Aces discuss WNBA CBA negotiations at awards ceremony: ‘It’s huge’

As the Aces celebrated the accomplishments of women in sports during the annual Title IX awards on Monday at Allegiant Stadium, multiple attendees spoke about a development that could have a huge impact on the WNBA: A new collective bargaining agreement.

Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and point guard Chelsea Gray served as award presenters on their team’s behalf. The honorees included Olympic volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, track and field icon Allyson Felix, soccer trailblazer Mia Hamm and basketball legend Cheryl Miller.

A day before the ceremony, players around the WNBA used game-day interviews to read statements about the CBA negotiations, saying the process represents a “defining moment” for the league. The players opted out of the current CBA in October, so it will expire at the end of the season.

“It’s huge,” Gray said when asked about the negotiations, which players reportedly hope will reach a better place before the WNBA All-Star game on July 19 in Indianapolis.

‘We just want reasonable negotiations’

Gray is the Aces’ primary representative in the WNBA Players Association, while Wilson is the team’s alternate.

“We’re not talking about getting paid the same as the men,” Gray said. “But we just want the opportunity to play under a CBA that shows the growth that we’ve created thus far. So that’s been important to us. We’re very vocal about it.”

The WNBA is earning more money than ever through ticket sales and sponsors, and the league also agreed to an 11-year media rights deal with multiple partners in July 2024. The agreement is worth around $200 million per season beginning in 2026.

Player salaries haven’t increased significantly in recent years, however.

“We just want reasonable negotiations,” former Aces guard Sydney Colson said Sunday at T-Mobile Arena, before she and the Indiana Fever faced her old team. “We all see the growth that has happened. So I think we don’t want to be treated as though we are not intelligent and don’t see what’s taking place and shouldn’t experience the benefits that we’ve reaped from having that fan base that we have.”

Aces president Nikki Fargas said watching the players she knows so well work as advocates is “special.”

“They stand (for) equality and what’s right for not just them, but for the generations and the future generations to come after them,” Fargas said. “(CBA negotiations) allow us to look at how we can grow the game. It allows us to have different voices at the table. … And I think it’s important for us to always take a step back, if you will, and kind of survey the lay of the land and see how we can be better.”

‘We want a high bar’

Allegiant Stadium displayed a large timeline at Monday’s event that began with Title IX legislation being signed into law in 1972.

Only 1 percent of college athletic budgets went to women’s sports programs before Title IX was enacted. But the end of the timeline showed the Aces unveiling their own practice facility and winning back-to-back WNBA championships. It closed with the 2024 NCAA Tournament peaking at 24 million viewers on the women’s side, surpassing the men’s audience that year.

“It’s pretty incredible, because the Aces are the standard bearer for the WNBA,” Walsh Jennings said. “And the greatness in them is bringing out the greatness in others. … So I’m really proud of the Aces. I’m very grateful for the Aces. We want a high bar, because we want to keep going higher.”

Walsh Jennings, despite not being privy to the details of the CBA negotiations, had insight into how the players can succeed.

“If the athletes can stay together and have a very clear vision of who they are and what they want, if they realize they’re on the same side and who they’re negotiating against are not the enemies … I think they can probably come to terms and have victory for everyone,” Walsh said. “That’s my hope. But I know it’s gonna get ugly here and there. That’s OK. That’s part of it.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.