The 2020 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season was supposed to start back on May 15. But was delayed because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. The question was when would the WNBA return? That question was answered on Monday along with their plans on their commitment to keep the focus on the other headline grabbing our nation and the world’s attention.
On Monday, the WNBA officially announced in agreement with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA a plan to have a 22-game regular season starting on the tentative date of July 24. The exact date has yet to be determine of when training camp will begin.
The league also said at the start of the week that it is putting the final touches on a deal to where the defending NBA champion Washington Mystics, Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, and Chicago Sky will play out the 2020 WNBA campaign at the 450-acre campus of IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, including the postseason in October.
The playoff format will remain of a single-elimination for rounds one and two, followed by a five-game series for the semifinals and the WNBA Finals.
The details about the upcoming WNBA season were reported previously by ESPN, the union had yet to vote on the proposal. That report had 77 percent of the players voting yes to the format, according to executive director of the WNBPA Terri Jackson.
A big element of the proposal is the players receiving their full salaries for the season, despite playing just 22 games instead of 36 contests scheduled for each respective squad before the season as previously mentioned May 15 start to this WNBA campaign was delayed by the global COVID-19 Pandemic. The players so far have received two paychecks thus far, according to a story by ESPN.com’s Mechelle Voepel.
In January, the WNBA and the WNBPA worked out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which rose tremendously the structure of the players’ salaries.
It led to the WNBA having its most active period of free agency in its history.
That coupled with a very successful virtual draft, the first ever in league history back in mid-April provided serious momentum headed into one of the most anticipated season in league history before they along with the rest of the sports world was put on pause in March because of the global pandemic.
“It’s not just about the money, it’s symbolic in a lot of ways,” President of the players’ executive committee and perennial All-Star forward for the Sparks Nneka Ogwumike said about the 100 percent salary commitment for the players. “It’s a symbolism that carries from our CBA. We asked our league and others to bet on women, and our league has shown they are doing that. It’s huge on an individual level for players, but also on the grand scheme.”
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said to ESPN’s Mike Greenberg on the “Sportscenter Special: The Return of Sports,” on Monday night that following the 2020 WNBA Draft, that was done virtually back in mid-April that the league began an “enormous” scenario planning exercise to determine how many games could be played? Could the league get a full postseason in? Could the venue(s) have fans or not?
The principles that Engelbert said the WNBA used to guide their decision to return was health and safety of the players and staff at the site, along with getting a competitive season in.
“So, we think a 22-game season, very-competitive season, full playoffs. Unfortunately, without fans,” Engelbert said to Greenberg. “Ultimately we believed the best competitive season that we could provide—with health and safety protocols being the No. 1 priority—is this one. I think the owners and league stepped up and said, ‘We want to support women in the workplace.’ The players had strong voices on what that means to them. I think it came together with a very-strong narrative for all of us.”
She did also say that having all 12 WNBA teams, the all together at the “best in class” athletic and training environment all be together for the first time in league history, particularly as they look to have their voices heard around social justice.
While the players voted yes to having the 2020 WNBA season in Florida at IMG Academy, there is no guarantee the season will take place. The vote was about the union accepting the proposed deal. Each player now will have to decide on playing, which they have until June 25 to let their respective teams know about their decision to play or to opt out.
The possibility of things being pushed back is something to be concerned about especially because Florida recently has a major uptick in the number of Coronavirus cases.
“What we believe IMG was able to offer was really the ability to be contained, to be in a bubble. And I think it gave many of the players a sense of relief,” Jackson said.
“That they’d be able to be outside, but there was a way to control the environment. The league has committed that it’s not going to start the season unless the players association and necessary stakeholders are satisfied that tall the safety protocols are in place.”
“And that these measures are with professional athletes in mind, specifically the women of our league.”
Commissioner Engelbert, who resides in New Jersey said she will relocate to be on-site at IMG Academy for the season.
If a player decides to opt out of playing in the upcoming season, she will not get any additional pay.
Both the WNBA and the players’ union have strongly stated that they will support anyone who does not want to play for any reason.
While Ogwumike said that she understands if some players opt out of playing this season because of their concerns of getting the Coronavirus or because they want to be right alongside protestors in the fight for social justice, she knows other players want to be in Florida to play this season.
“On a personal level, I’ve dealt with the issues wit the pandemic and the racial injustice issues and not being able to physically play basketball,” she said. “So, I connect with the rest of the players as they sort through their own emotions as we try to figure out how to get through this as a league.”
Ogwumike added, “I won’t say we heard from every player, but we heard from a lot. It was a lot to take in and consider. It was a process every step of the way.”
