Lawmakers back WNBA players union as CBA deadline looms

She has the same amount of hours in a day as Beyoncé...

Lawmakers voice support for WNBPA as CBA deadline looms

With the WNBA’s October 31st CBA deadline just days away, more than 70 elected officials sent a letter to league commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, voicing support for the WNBA Players Association.

• “This new CBA deal is an opportunity to set the record straight that women are valuable workers who deserve to be paid accordingly and treated fairly,” the letter states, going on to urge the league to “bargain in good faith to reach a fair CBA” before the agreement expires on Friday.

Under pressure: Mayors, council members, and assembly members from seven WNBA markets signed the document — including New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, among others — as WNBA leadership continues to face increased scrutiny.

• “We all want to be able to take in a full season, but we know that [the players] deserve to get paid what they deserve to earn,” said New York City council member Tiffany Cabán, a longtime Liberty fan who spearheaded the effort.

• Friday’s action represents a growing number of politicians applying public pressure to commissioner Engelbert, after 85 members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and House Democratic Caucus penned their own letter last month.

Up next: Many eyes will be on the WNBA this week, with either a contract agreement or deadline extension on the docket for Friday.

• “We stand ready to continue negotiating in good faith and hope [the WNBPA] will do the same so that we can finalize a mutually beneficial new CBA as quickly as possible,” a league spokesperson said in a statement this week.

WNBA stars tell all in ‘Glamour Magazine’ cover story

Five WNBA standouts became cover stars this week, as Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier, Indiana’s Lexie Hull, Phoenix’s Satou Sabally, and New York’s Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally were named Glamour Magazine’s 2025 Women of the Year.

• In the feature story, the players discussed the ongoing CBA negotiations, how they manage the WNBA’s booming popularity, and other key issues.

• “This is the best women’s league in the world for a reason,” said Jones. “The best athletes and the best competition, and people are seeing that now… It’s time that we’re paid like that.”

Big picture: Though the interview occurred weeks before her now-viral exit interview calling out WNBA leadership, Collier was already pointing out the disparities between player success and compensation.

• “The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and she’s getting 0% of it because we have no rev share,” Collier said. “She gets less than $80,000 a year, and she’s bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s insane.”

Straight talk: Hull also made waves, speaking to Clark’s popularity with the Fever going on to battle injury adversity all the way to the WNBA semifinals.

• “I think there is a level of jealousy when it comes to the Fever, just because of the media attention and the fans that have shown up for us ever since Caitlin got here,” she told the magazine. “We’ve heard people and players and teams talking in their locker room about, ‘We can’t let the Fever win.’”

Read more: “The WNBA Needs Every One of These Faces” on Glamour Magazine

FIFPRO Best XI shortlist snubs 2025 standouts

FIFPRO dropped its 2025 Women’s World XI shortlist on Monday, with the worldwide organization representing pro footballers taking heat for snubbing more than a few standout athletes.

• The 26-player lineup featured zero USWNT players, continuing a two-year streak for the award despite the US winning Olympic gold in 2024.

• Champions League winner and Euros runner-up Mariona Caldentey also failed to make the cut, after coming in second in this year’s Ballon d’Or. (See full list)

Big picture: The FIFPRO World XI is the only global football award decided exclusively by players, as the Euros-winning Lionesses garnered the most 2025 nominations with 11 overall.

• Spain saw the second-most nominations — including reigning Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati — while Ann Katrin-Berger (Gotham/Germany), Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash/Nigeria), Debinha (Kansas City Current/Brazil), Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia), and Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil) repped the NWSL.

Top tennis stars headline 2025 WTA Finals field

The 2025 WTA Finals field is set, as the sport’s top-ranked players gear up for this weekend’s tournament in Saudi Arabia — the final major stop of 2025.

• World No. 6 Elena Rybakina became the last player to qualify after reaching the Japan Open semifinals last week, beating out No. 9 Mira Andreeva for a trip to Riyadh.

• She joins already-qualified finalists No. 8 Jasmine Paolini, No. 7 Madison Keys, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Big picture: Capping a banner year for the States, the tournament features four US stars for the first time in more than 20 years, with Anisimova making her WTA Finals debut.

• Gauff enters the round-robin competition as its reigning champion, with 2023 winner Świątek the only other Finals title-holder in contention.

Stay tuned: The 2025 WTA Finals start this Saturday, live on the Tennis Channel.

Germany and Spain take Nations League semifinal leads

Germany and Spain are taking Nations League by storm, with both European powerhouses earning shutout wins on Friday to claim a lead in their two-leg semifinal.

• World No. 5 Germany beat No. 6 France 1-0 behind a goal from Klara Bühl, while a pair of braces from Alexia Putellas and Claudia Pina lifted No. 1 Spain over No. 3 Sweden 4-0.

• “The victory here feels incredibly good and also the way we played, we played football the way we wanted to,” Bühl said in Düsseldorf. “Very, very strong match, I think the fans have noticed it.” (Watch full highlights)

• “We expected a Sweden like the one we saw, very intense, but once again the team were very mature in many aspects of the game, and we’re very happy with the performance,” Spain midfielder Laia Aleixandri said postgame. (Watch full highlights)

Tune in: Both teams will try to punch their ticket to the final today, as the second leg of the Nations League semifinals kicks off at 2 PM ET, live on Prime.

Quote of the day

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese
teasing a future project with 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers on TikTok Live.