With WNBA CBA negotiations kicking into high gear, hosts Jackie Powell and Howard Megdal bring you to the front lines in another basketball-centered episode of The IX Sports Podcast. The pair dig into a recently leaked WNBA players’ association (WNBPA) survey, obtained by The IX Sports, which was sent to players around the time of the league’s March 1 proposal.
“I want every one of you to think about a question I asked in my column at The IX Basketball Insider yesterday,” Megdal said, referring to the survey, which was directed at WNBPA members. “Who is this for? There is general agreement that March 10, if it is not the deadline, it is a time that for reasons of both getting things done and getting them done easily, March 10 is when an agreement ought to be reached. On March 1, the WNBA presented its newest options for the players. It is March 5. As we are recording this, there is no response [from the WNBPA]. Who is this for? There is a survey you’re about to hear about, the questions are not intended to elicit standard, neutral answers.”
Powell and Megdal then explored the individual questions included in the survey. Tune in to the full episode to hear their breakdown of each question in the survey, which was obtained by The IX Sports.
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“WNBA survey question 1A: would you accept the lead proposal of 50% of net revenue, which is less than 15% of gross revenue, in an eight year deal? Or ask the union to keep negotiating?” Megdal said. Then, Megdal and Powell explored both what the question is literally asking, as well as how it is phrased:
“Just got to break that down a little bit and point out, not only are we dealing with a net revenue that is likely higher, but the very way it is asked as a question, and I reached out to some folks who do polling to talk about this, it is the definition of ‘push polling’. If you are trying to find out where your membership truly is, you do not ask your question in a push. You ask it in a way that elicits a real answer. So again, who is this for? Now the two options were: yes, I would accept 15% today, and there is no need to keep negotiating the player’s share of revenue. Or no, I would not accept 15% and want the union to keep negotiating,” Megdal continued.
Later on, Powell referenced how players have spoken about the ongoing negotiations publicly, particularly those veteran players who fall in the WNBA’s ‘middle class’:
“Natasha Cloud said something really interesting that we want to leave you with. She spoke to us … all about how the middle class is going to be impacted by this, and she seemed to understand that in making sure that the middle class is properly compensated, there has to be a compromise. She referenced the fact that the league was compromising on the issue of housing, and she was encouraged, sort of seeing the back and forth when it came to housing. But … she believes that the negotiations are moving in the right direction, and then that they still have ways to go. But again, time is ticking. The clock is ticking.”
“If you believe that the two sides are pretty close to a deal, this is the time to get in a room and negotiate it,” Megdal added. “If you believe that the two sides are massively far apart. With March 10 around the corner, this is the time to get in a room and negotiate. You delay for now four days and counting to even respond to the most recent proposal from the WNBA, who is this for?”
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