One player who will not play this season is Dream guard Renee Montgomery because she wants to put her energy into the country’s fight against social injustice in the wake of the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Rashard Brooks at the hands of either law enforcement, and racist Caucasians.
“After much thought, I’ve decided to opt out of the 2020 WNBA season. There’s much work to be done off the court in so many areas in our community,” she said on Twitter earlier this week. “Social justice reform isn’t going to happen overnight but I do feel that now is the time and Moments equal Momentum. Let’s keep it going.”
Those that do decide to come to play the season in Bradenton, FL will live in multiroom villas, that will have kitchens and hotel rooms.
The players are expected to be provided some meals, along with per diem to pay for other meals or groceries to be delivered to them.
Players that have kids will be allowed to bring them to IMG Academy, along with a caretaker, and their living arrangements according to an ESPN source, Coronavirus tests and meals will all be paid for. It is all in line with the commitment to working mothers the league and the union made in the aforementioned new CBA done in January.
Those WNBA players with five years at least entering this season will be allowed to bring a “plus-one”—a spouse or significant other for example—to stay on site but their lodging, Coronavirus testing and meals will not be compensated by the league. Also, that person cannot leave the site.
Once the semifinals of the postseason begin, all players remaining in the bubble will be allowed to bring a plus-one.
When it comes to how the WNBA will handle high-risk players who could get the Coronavirus like reigning WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne of the Mystics, who is coming off back surgery this offseason and has battled Lyme disease in the past, they will pay the full salary for any player who needs to sit out due to a medically confirmed preexisting health condition.
While there is no plan set in stone about how often the players and support staff of the 12 WNBA teams will be tested for COVID-19, everyone will be tested upon arrival to IMG Academy.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and NBATV, the NBA plans to regularly test all of those at the ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando and it is likely the WNBA would follow that plan of testing, temperature checks, and masks.
“We’re looking forward to making sure that all of that is in place, and to execute around that, you know, because health and safety clearly is No. 1.”
If a player does test positive, that person would be isolated and those who were around said player would be close monitored. Said player will begin treatment and recovery that will last at least 14 days
While it is highly unlikely the WNBA would shut things down if just one player tests positive for COVID-19, there would be a re-evaluation to continue the season if a number of players test positive.
That is the same approach the NBA is taking where a small or otherwise expected number of cases will not suspend or cancel the season when it restarts on July 31.
The other possible factor of who might be able to come down to Florida to be a part of this WNBA season is the age of the coaches, support staff and game officials.
Five of the league’s 12 head coaches are 60 years of age or older: Mike Thibault of the Mystics is 69; the Fever’s Marianne Stanley is 66; the Storm’s Dan Hughes is 65; the Aces Bill Laimbeer is 63, and the Wings lead man on the sidelines Brian Agler is 61.
Earlier this month, Commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Adam Silver had pondered if older coaches of the 22 teams that will play at the ESPN Wide World Sports Complex in Orlando, FL tentatively beginning on July 31 should be on the bench.
Those comments drew instant push back from some of “The Association’s” head coaches, including 65 -year-old head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans Alvin Gentry, who asked, “Is everybody under 60 in great health?”
Head Coach of the Dallas Mavericks and President of the NBA Coaches Association Rick Carlisle said of Commissioner Sliver’s thoughts about that on June 4, “The health and safety of our coaches is first-and-foremost. It’s entirely possible that an NBA coach in his 60s or 70s could be healthier than someone in their 30s and 40s.”
“The conversation should never be solely about a person’s age. Adam assured me that we would work through this together to help determine what is both safe and fair for all of our coaches.”
Along with Gentry and Carlisle, who is 60 years of age, five-time championship head coach of the San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich is 71, the oldest head coach in the NBA. Houston Rockets lead man on the sidelines Mike D’Antoni is 69, and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts is 62. Several other head coaches--Philadelphia 76ers Brett Brown, Los Angeles Clippers Glenn “Doc” Rivers and Steve Clifford of the Orlando Magic are just under age 60 at 59, 58 and 58 years of age respectably.
Speaking of the 12 WNBA teams and their head coaches, another major question for all of them is how many people from each team will be allowed to enter the bubble?
The NBA said that it would allow 35 people per the 22 teams entering their bubble in Orlando.
That number is expected to be smaller for each WNBA team as the respective roster sizes are no more than 12 players, a head coach and two assistants. Some head coaches also serve as their respective teams’ general managers.
