JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
WNBA fans have loads to celebrate. The All-Star Game is this weekend in Indianapolis, home of the game's biggest star, Caitlin Clark. She's been a key force in growing attendance and ratings for the league, but it's not all skittles and rainbows. This season has also seen complaints about injuries and officiating, and there's a union contract battle on the horizon. NPR's Becky Sullivan joins us now from Indianapolis. Hey there.
BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: Hey.
SUMMERS: First of all, Becky, I'm very jealous.
(LAUGHTER)
SUMMERS: So tell us, what is the vibe there? What's the scene?
SULLIVAN: Oh, I mean, the vibe is great. Yeah. I'm in downtown Indianapolis. It's just transformed for this All-Star Game. The streets are packed with people in gear for their team, especially, of course, a lot of Indiana Fever gear for Caitlin Clark and the rest of that squad. It's really fun to see because, you know, the - for the WNBA All-Star Game, this is a way bigger event now than it was even just a few years ago, let alone, like, a decade ago. And I think it really shows the level of growth that the league has seen.
SUMMERS: Yeah. I know a lot of people are disappointed because Caitlin Clark's not going to be participating in the All-Star Game, right?
SULLIVAN: Yeah. Yeah, it's a bummer. She was supposed to participate not just in the game, but also in the 3-point contest tonight. But she, you know, tweaked her kind of right upper inner thigh - a groin injury - in the final minute of a regular-season game earlier this week, which - yeah, it's too bad. She's missed a bunch of games already this season, actually, due to injuries. And this one especially is painful because, you know, it's the first All-Star Game in her city, Indianapolis. It's not what anybody wanted, but obviously still tons of other big stars here. You've got A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx. She's the favorite to win MVP. So plenty of star power still.
SUMMERS: I know there have been a lot of questions about the quality of officiating in the WNBA this season. Is that on players' minds there?
SULLIVAN: Oh, definitely, yeah. I mean, not just the quality of the officiating, but the sort of knock-on effects it has - the - how it can make the play, how can it change the physicality of the game that's being played, how that can lead to injuries. It's definitely a big topic of conversation right now among the league. Hearing it from players and coaches alike - so earlier today, I was talking with Kelsey Plum about it. She's a guard with the Los Angeles Sparks. Here's what she said.
KELSEY PLUM: I have no problem with the physicality. I think people get frustrated at the consistency. So it's like a ticky-tack here, and then someone gets absolutely assaulted over here. And, like, where's the line? And when do we call it, and why do we call it?
SULLIVAN: And I think big picture, Juana, like, the WNBA has grown a lot. You know, the players are better. Play is faster. There are more games 'cause the league has added additional games to the schedule to try to kind of cash in on this boom in interest. So players now have to deal with more games in a compressed time frame. I think, you know, the problems with officiating could be a symptom of that kind of growth, too. And the league is just, you know, embarking on this ambitious expansion right now. They had 12 teams in the league last season. There's 13 this season. There's plans to keep adding more until there are 18 teams in 2030. You know, that's big. It's a big, dramatic expansion, and it's going to take a lot of work to make sure all that goes smoothly.
SUMMERS: One more thing, Becky. I know there are negotiations happening for a new collective bargaining agreement between the players' union and the league. Has that come up at all in Indy?
SULLIVAN: Oh, for sure, yeah. There was, in fact, a big meeting yesterday that around 40 players attended, and so they were all talking about that today. There's still major gaps between the two sides - the owners and the players - on the issues of money because basically the league has, you know, all of this new revenue coming in. They have this record new media rights deal that kicks in next season. They have these big expansion fees that these new teams are paying. And yet the players' salaries are still quite low. Their overall share of revenue is lower than in men's major professional sports. And so, you know, A'ja Wilson, I think, really said it today. She was speaking about the players' mentality about what they see as an opportunity.
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A'JA WILSON: This is no laughing matter. This is no trend. This is no moment in just right now. We're talking about long-term stuff. This is a business. This is a brand. You're dealing with me - my livelihood, my future, the next generation. So we're going to take this very, very seriously, and I think we're not going to stop until we understand exactly what we want.
SUMMERS: Becky, what's the timeline for these negotiations?
SULLIVAN: Well, the deadline is just after the season ends, and so, you know, that's in October. There's a lot of time until then. But after that, you might risk a work stoppage, and I really can't imagine any worse development for this momentum in the WNBA than that.
SUMMERS: NPR's Becky Sullivan, thank you.
SULLIVAN: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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