This newsletter is best read over the Ether beat

Table of Contents

• Important Context

• The Background

  • The CBA Negotiations

  • The Tribe vs Cathy

  • Crash Out in the Valley

• The Phreak Out

  • Cathy’s Response:

• The (Possible) Consequences

• Support Around the League

Important Context

• Cathy Engelbert is hired by and reports to the NBA Board of Governors. THERE IS NO WNBA BOARD OF GOVERNORS

• The NBA owners own 46% of the WNBA.

• Fines and suspension are left up to the discretion of Cathy and the NBA Board. Of course, there is also a team suspension, but that is not relevant here.

• The WNBA does not have rules regarding transparency in terms of reporting techs or reporting reasoning for fines and suspensions. This means they reported Cheryl’s fines to make her an example.

• The WNBA does not have a last 2-minute report at the end of the game, NOR do they have access to the NBA’s replay center in Secacus, which independently reviews calls when refs are confused.

• Unrivaled is an independent 3v3 basketball league founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. It has given players leverage in negotiations because it is a stateside league, pays women athletes the most in the country, with every player earning at least $250K, and features some of the WNBA’s biggest stars. For now, it is not in direct competition with the WNBA since it operates during the league’s offseason and uses a 3v3 format.

• Background on how WNBA refs are chosen, paid, and retained below

The Background

The CBA Negotiations

It is no secret that the WNBA and its players have been at work negotiating the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, as the current one is due to expire on October 31st. There are many things they are butting heads over, including the immediate concerns of

• Increased pay for players

• Equitable revenue sharing

• Minimum standard for teams in regards to failcities provided

• The issue of prioritization

These negotiations have not been going well, with players such as Satou Sabally calling the WNBA’s proposal a “slap in the face.” When it comes to paying players, there is always pushback, with critics saying the league is subsidized by the NBA, that players do not generate enough revenue, or that they are not worth it. However, the astronomical increase in the WNBA’s profits demands a fair pay increase for these athletes.

WNBA owners have seen major gains across the board: increases in ticket sales, merchandise sales, and overall franchise valuations. For example, the Aces were purchased for $2.1 million and are now valued at $310 million. The Liberty and Valkyries are valued at over $450+ million each. On top of that, the league is bringing in $250 million per expansion team, with six new franchises set to launch between 2025 and 2027.

Despite all of this growth, the WNBA still refuses to pay players fairly. Stewie also describes how poorly negotiations are going in the interview below.

The Tribe vs Cathy

The situation with the Connecticut Sun really reflects how much influence the NBA has over the WNBA and how the league prioritizes the pockets of NBA owners over what is best for independent WNBA team owners and the players themselves.

In 2003, the Mohegan Tribe purchased the struggling Orlando Miracle and relocated the team to Connecticut, becoming the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports franchise. Through both ups and downs, they have supported the team, built up a dedicated fanbase in Uncasville, Connecticut, and been largely successful, making the WNBA playoffs in 15 of their 21 seasons.

Fast forward to 2025. With most of their core roster leaving in free agency, the Sun have entered a full rebuild, and now the Mohegan Tribe is looking to sell the team. They originally spent about $10 million to purchase the franchise and have since received a record-breaking $325 million offer from the former Milwaukee Bucks owner, who wants to move the team to Hartford with an upgraded arena and facilities. They also received an offer from a former Boston Celtics owner to relocate the team to Boston, as well as another offer to keep the team in Connecticut. On the surface, this is an incredible opportunity for the franchise. But this is where the NBA’s influence and ownership biases come into play.

The NBA Board of Governors and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert must approve any sale of a WNBA team. Notice how both of the major offers came from former NBA owners? In response, the WNBA itself put in a competing offer of $250 million, with the intent to award the franchise to one of the cities that already went through the WNBA expansion process—such as Houston, where the Rockets’ owner is interested. In other words, the WNBA is trying to strong-arm the Mohegan Tribe into selling for less while simultaneously depriving New England of its only WNBA team.

This situation has people so angry that CT Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy even chimed in, suggesting the WNBA’s actions could potentially violate antitrust laws. They floated the idea of using state pension funds to help finance the team (which is OD to me). The controversy is even more charged because the leading ownership group, the WNBA, wants to buy the Sun has Trump/MAGA ties and is seen as trying to cash in on the league’s rapid rise.

For now, it looks like the Mohegan Tribe will still own the Sun through the 2026 season. But this entire situation is yet another example of how the WNBA’s deep ties to the NBA can be detrimental to the league’s long-term growth.

Crash Out in the Valley

On Sunday night, the Phoenix Mercury completed a 15-point comeback to beat the #1 Minnesota Lynx, putting them one game away from the WNBA Finals.

But that’s not what we’re here for.

Late in the 4th quarter, Alyssa Thomas went for a steal (not a foul), and Napheesa misstepped and rolled her ankle. In response, Cheryl completely lost it—charging at the refs, refusing to leave after being ejected, cursing out fans, and going nuclear in the press conference. The meltdown resulted in a $15K fine (the largest individual fine in WNBA history) and a one-game suspension, which happened to be the final game of the year for the Lynx. Additionally, assistant coach Eric Thibault was fined $500 for yelling at the refs, and AC Rebekkah Brunson was also fined $500 for her tweet calling out the refs.

The Phreak Out

This morning, the Lynx were set to do their exit interviews as their season came to an end. Napheesa took this time to deliver a four-minute speech that absolutely eviscerated Cathy and the league. Honestly, this might be the boldest statement I’ve ever seen from a player—let alone a WNBA player.

What we’re seeing is players reaching a boiling point after months of bad officiating on top of a grueling, frustrating CBA negotiation. And let’s not forget: these players are literally going through the playoffs while also dealing with CBA business in real time.

Phee was especially sharp in how she framed things, calling out Caitlin, Angel, and Paige—who are making peanuts on rookie-scale deals despite being the league’s most popular and lucrative stars. Meanwhile, Cathy’s dismissive attitude—saying players “should be on their knees thanking me”—is straight-up batshit and very David Stern-coded. Phee knew exactly what she was doing, because she knew the Caitlin Clark crowd would mobilize—and this time, they’re actually justified.

Ultimately, Phee’s statement feels like a point of no return for the WNBA. There’s no elephant in the room anymore, no veil to hide behind. The officiating is trash, the pay is too low, and both players and fans are fed up.

Transcript and Video Below:

Cathy’s Response:

To me, this means she really said “only losers complain about fouls” and “the get on their knees” comments lmfao

The (Possible) Consequences

1. Phee will almost definitely catch a hefty fine for this, and I’m curious if she also ends up suspended. The optics would be horrible, but you can’t fine other players for speaking out about the league and refs and then not fine her. Vamos a ver.

2. If the backlash gets loud enough, Cathy could be forced to resign—but let’s be real, she’s also been lining the NBA Board of Governors’ pockets. Just today, she announced yet another new TV deal. I don’t see her getting replaced anytime soon. Then again, I also thought the Libs would never fire Sandy, so who knows.

3. There will be a lockout. For Phee to step up like this, you know she ran it by the union first. This speech feels like another sign of how fed up players are with the league and the CBA process.

4. Will Unrivaled switch to 5×5 if the WNBA has a lockout? Would be interesting to seeeee

5. Now, this may sound far-fetched, but Trump and perpetual crybaby, ugly, fugly ass loser Riley Gaines have already decided the WNBA is their next “woke” institution to attack. Phee’s speech just gave them another talking point.

Support Around the League