David Stern says WNBA season in danger

FENWAY · 04-09-2003, 10:12 PM

Stern says WNBA season in danger
From Staff, Wire Reports

Published April 9, 2003 WNBA09

NEW YORK -- NBA Commissioner David Stern told WNBA players Tuesday that unless they settle their contract dispute by April 18, the 2003 season for the women's league will not be played.

"We want to get a deal and work with the players," said Stern, announcing at the same time that his league had voted an additional $12 million to subsidize its women's affiliate. "But if that's not to be, it's not to be. We'll know in the next 10 days if there will be a WNBA season."

Calls by the Associated Press to the NBA players' association, which represents the women as well as the men, were not immediately returned.

Lynx Chief Operating Officer Roger Griffith said he couldn't comment on the negotiations, referring all inquiries on the labor dispute to the league office. Griffith said the Lynx organization was moving ahead with plans for the season.

"We're preparing for the season, and letting the league and players association do their job," Griffith said. "We'll keep moving forward, until we're told to do otherwise."

Griffith said uncertainty about the season has not directly affected season ticket sales. He admits sales have been slow, but attributes that to the team's coaching change.

Griffith said the Lynx have a goal of 2,500 season tickets, which would be slightly more than last season.

"We're within range of where we expected to be," he said. "Reaching that goal is feasible."

The contract with WNBA players expired last Sept. 15 and negotiations have gone nowhere. The union is demanding substantial pay increases and free agency among other things.

The WNBA rookie minimum salary is $30,000 and the veterans' minimum is $40,000 for the four-month season that begins with training camp in late April.

While the league says the average salary is $60,000, the union says it is closer to $46,000, excluding benefits. Top players reportedly earn a base salary of $79,500.

The players weren't surprised by the league's move.

"We anticipated this coming out. It was just a question of what the day was going to be," Houston Comets guard Sonja Henning, president of the WNBA Players Association, said in an interview Tuesday with Houston television station KRIV. "We knew there would be a deadline set.

"It's not the sort of thing where we are suddenly going to cave in and say, 'Well, we've got to get a deal done so let's get a deal done by the deadline.' The deadline, if anything, puts more fire under their feet than ours," she said.

Henning does not believe the season or the league is in jeopardy.

The WNBA has been struggling financially. The Miami and Portland franchises folded, Utah moved to San Antonio and the Orlando team was bought by the Mohegan Indian Tribe and will play at the tribe's casino in Uncasville, Conn.

FENWAY · 04-09-2003, 10:13 PM

who would miss it, hope they go away

Total Square · 04-09-2003, 10:29 PM

plenty of people here would miss it, including a couple of my favorite posters [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

04-09-2003, 10:35 PM

Let 'em go....

Boring ball.

Immanuel Kant · 04-10-2003, 01:55 AM

boring ball....beaver ball...who cares if they fold?....I've heard 'em all....

try this one......

MONEY MAKER

I, for one, would be very sorry if this league disappears.

Dr.Chau · 04-10-2003, 02:01 AM

I forgot who the people were last year from here, but we did great on WNBA last year.

SlipperyPete · 04-10-2003, 02:20 AM

Oh no I gotta have my beaver!!!

AussieVamp2 · 04-10-2003, 02:43 AM

yeah, who cares if boring, 130 points per game 18-19-20 year old white boys are very dull too if you have to watch, but good to bet on [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

cecil · 04-10-2003, 03:35 AM

It would be a huge blow to alot of serious gamblers...

Louis Cypher · 04-14-2003, 07:03 PM

Monday, April 14

The WNBA announced Monday the scheduled draft on April 16 will not be held due to the league's absence of a collective-bargaining agreement with the WNBA players' association.

The WNBA already set an April 18 deadline to reach an agreement with the players, but if no agreement is reached by that date, the league said the 2003 season will not be played.

"We want to get a deal and work with the players," NBA commissioner David Stern said last week, announcing at the same time that the NBA had voted an additional $12 million to subsidize its women's affiliate. "But if that's not to be, it's not to be. We'll know in the next 10 days if there will be a WNBA season."

That came as no surprise to the players.

"We anticipated this coming out. It was just a question of what the day was going to be," Houston Comets guard Sonja Henning, president of the WNBA Players' Association, said in an interview Tuesday with Houston television station KRIV. "We knew there would be a deadline set.

"It's not the sort of thing where we are suddenly going to cave in and say, 'Well, we've got to get a deal done, so let's get a deal done by the deadline.' The deadline, if anything, puts more fire under their feet than ours."

The contract with WNBA players expired Sept. 15, and negotiations have gone nowhere. The union is demanding substantial pay increases and free agency among other things.

The WNBA rookie minimum salary is $30,000 and the veterans' minimum is $40,000 for the four-month season that begins with training camp in late April.

While the league says the average salary is $60,000, the union says it is closer to $46,000, excluding benefits. Top players reportedly earn a base salary of $79,500.

Nearly 80 percent of the players supplement that in the offseason in leagues in Europe, South America, Israel and Asia. Two American players per team can earn between $150,000 and $200,000 each, depending on the country, for an eight-month season. A handful of top players can earn up to $300,000.

The WNBA, meanwhile, has been struggling financially. The Miami and Portland franchises folded, Utah moved to San Antonio and the Orlando team was bought by the Mohegan Indian Tribe and will play at the tribe's casino in Uncasville, Conn.

Stern said he thinks the $12 million subsidy can help spur an agreement. He also said he empathizes with the women.

"Many of these players are the most accomplished in their game," he said. "They see the men making so many times more than they make. But that's the nature of the world we live in."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

GMON · 04-14-2003, 07:11 PM

Stern ain't gonna' cave, no how, no way. "Because it's the wold we live in." Dude is the bomb.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

Superfly · 04-14-2003, 07:33 PM

Of course he's goiing to cave. Stern is the only reason this dreadful but politically correct league even exists. (Gambling aside) the quality of the sport is about seven levels below horrible, the crowds are non existant, most newspapers don't even send a reporter to cover the teams when they travel, and every team in the league except two loses millions every year. But Stern decided to jam this down our throats, including during the NBA All Star Saturday, and it will be a direct reflection on him when it inevitably goes away. However the NBA owners will continue to subsidize it for a while longer to avoid the embarrassment. If the league had to survive on it's own merits, it would have been gone a few years ago, like the other league that started at the same time.

randyrohm · 04-14-2003, 08:05 PM

From my history WNBA was very bettable. Since I had my worst season ever in any sport I say let them play and let's gamble.

Railbird · 04-14-2003, 08:08 PM

Nba sucks also, Argentina crushed them. I stopped watching when Dan Ainge retired.