"By Tuesday, if the league and its players cannot come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, it will finally drop, crushing the Tempo's plans for a home opener on May 8 against the Washington Mystics at Coca-Cola Coliseum in downtown Toronto. The league has circled March 10 as the drop-dead date by which a new CBA must be reached."
"The WNBA signed an 11-year media rights agreement, set to kick in for this season, worth $2.2 billion US over the life of the deal. The sum reportedly represents six times what the league was making on its previous agreement."
"The Tempo have two pre-season games on April 29 against the Connecticut Sun and May 1 against the Minnesota Lynx. Then, the regular 44-game season begins one week later, when the Tempo are slated to host the Mystics."
The Toronto Tempo, the WNBA's newest expansion franchise, scheduled its inaugural season with games beginning April 29, 2025, despite ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the league and players. The March 10 deadline represents a critical juncture; failure to reach a deal could delay or cancel games, including the home opener against Washington on May 8. The core dispute centers on money, specifically how the league and players will share revenue from an 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal—six times the league's previous earnings. Key matchups include games against Portland Fire, Las Vegas Aces, and Indiana's Caitlin Clark on August 18. The franchise's momentum has already stalled amid these negotiations.
#wnba-expansion #collective-bargaining-agreement #toronto-tempo #labor-negotiations #media-rights-deal
Read at www.cbc.ca
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