That brings up the question of whether if non-coach GMs will be allowed into the bubble and how many potential replacement players will be allowed to enter the bubble if a team has to add to their roster because of injury or if a team will have to make due with the roster they will have, unless it falls below a specific number?
It also brings up how many trainers of the respective 12 teams and other support staff, referees and media will be allowed in the bubble.
No decisions have been made in these regards but it is to be assumed that all will need to be committed to staying in the bubble until their respective teams’ season concludes.
While there is no decision yet of how many WNBA contest will be televised or streamed online, the league does have television and internet contracts with ESPN, CBS Sports Network, NBATV, Twitter, and League Pass, the streaming service for the WNBA.
Once the schedule for the 2020 WNBA season is finalized, the games schedule for viewing on national television and online will be announced.
As important as it will be for the WNBA to have their 2020 season, the league and its union have said loudly will also be a major focus on the racial inequality and aforementioned social injustice that has people across the globe taking to the streets to protest.
There have been some raised concerns by players in the WNBA and the NBA about whether this is the appropriate time to be playing games and take critical time away from the important discussion about race in our nation.
What Commissioner Engelbert told Greenberg is that she has heard from the players being together in one site for the first time in WNBA history to strategize on how they can use their voices to influence major social change.
“They’ll be a lot of eyes on us. Let’s think about how strong our voices can be. Let’s think about what this platform looks like that we have,” Engelbert said about how to best use this platform to affect social change.
“We have one of the most diverse leagues in professional sports, 80 percent black women. And all of our players are really, really actually looking forward to the platform that they can launch from IMG Academy around social justice.”
If there is one player whose will make sure the WNBA’s voice is heard during this critical time in our nation is four-time WNBA champion, 2014 league MVP and six-time All-Star Maya Moore of the Lynx, who will be taking off from the league a second straight season to continue her work on criminal justice reform.
One WNBA player who has perspective of how important it is for the discussion of social justice is second-year Mercury forward and Houston, TX native Brianna Turner, who is the daughter of two police officers in her mom Kellye and father, Howard.
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft out of Notre Dame, who was a 2019 WNBA All-Rookie selection said to Greenberg the protest over the passing of fellow Houston native George Floyd have been “mind blowing.”
That growing up in a household where the discussion of police brutality and the systemic racism that has plagued our nation occurred regularly and that it put her in a “different category,” being able to see the “frustration” people have when they see an innocent minority have their life taken or harass them because of some bias they might have against them. She also said through her parents seeing that there are good police officers who understand that their job is to protect and serve the public no matter their race or creed.
“I know that not all cops are bad,” she said. “I mean, it’s hard to convince people of that but just to know that there are those on the good side, even though we’re seeing so much of the bad right now.”
Turner also said to Greenberg that in the discussion that they have had during this chaotic time that they strongly “denounce” police brutality. It has no place in our country and that all police officers are sworn to protect and serve the citizens, and not to stoke fear.
Another person who Turner has been talking about what has occurred in our nation is her great grandmother Mildred Ware, who she posted on her Twitter Page @Breezy_Briii, where she posted a photo holding a sign that asked, “I was born in 1927. How much longer do we have to keep demanding equality?”
In her Tweet, Turner said, “I did a driveway protest with my great-grandma (92) and asked- “How do we solve racism in America?”
“Her response: Well let’s see…Some people are still wondering why we won’t go away be we ain’t going nowhere, so we might as well settle in…That’s right. Ahahaha.”
Turner said that her great grandmother who spent four decades in the South under Jim Crow never thought that her great granddaughter would still be protesting for the same right to be equal that she did.
But this continued protest from one generation to the next is how equality will have a chance to become reality and that backing down from this stance is not an option.
That was especially the case in the recent case of police brutality in Atlanta, GA when the aforementioned Mr. Brooks, whose life was taken after he was shot twice in the back outside a Wendy’s last weekend.
In another Tweet Turner asked, “When officers are sworn in to “protect and serve” that oath includes only using deadly force when the officer reasonably believes the subject poses a significant threat of serious bodily injury or death to themselves or others. If someone is running away how are they a threat?”
Turner said it continues to be frustrating how Mr. Brooks, who fell asleep in his car while in the drive through of said Wendy’s, might have been intoxicated and that he ran away from the police after a scuffle, and after he pulled a taser from one of the cops should not have resulted in his life being taken.
This moment of deciding of whether to play or not is something Turner said she has gone back-and-forth with. There are days where she can go to the gym and have clear focus on getting prepared for this season, and other days her focus is on what is happening with the pandemic and the protest against cops killing minorities, and how she can help in creating social change.
