How the W.N.B.A. Deal Got Done

By September, Engelbert understood from ownership that she would be able to offer the kind of investment required to induce the players to give up many of their overseas playing options and prioritize the W.N.B.A. Engelbert said that took little on her part, as owners expressed frustration to her over the status quo before she even took the job. The new agreement provides higher salaries and family-planning benefits that make staying stateside easier for players.

“In the scale of weighing the pros and cons of going overseas versus having family time at home resting, etc., all the things you can throw into there, it makes it a little bit more palatable,” said Sun guard Layshia Clarendon, who said she had talked about the benefits with her wife, Jessica Clarendon. “It makes it better. It makes it worth it to stay home. I think even more people will. People are looking for opportunities to stay.”

Engelbert said that after the Las Vegas meeting, she also wanted to show players, even before the new agreement was in place, that while her words sounded encouraging, this was a different era for leadership in the W.N.B.A.

The Las Vegas Aces and Los Angeles Sparks had reached the W.N.B.A. semifinals after several hard-fought playoff games. Both lower seeds, they would have had to fly quickly, west to east, to start their semifinal series — to Washington for the Aces, and Connecticut for the Sparks. Engelbert, no stranger to cross-country flights as a million-miler on United, texted Jackson and said she wanted the league to provide chartered planes for the teams this time instead of having them fly commercial as usual.

“I will never forget when I called Terri,” Engelbert said. “And I do think that was a point where hopefully she realized, and certainly others outside the walls of the W.N.B.A. said, ‘Oh, O.K., they’re really thinking about player health and safety.’”

In a league where that had been an open question among the players, trust mattered. The common ground helped alleviate some jitters on both sides.

“I think the players did an amazing job understanding that, to get somewhere where that we want to go, we have to try things that are different,” Ogwumike said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/sports/basketball/wnba-collective-bargaining-agreement.html?emc=rss&partner=rss