WNBA Ready to Play Hardball

WNBA ready to use success to negotiate; NBA’s highest-paid players revealed

October 23, 2024

Good morning! WNBA Players on Current CBA: “We’re Out!”

WNBA Players Opt Out of Current CBA After Historic Season: 'We're out'
“With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working together with the players and the WNBPA on a new CBA that is fair for all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement on Monday, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

As a follow-up, the SBJ also reported this: Following Monday’s vote, WNBPA Exec Dir Terri Jackson phoned Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to pass along the official tally. According to Jackson, Engelbert responded, “Well, I look forward to working together with you toward transformational change," a sign that negotiations begin in an eager, conciliatory light.
^{Yahoo! Sports and Sports Business Journal}

Messi Mania Helps Drive Record Growth For MLS
AP News’ Anne M Peterson reports: “With the conclusion of the regular season, MLS on Tuesday reported a 5% increase in attendance over last year with a league-wide total of 11.45 million. That’s a 14% increase over 2022. In an April match at Arrowhead Stadium, there were 72,610 on hand to watch Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play Sporting Kansas City.

“MLS is expecting that close to 12 million fans will attend this season’s games through the playoffs, which start this week.”
^{AP News}

FIFA and FIFPro Row Escalates Over Player Compensation Shortfall
The row between FIFA and the Global Players’ Union FIFPro over football’s congested calendar has caused what appears to be a complete breakdown in cooperation between the two organizations. Last week, the union and Europe’s top domestic leagues reportedly lodged a formal complaint against world football’s governing body at the European Commission. FIFA has not yet responded to the European Commission complaint but has previously rejected claims it has not consulted “the football family” on issues such as creating a new 32-team men’s Club World Cup.
^{The Athletic}

NBA Highest-Paid Players 2024-25: Steph Passes LeBron With $156M
Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen reports: “They [Lebron James and Steph Curry] will once again be the NBA’s two highest-paid players this season, but the usual order of the pairing has been flipped, with Curry set to earn an estimated $155.8 million and James at $133.7 million from salaries and off-court incomes. James had been the NBA’s top earner each of the past 11 seasons, with Kobe Bryant in 2012-13 the last player to finish ahead of LeBron before Curry this year.

“Overall, the top 15 players in the league will earn a combined $1.13 billion in salaries and endorsements, up 11% from last year.”
^Sportico

IndyCar's Grand Prix of Arlington to Cost Under $50M; Series Working With Fox on New Booth
IndyCar reportedly expects its new street race around the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium to cost less than $50M to be successful, but the series will be splitting the expense with the NFL team and the Rangers. When NASCAR debuted its first domestic street race in 2022 in Chicago, it revealed plans to spend roughly $50M on the event that year, though subsequent years were expected to be less since some of the equipment would not have to be purchased again.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Nike Signs 12-Year Extension With NBA to Continue as Uniform, Apparel Provider
Nike will remain the "exclusive uniform and apparel provider" for the NBA and WNBA "for another 12 years after they renewed their partnership with the sneaker giant," according to Golden & Fonrouge of CNBC.com via SBJ. It is "unclear" how much Nike's contract renewal with the leagues is worth, but a source familiar with the deal "characterized it as 'much bigger' than the previous contract," which was worth $1B in the deal beginning in 2017-18.
^{Sports Business Journal}

LIV Golf's RangeGoats GC Brings on Integrity 9 as Exclusive Sales Partner
LIV Golf’s RangeGoats GC has signed the league’s first team agency of record, with the franchise bringing on Integrity 9 Sports & Entertainment as its exclusive sponsorship sales partner. Singular agents have worked to sell sponsorships for LIV in the past, but as SBJ notes, Integrity 9 is the first full agency to sign on.
^{Sports Business Journal}

NBA Media Partners See Strong Ad Sales Ahead of Season Tip
Disney/ESPN, whose slate begins Wednesday, said the company is 90% sold for the regular season, while WBD— with the opening night doubleheader on Tuesday night—is 95% sold in Q4 NBA inventory.

Disney is also reportedly pacing ahead of last year for the postseason and, overall, has seen 70% of advertisers increase their spending year-over-year. “It supports the demand narrative in the NBA, and we’ve seen about 20% new advertisers,” said Jim Minnich, SVP/revenue and yield management, sports and entertainment at Disney Advertising.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Cardinals to Hire Guardians’ Rob Cerfolio to Oversee Player Development: Sources
Per The Athletic, the St. Louis Cardinals are hiring Cleveland Guardians’ director of player development, Rob Cerfolio, to oversee a major overhaul of the club’s minor-league system, multiple league sources told The Athletic on Tuesday. The 32-year-old was named Cleveland’s director of player development ahead of the 2022 season after spending seven years in various roles in player development and amateur scouting.
^{The Athletic}

Miami Heat Will Unveil Pat Riley Court at Their Season Opener Against Orlando Magic
AP News’ Tim Reynolds reports: “To commemorate the start of his 30th season with the franchise, the Heat will unveil Pat Riley Court on Wednesday night when the team faces the Orlando Magic. Riley didn’t want his name on the court yet, because he’s still working. But the two people who outrank him in the organization — managing general partner Micky Arison and CEO Nick Arison — decided otherwise. That’s how important it was to them, to make sure the 30th season of Riley started with a bang.”
^{AP News}

Denver Approves Development Around Ball Arena
Per SBJ, the Denver City Council yesterday "cleared the way" for Nuggets and Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke to build new skyscrapers on the expanse of parking lots around Ball Arena and "ensured those teams will stay" in Denver "for another quarter century." Kroenke Sports & Entertainment now has the "ability to construct buildings as tall as 30 or 40 stories" around the arena, which will "provide room for up to 6,000 new apartments and condos in a city desperate for more housing."
^{Sports Business Journal}

The Future of College Sports Hangs in the Balance With the 2024 Elections
The NCAA has spent the last decade on a major losing streak in court that has chipped away at amateurism's business model. It started with athlete NIL (name, image, and likeness) rights, but it could result in an all-new employment model. Per Front Office Sports, a Republican and Sen. Ted Cruz-led Senate would be more inclined to pass “NCAA-friendly legislation.”

FOS’ Amanda Christovich writes, “So the NCAA has more recently turned its attention to Congress, investing millions in convincing lawmakers to halt, and in some cases reverse, the onslaught. The NCAA’s wish list includes preventing athletes from becoming employees, and getting legal protection to enforce their own compensation rules.”
^{Front Office Sports}

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