{"id":446250,"date":"2026-02-03T09:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T09:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/446250\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T09:02:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T09:02:19","slug":"nwsls-historic-cba-sets-precedent-for-wnbpa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/446250\/","title":{"rendered":"NWSL\u2019s Historic CBA Sets Precedent for WNBPA"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe National Women\u2019s Soccer League Players Association secured a historic collective bargaining agreement<\/a> last August, which is widely viewed as a player-friendly blueprint for U.S. pro women sports leagues. The players nearly doubled the salary cap over the term of their CBA from $3.3 million this year to $5.1 million by the end of the deal in 2030. NWSL<\/a> minimum salaries will also go from $48,500 this year up to $82,500 (plus bonuses) in six years, and there is no longer a limit on individual player salaries.<\/p>\n

\n\tNow, the Women\u2019s National Basketball Players Association is bargaining for a CBA that dramatically boosts the earnings potential<\/a> of its members. The current WNBA<\/a> CBA expires Oct. 31 after players exercised an opt-out, so, like NWSL players last year, WNBA veterans are navigating a season while negotiating with their league for a new agreement. While the WNBPA can use the NWSL\u2019s CBA for inspiration, there are differences in their leverage points and what they will pursue. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe sports industry has been dominated for decades by the interests of men\u2019s sports,\u201d NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke said at the time. \u201cIt\u2019s changing because of the players. We\u2019ve seen it with the USWNT. We\u2019ve seen it with the WNBA. And we are seeing it with the NWSL.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe WNBPA is prioritizing a revamped and equitable salary system in the wake of the significant business growth the league has experienced since the last CBA was signed in 2020. The WNBA\u2019s salary cap is currently $1.5 million, an amount the union is asking to more than double. Additionally, players are requesting an overhaul of the current revenue-sharing system, which pays players 50% of all incremental revenue, a percentage of earnings that exceed set growth targets.<\/p>\n

\n\tPast CBAs have featured revenue-sharing targets that, if met, allow players to increase the cap; however those targets have proven elusive, even last year when there was a dramatic lift in ticket sales. WNBA players are also pushing for a greater portion of the league\u2019s revenue to be shared.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe NWSL\u2019s base salary increases are spurred by a revenue-sharing mechanism (distributed from league revenue tied to the previous year\u2019s media rights and sponsorship dollars) that was included in the new agreement.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe NWSLPA\u2019s gains didn\u2019t stop at salary changes, and the WNBPA won\u2019t end there, either. The NWSL players pointed to the league draft as a competitive disadvantage\u2014European soccer leagues don\u2019t use one\u2014and got it nixed<\/a> during CBA negotiations last year. They also negotiated no-trade clauses for each player contracts, and all contracts are guaranteed, improving players\u2019 security. Family planning services, childcare benefits and general health and wellness benefits have also been expanded. This is also an aspect of negotiations that WNBA players are hope to see improved<\/a> as more athlete mothers compete.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnother element in WNBPA negotiations is the pressure the W faces from competing domestic leagues. WNBA players for years have opted to play abroad during the offseason, but the paradigm is shifting as more players decide to stay in the States with the advent of alternative leagues like Athletes Unlimited and Unrivaled.<\/a> The increasingly high salaries offered in those upstart competitions, along with family-friendly benefits, give players leverage during CBA talks, as the W wants to ensure players prioritize its calendar.<\/p>\n

\n\tBoth leagues are still grappling with challenges, such as roster limits. The NWSL has a maximum of 26 spots; WNBA players aim to expand their 12-person per team limit. Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink said last month on her podcast that she would rather see expanded rosters than additional teams via expansion. Salary cap restraints and limited roster spots have made it normal for drafted players to not make opening-day squads.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c[Having limited roster spots] doesn\u2019t create or foster development, which is another big issue within the league,\u201d WNBA agent Jade-Li English, who represents stars including A\u2019ja Wilson and USC\u2019s JuJu Watkins, said in a phone interview.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe maximum number of NWSL games under the new CBA increased from 38 to 42. The league is expanding slowly with four mores games for each team this season (now 26 total), but that could change soon as two new teams (Boston and Denver) join next year. The WNBA, under the current CBA, expanded this season to an all-time high of 44 games with the Golden State Valkyries joining the league.<\/p>\n

\n\tPhoenix Mercury star forward Satou Sabally voiced her displeasure with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for the slight uptick in games last weekend\u2014adding another subject of contention in CBA talks.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCathy added a lot of games, and for us as players, recovery is so important,\u201d Sabally, who is on the WNBPA\u2019s CBA committee, told reporters. \u201cWe put our bodies on the line every single time, and we had nine games in 18 days. It\u2019s not really responsible for a commissioner.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Women\u2019s Soccer League Players Association secured a historic collective bargaining agreement last August, which is widely…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446251,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[46185,99,434],"class_list":["post-446250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-nwsl","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}