“Val Ackerman and David Stern should know you don’t grow a sport with a handful of starts under personal-services contracts, while the rest of the players get a stipend, not a salary. That is not promoting women’s sports as much as it is convincing people that the wrong league won.” --Harvey Araton, NY Times Writer
Harvey Araton, NY Times
“Are the women to be real players with legitimate jobs, or marketing pawns, symbols of synergy, in the expansive universe of powerful men like David Stern?”
“The ball is now with Ackerman and Stern… They can demonstrate that the advancement of the women’s game is more to them than a politically correct means of promoting the NBA name and licensed products for 12 months a year.”
“It should be obvious that the best chance it has to become an indisputable revenue producer is to not make players exhaust themselves all winter, playing in Europe and Asia, because they can’t make enough back home.”
Clay Kallam, SportsLine Sports Writer
“If you do the math, we're talking about $2 million here, which is the going rate for a mediocre backup point guard in the NBA. And will $2 million make or break the WNBA? Hardly, so why alienate the players, and fans, by holding up a deal over a paltry sum that's petty cash to the rich boys who run the NBA show?”
“And for WNBA president Val Ackerman to counter that the league is actually offering $60,000, when you include health care, travel, etc., is more than little disingenuous. We're talking salary here, Val, and salary is what you live on. Most people don't include benefits in their salaries, because it's pretty hard to buy groceries with your HMO card. And giving the players $30,000 for four months' work isn't exactly putting them in the lap of luxury.”
“Some players say that they were promised if they signed with the WNBA, the league would take care of them down the road. Others claim they were told that if they signed with the ABL, they'd never be allowed to play in the WNBA… they feel the league is obligated to protect their jobs.”
“The more likely scenario is that the WNBA will finally give in on the salary issue ($30,000, say), but will insist that if the league is going to pay players that well, it's going to get the best players possible. That means the ABL will have a substantial presence this summer, and women's basketball fans will have a much better game to watch.”
Val Ackerman, WNBA President
“We look upon this as a rite of passage. Unions are an accouterment of major league sports. To that extent, it’s not a surprise we’re bargaining.” (NY Times: WNBA Challenged by Union)
"I guess we're on the fast track. I think bargaining can and should be a constructive process to anticipate concerns."
"This is a start-up business. People tend to forget that. We are trying to do what's never been done, trying to succeed where everyone else has failed."
"For the good of women's basketball we have to be committed to having in the league and showcasing the best women's basketball players in the world regardless of their origins or prior employment. I'm not aware of any other league which would restrict eligibility on that basis. But the players have indicated that it's an important issue to them so we have made a proposal."
Pam Wheeler, WNBA Player Association Spokeswoman
"Loyalty is a two-way street. The players have shown themselves willing to sacrifice in order to build the league. They were loyal and now they expect some loyalty in return."
"That's the unfortunate part, that this had to come up right after the NBA trouble. But if people take just a minute to look at what's involved here, they'll see it's like comparing apples and oranges."
"We're very optimistic that we'll get a deal done because we're not that far apart on the issues."
Shanele Stires, former Quest guard
"The big-time players are going to have jobs. It's the average Joes like me and a lot of other players that are hanging in the balance.''
Katie Smith, former Quest forward
"Like everybody else, I'm sitting tight, waiting to see what they come up with. I know it's a problem for a lot of the ABL players because they're not sure what the future holds.''
Andrea Lloyd, former Quest forward
“The WNBA players are trying to protect their own jobs and you can't blame them for that, but until they get this worked out, there are a bunch of ABL players who aren't sure what they want to do with their futures.”
Coseque Washington, Guard, NY Liberty (Made $15,000 with WNBA, $40,000 with ABL)
(From NY Times: WNBA Challenged by Union by Harvey Araton)
“We’re very mindful of the fact that this is a young league, but we also want some kind of commitment that shows the players are as important as the marketing.”
“We were told the whole idea was to create jobs in the States, so we wouldn’t have to go running all over the world to make enough money to live on. People might say ‘go get another job,’ but how many jobs can you get where you pick up in May and say you’ll be back in October?”
Jennifer Azzi, former Lasers guard
"Part of me understands what they (WNBA players) are saying,'' says Azzi. "But it just seems like it's not the best thing for the sport. The women still have a long way to go.We still have to tell people this is a great game to watch."Sue Wicks, NY Liberty
"I think the league has been generous, especially in promoting the image of strong, positive role models for young girls, so it's really funny when it comes to money, which would really cement it, they don't want to come through."
""It should go hand-in-hand. It just seems logical to pay on principle for doing a respectable job."
"No one wants to risk not playing. Everyone feels that the league has done a lot for us, but we see a couple of things that aren't right. I think the league will definitely work with us."
"I think the best players have to play. There is no ABL now, so there's no need to label a player. If somebody is better and takes my job -- that's sports."
Get your own Free Home Page