Sophie Cunningham made it clear that she’s with the players’ “pay us what you owe us” movement, calling for higher salaries. With her no-nonsense bluntness, the Indiana Fever veteran never hesitated to send a DM to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert as the motion intensified.
Cunningham shared this during Sunday’s interview, after a reporter asked her what she had to say on a longer midseason break, considering the regular season resumes on Tuesday, giving All-Stars only a short rest.
“You can just tell Cathy to pay us and then we can have a discussion, so, yeah,” Cunningham said [2:24]
It remains on Sophie Cunningham’s goal to make sure her teammates, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Caitlin Clark, are in good shape before playing again on the court. She considered how these three, coupled with the usual team duties, needed to exert more effort for the All-Star Game.
Still, the heart of the matter sits with the CBA negotiations — and for Cunningham and the rest of the players, things didn’t swing their way. So they turned frustration into fuel, pulling on those bold black “Pay Us What You Owe Us” tees before tip-off, sending a message that their advocacies for greater pay, which they’ve called for years, isn’t going anywhere.
WNBA commissioner speaks on CBA negotiations that disappointed Sophie Cunningham and players
Speaking before the WNBA All-Star Game, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has already anticipated the disappointment coming from Sophie Cunningham and the players. Despite this, she claimed that the negotiations have been “constructive.”
“We had candid dialogue, and this is part of the process,” Engelbert said. “I fully respect the players who are listening. They’re listening to our owners, and we’re kind of in the middle of the league trying to make sure we’re setting this league up for success for decades. And that’s the goal. To have a fair CBA for all.”
Engelbert also stressed that she and the league’s stakeholders are still discussing revenue sharing, and that the players’ calls aren’t ignored.
“We want to significantly increase their salary and benefits while balancing with our owners their ability to have a path of profitability as well to continued investment,” Engelbert added.
While Engelbert is yet to specifically respond to the direct message Sophie Cunningham sent days later, it’s clear that she already has an answer. Moreover, the WNBA is also planning to expand to additional cities across the US, something that Cunningham boldly gave his opinion on.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
