codeorama Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Cancellations continue as talks press on -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com news services 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 league is still without a collective bargaining agreement and has set a Friday deadline to reach a contract with the players. If no deal is reached by then, the NBA Board of Governors has threatened to cancel the season. "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." Why do the women players think they deserve to make more money because the NBA players do? If their sport is not drawing enough fans and TV interest, what does that tell you?? Not many people care about the WNBA, they are pissed at making 46,000 a year to play a game, I hope the league folds and they have to go get real jobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchogs Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Two American players per team can earn between $150,000 and $200,000 each, depending on the country, for an eight-month season. that is shocking. i have trouble believing that women's bball is that popular overseas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 I swear I thought it folded 2 years ago. Im not kidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 You're thinking of the XFL, Kilmer. But the players do look alike. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted April 14, 2003 Author Share Posted April 14, 2003 Originally posted by redman You're thinking of the XFL, Kilmer. But the players do look alike. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: "She Hate Me" or "B!tch" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJWatson3 Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 there go all those great highlites: and she drains a three from downtown! how about the form on that layup! another made free throw! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchogs Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 kilmer, there was a second professional women's league that competed with the wnba for a year. it did fold and its talent went to the wnba. watching women's basketball is like watching men play underwater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endzone_dave Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 I'd rather take a hammer and smack myself in the gonads than have to sit and watch an entire WNBA game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 This is really going have an adverse effect on the dating opportunities of dykes on bikes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GritzRgreat Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 Does this mean no KENTUCKY DURBY? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sisko Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 I'm not a huge fan of the WNBA but I have been known to watch it on occasion. With that said, I have one question. Which of these three teams has been to the playoffs most recently ? 1) Redskins 2) Mystics 3) Wizards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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