From the court, it feels light.
There's some levity this year to the White House.
Women's basketball is getting more attention now than ever.
It's been a banner year for women's basketball,
more watching y'all than anybody else.
Coming off the high of a
2023 season that saw the most watched WNBA finals in
20 years and record viewership during this year's WNBA draft,
the league is gearing up for a dazzling season.
Superstars joining its ranks include Caitlin Clark,
the Iowa record setter and NCAA Division one all time
leading scorer who's now the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie
of the Year with the Indiana Fever.
I think I'm just grateful for,
you know, obviously the support,
the excitement and I think you know,
this is what the league and the players in this
league have deserved for a really long time.
She's part of a star rookie class with names like
Angel Reese,
Camila Cardoso and Cameron Brink.
I don't necessarily think that we're
we're anything special. I think we're really good players and
I do think we're
like if you look at other draft classes we're really
strong class.
But I think it's just been time in in the
woman before us at the LA Sparks practice Monday players
said the attention refocuses their game on
the game. I think it changes in that there's less
pressure on the players to like grow the league grow
the league.
Like we're trying to find the solutions to grow the
league and actually,
like, we can just show up and do our jobs
now.
Like our jobs is to like
put on a really good show every night to play
like really gritty talented basketball and be entertaining for people
to try and win games.
Probably the focus is so definitely on a game itself.
I'm just happy for the vets you know,
they've worked so hard to get the league where it
is.
The momentum is tangible. The WNBA announced it will invest
$50 million
over the next two years to charter flights for teams
during the season.
That alleviates growing concern around player safety and comfort as
they travel between games while trying to rest their bodies.
And commissioner Kathy Engelbert said in April the increased attention
and investment could allow the league to expand by four
teams before
2028. I would say it feels like bout damn time.
Like it feels very just like literally like we deserve
this kind of moment.
Yet amid all the growth,
player pay as a share of the WNB as revenue
has shrunk.
Clark, for one, will make under
$77,000 this year from her WNBA contract.
That's the Max allowed under the latest contract negotiated between
the league and its players association.
That agreement runs through the
2027 season, but if players opt out by November 1st
this year,
they could renegotiate after the
2025 season. It could be a real possibility if money
keeps flowing into the league and corporate sponsors
jumping on board. Hear me corporate sponsors jumping on board
right now.
They see the viewership. They see the bang for their
buck right now in women's sports in general,
but especially the WNBA. This season,
the Las Vegas Aces will try for a third straight
championship against tough competition and star power in places like
Seattle,
Los Angeles and Indianapolis. So I feel like it's moving
in a great direction.
James Packard, Scripps News, Los Angeles.