Caitlin Clark is not ashamed to believe in the future of the WNBA, even as players and owners find themselves without a labor agreement in place for the 2025 season.
Speaking at a Nike event on Monday, the Indiana Fever sensation and WNBA Rookie of the Year remained firmly positive following the league’s record-breaking 2024 season, which ended Sunday with New York’s first title Liberty.
He didn’t specifically address the WNBPA’s decision to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement on Monday, but he still offered extreme optimism in an uncertain time.
“From the amount of people that have shown up in the stadiums, from the audience numbers to the people who really want to wear a WNBA player’s jersey,” Clark said in the satellite conference. ‘The way it has evolved in such a short period of time shows everyone that there are real opportunities here and that there have been opportunities here.
“The more we can continue to expand that and continue to have games on national television and get people in the seats because when they show up at a stadium, they always come back,” he continued. “The more people that can come out and watch the ‘W’ or the college game, the better it will be for the future of the game.”
Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark isn’t ashamed to believe in the future of the WNBA.
The early departure marks a crucial moment for the league. The WNBA recently signed a landmark 11-year media rights deal worth $200 million a year.
The league had record attendance and viewership this year that culminated in the WNBA Finals in which New York beat Minnesota in overtime on Sunday in a decisive Game 5. However, much of the season was defined by Clark and his fellow rookies, such as Chicago Sky power forward Angel Reese.
“This is a defining moment not only for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said Monday. ‘The world has evolved since 2020 and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we will be left behind. “This is a new era and we are ready to lead transformative change.”
The league has exploded and 2024 marks a breakthrough after years of significant and sustained growth. ESPN saw huge ratings increases and regular-season viewership increased 170 percent, according to the union.
The current collective agreement will continue to cover the 2025 season, so the two parties have one year to negotiate a new agreement.
“With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working together with the players and the WNBAPA on a new collective bargaining agreement that is fair to all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come,” she said. WNBA Commissioner Cathy. Engelberto said.
Much of the season was defined by Clark and his fellow rookies, such as Angel Reese (left).
Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu celebrates in the locker room with Breanna Stewart
Cathy Engelbert, WNBA commissioner: “We look forward to working together with the players”
Engelbert said in his state of the league speech before Game 1 of the Finals that with the new media rights deal in place and many more corporate partners the league’s strength is in a great place. He also went on to say that players have gotten many more marketing deals, making them household names.
The union said it hoped for a new economic model that would transform the current system, which imposes arbitrary and restrictive limits on players’ value and benefits. Players want an equity-based model that will grow and evolve with the league’s greatest commercial success.
Other areas the union would like to see improved include: wages, retirement benefits, better child care and family planning benefits.
‘This is not a sudden wake-up call. It’s the culmination of what we’ve been looking for over the past few seasons,” said WNBPA Vice President Kelsey Plum. “We’ve played a key role in the league’s historic growth and are now breaking free from the current system to demand full transparency and an equal share in the business we have helped build.”
