INDIANAPOLIS — The WNBA’s All-Star weekend was positioned as a showcase of its growth. It came with major questions about just how that growth might ultimately be shared.
Signs of new corporate sponsorships were everywhere. League commissioner Cathy Engelbert happily touted year-over-year increases in attendance, merchandise sales and national television viewership. There were plenty of references to upcoming expansion—five new franchises will begin play in the next five seasons—and to lucrative new media deals that will kick in next season. All of which underscored perhaps the biggest event of the week: Thursday’s meeting between WNBA leadership and roughly 40 players representing the WNBA Players Association. Their collective bargaining agreement expires Oct. 31. Whatever follows may shape the future of the league.
