. 

Despite the dazzling salaries that women’s basketball teams in Russia offer to WNBA players in the offseason, the risks of returning to play here are now too great. This is disappointing and lamentable on multiple levels. Griner and others in the WNBA enjoyed their time in Russia, praised their Russian colleagues, and won championships for Russian teams. Griner’s teammates testified on her behalf, illustrating the deep friendships and connections forged between American and Russian women’s basketball players. 

Russia’s war in Ukraine and case against Griner has severed connections like these — ties that took years to build. Like other Russians, Griner’s UMMC Yekaterinburg teammates now face increasingly draconian limitations on their speech and contact with foreigners. American audiences unfamiliar with Russian politics do not appreciate the significance of teammate Evgeniya Belyakova and General Manager Maxim Ryabkov testifying in court on Griner’s behalf.

As Russian troops commit atrocities in Ukraine, Russian civilians come closer to totalized state control. 

The war in Ukraine and Brittney Griner’s case have reinforced the worst Cold War-era Western stereotypes and ideas about Russia, from the “Communist” totalitarian state to the “Eastern” menace. The difference, it seems, is that Russia is now leaning into these descriptions. On television (still the most popular source of information in Russia), the state mediaregularly broadcasts support for the depravity of Russian violence in Ukraine and for using Americans like Brittney Griner as bargaining chips with Western powers. 

What remains to be seen for Griner is if Russia will negotiate with the United States in good faith for her and Paul Whelan’s release. In exchange for these two wrongfully imprisoned Americans, Russia has asked for two dangerous Russian nationals: a convicted arms dealer, Viktor Bout, and a convicted murderer in German custody, Vadim Krasikov.

It’s as if Russia is replaying the script from a bad 1980s spy film. 

Under Vladimir Putin’s rule, Russia stands at a historical precipice from which it may not be able to return. It is isolated, violent, and increasingly dependent on Western antagonism for its self-image. Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, and Viktor Bout will probably return to their respective home countries in the coming months. But the damage Russia has done in Ukraine and the harm it has inflicted on its standing in the world are irreparable. 

[siddysthings]

WNBA players' union calls out journalist writing Caitlin Clark book for fueling 'racist, homophobic and misogynistic' abuse | Daily Mail Online

[tooneysunited]

Tobin played for Portland from 2013 when the nwsl started. I don't think we're ever going to see the end of trading in the nwsl because that's the system in the US. What is not the system is no free agency and allocation for uswnt players as well as there being player rights where even after leaving the league players have to go back and players for a certain team, the nwsl needs to get rid of those stuff and have a real players union with a cba and model themselves like the wnba

ah okay, thank you for explaining it! i guess it’s complicated to change the system since the nwsl is so intertwined with the national team. but for the players’ sake i definitely hope something will change in the near future, maybe not the whole system but so that the players at least have more of a say in where they will go.