“I don’t think it’s a right or wrong way, whether people play or people don’t,” Turner said. “Obviously, people have their opinions and want to do what’s best for them.”
“Some people, they can play and use that platform within their league. Some people already have a big platform of their own, so they can spread their message more solo. So, I think that its just a personal decision everyone has to make to see how they can make that impact off the court.”
As important as it will be that the WNBA will be able to have their 2020 season, all be it in one place in Orlando under some unique circumstances, the league and its player will all be together to not only play but to spread a message of equality and respect for all races and creeds.
If there is anything that this moment in our history has shown us that if we want to live in a world where we all have the opportunity to live out our destiny both individually and collectively, standing up against those that will lessen the chances of others, especially those who are sworn to protect us is a necessity.
It is also important that society make being a great father, especially an African American father, which a proud father Sean Williams of three started the online group “The Dad Gang,” where African American dads post portraits on social media of changing their kids diapers, feeding them through bottles, and giving them a lot of love and attention to shatter mythical stereotypes, and building a strong community.
The online group began when Mr. Williams four years ago was approached in a grocery by a lady, who commended him for simply sticking around.
“The Dad Gang is an organization of active black fathers on a mission to change the world views black fatherhood,” Williams said. “You know, we’re not an anomaly. We’re not unicorns.”
Co-founder Kevin Riley echoed that same sentiment by saying, “Being a great father means everything to me.”
On Sunday, “The Dad Gang” as well as fathers of all races marched together in our nation’s capital, Washington, DC in a show of solidarity and fundraising for Gigi, the daughter of Mr. Floyd.
“I want the world to know that her, as well as any other child that lost their father to racial injustice, although they lost their father, they just gained a million more” Chief Operating Officer of “The Dad Gang” Edward Smith said.
This stand is also about allowing friendships between different races, like the one that went viral last year of an African American toddler Maxwell Cisneros and a Caucasian toddler Finnegan McKenna running toward one another and embracing each other.
The boy’s families are speaking out because of their anger about a re-edited version of the two toddlers was posted on social media by President Donald Trump with a fake CNN graphic that read, “Terrified toddler runs from racist baby.”
“It was just our boys being our boys. This is how they great each other all the time,” Maxwell’s father Michael said.
He added that he was appalled and disgusted about the re-edited version being posted on President Trump’s Twitter page.
“Again, we’re trying to do everything we can to change the thoughts and the way people raise their children.”
Finnegan’s father Daniel said that his sone knows that Maxwell is African American and that he is Caucasian, but that “doesn’t matter to him.”
Both Facebook and Twitter in response removed the video from their platforms. The families of the two toddlers filed a copyright claim, and Twitter labeled the video “manipulated media.”
“These two families have done a phenomenal job of spreading love and acceptance, and unity,” Ven Johnson, the attorney for the McKenna’s and Cisneros. “And when someone goes online and steals that, and then twists it to try to shed a negative light on what is otherwise this such positive warm message. There has to be ramifications.”
Attorney Johnson in concert with the families are exploring all legal options in regarding the unauthorized use and manipulation of that video.
This is why many not just in our country, but across the globe, especially professional athletes like those in the WNBA have risen to use their voices to the cause of ending this global pandemic of Coronavirus, police brutality, and racial equality.
It is why athletes like Turner during her interview with Greenberg dawn the Nike shirt that has on the front, “More Than An Athlete,” and feels that it is her duty to speak her mind when the moment presents itself and not to just be a basketball player.
“I think as American citizens, everyone should be involved in this,” she said. “We’re shouting, ‘Black Lives Matter.” We’re shouting for equality. We’re shouting for humanity…This is not just a topic for athletes or just for workers out in different fields. This is a topic for all American citizens.”
“This is about equality. This is about living life. This is about being treated equal. And this is a topic for everyone regardless of your profession.”
Information and quotations are courtesy of the 6/15/2020 9 p.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter Special: The Return of Sports,” presented by All State with Mike Greenberg; 6/15/2020 www.espn.com story, “WNBA’s 22-Game Regular Season, Playoffs ok’d,” by Mechelle Voepel; 6/17/2020 7 a.m. NBATV news crawl; 6/16/2020 www.espn.com story, “What We Know and Don’t Know About the WNBA’s Return To Play,” by Mechelle Voepel; 6/17/2020 8 p.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Stephanie Ready and Dennis Scott; 6/21/2020 8 a.m. edition of ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” with Whit Johnson, Dan Harris, and Eva Pilgrim, with reports from Janai Norman and Stephanie Ramos; https://en.m.wikpedia.org/wiki/IMG_Academy; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Moore.
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