NEW YORK – The WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) appears ready to give all of their players flight upgrades.
USA Today reported on May 7 that the league is setting the groundwork for all 12 of its teams to travel on charter flights – like the NBA – as soon as this season.
According to the report, this change was spurred by the increased interest in the league, the growth in the business and the next media deal, which is expected to bring increased revenue.
Women’s National Basketball Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike was quoted by ABC News in a separate article saying that the impending move was “transformational”.
“Our league is growing, the demand for women’s basketball is growing,” she said.
“That means more eyes on us, which is what we want, but that means more protection from the organisation that we play for, the whole W that we play for.
“Chartering flights not only is a safety measure... obviously what it means is to be able to play a game and go home and rest and recover and be the elite athletes that we try to be every single night when we step out onto this court. It’s a great day for our league as a whole.”
Ahead of last season, the WNBA announced that teams would travel by charter during back-to-back sets and the play-offs. But now that plan appears to be expanded to all flights for road games.
Travel accommodation has been a point of contention for players. Occasionally, teams have had to scramble for alternatives if commercial flights were delayed or cancelled.
The league spent US$4 million (S$5.4 million) on charter flights in 2023.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the new charter plan will cost the league around US$25 million a year for this season and next season.
The league has enjoyed increased interest ahead of the start of the regular season thanks to a few rookies.
The Indiana Fever selected Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 pick in the draft in April after her illustrious career at Iowa. She broke the NCAA’s all-time scoring mark thanks to her long-range shooting that captivated crowds.
Clark, along with a number of other players, including former Louisiana State University star Angel Reese and former Stanford standout Cameron Brink, helped women’s basketball set viewership records in 2024.
Nearly 19 million fans watched Clark and the Hawkeyes lose to South Carolina in the NCAA tournament title game in April. Brink was taken as the second pick by the Los Angeles Sparks and the Chicago Sky drafted Reese as the seventh pick in the 2024 draft. REUTERS
