The CBA between the WNBA and the WNBPA has expired. Notwithstanding two time extensions from Halloween until last weekend, the two sides chose not to come to an agreement, and the league now exists in a zombie state. There are no rules or restrictions on things that players or teams might choose to do; and at the same time, there is reason for teams and players to do nothing spectacular since no one knows what the new rules/restrictions will be once a new CBA comes into existence – – which must happen sometime down the road.
There is no player strike and there is no league- imposed lockout at least for the moment. The sticking points seem to be commonplace for management/union stalemates – – salaries and benefits. Both sides issued statements once the CBA ceased to exist over the weekend and both statements were just about what anyone would have expected under the circumstances
From the union:
“Make no mistake, pay equity is not optional and progress is long overdue. We urge the league and its teams to meet this moment. The players already have and will continue to do so.”
From the league:
“As the league experiences a pivotal time of unprecedented popularity and growth, we recognize the importance of building upon that momentum. Our priority is a deal that significantly increases player salaries, enhances the overall player experience, and supports the long-term growth of the league for current and future generations of players and fans.”
Unless one is willing to project the evaporation of the WNBA and its disappearance from the sporting cosmos, there will need to be a compromise here one of these days. Here is my “suggestion” for the sports media in the US:
- Report NOTHING about the players and the league until and unless they announce that negotiations are over and a new CBA has come to be.
Recall in George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, there were “Unpersons” – – those that had been “removed” from society by the Party and whose very existence had been expunged from all memories. I believe the best thing that could happen to the labor negotiations here is for BOTH SIDES to experience what it is like to be an “Unperson”. If there is nothing that either side can do to achieve even a morsel of attention from the media, both sides may become a bit more motivated to get to where they both need to get.
- The league might begin to wonder if indeed the sporting public and the sports media might be able to continue to exist without a thing called the WNBA. Public indifference might lead to public absence from arenas and from in front of TV sets.
- The players might begin to recognize that if the league fails or exists in diminished stature, their playing future(s) will also go into decline. Yes, the players would still have overseas leagues to join, and they would still have their 3-on-3 league, “Unrivaled”, as opportunities. However, they exist now and if they were sufficient for players’ opportunities, there would be no imperative for worrying about any WNBA issues at all.
Let the coverage moratorium begin today and see how long it is until either or both sides here try to do something to “get back in the news”. My guess is that would happen in 3-5 days …
Moving on … The Winter Olympics in Milan will start on February 6th; late last week, The Athletic had a report that there seems to be a major glitch in the preparation for the ice hockey events there. The plans called for the construction of a new venue for Olympic hockey; with less than a month to go before pucks could drop, “… the main ice hockey venue remains very much a work in progress.”
The report says that the arena feels like a construction site even though a test game was played there last week. There is an ice surface and there are seats in the arena; that is the good news. However here are a few other observations from the report:
“Construction dust floated over the playing surface”
And …
“There were still multiple large holes in the exterior of the building “
And …
“The permanent dressing room area is also still under construction”
And …
“The practice rink structure is currently dotted with forklifts, building materials and other tools … Getting that completed is vital since there won’t be anywhere else for teams to skate during the Olympics, when the main rink will be jammed with as many as three games per day.”
And …
“The building currently features unpainted drywall and unfinished concrete floors throughout. There will be no fancy concourses or luxury boxes here. On Friday night, fans [for the test game played there] could purchase food and beer from food trucks parked outside.”
This sounds like the essence of a goat rodeo. Like the inevitability of a new CBA for the WNBA and its players, there will be accommodations made to permit the Olympic hockey competition to happen. Just sit back and focus on other matters and wait to see just what those accommodations turn out to be.
Finally, here is an interesting perspective on “inevitability” from author, Haruki Murakami:
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports ………
Hah. We love Italy. More than likely, glitches will be glossed over amid the pomp and hype of NBC coverage. Americans, all of us, will eat the hype up.
and in a built from the ground arena – it still won’t be a standard sized rink. and it is not like they had to shoehorn it in an inner city like Fenway. Corruption.