The New York Liberty were hit with a record-breaking $500,000 fine for the use of charter flights throughout the second half of last season, a violation of the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement. While this penalty already seems crazy enough, Sports Illustrated's Howard Megdal outlines other floated punishments that were even more punitive.
Some of these are truly bonkers:
After someone alerted the WNBA to the Liberty’s violations, possible remedies floated by the league’s general counsel, Jamin Dershowitz, ranged from losing “every draft pick you have ever seen” to suspending ownership, even “grounds for termination of the franchise,” according to a Sept. 21, 2021, communication between the league and the Liberty reviewed by SI.
Disbanding the Liberty over this would have been wild, so luckily cooler heads prevailed. There was also a $1 million fine floated, but WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert decided to go with a $500,000 fine after New York listened to the league's request to not charter a flight for its playoff game in Phoenix. Liberty executive Oliver Weisberg was also removed from the WNBA's executive committee as punishment.
As Megdal notes, New York's use of charter flights is a major point of contention around the WNBA and “a window into the state of ownership.” Liberty owner Joe Tsai is part of a new group of owners trying to invest more in the league and do right by its players, but there's still some pushback from more conservative owners. Players have been pushing for charter flights for some time, but right now using them is considered a competitive advantage in the collective bargaining agreement.
As the WNBA grows in popularity, there absolutely must be more investment in the league and its players in order for the product to be at its best. This charter flight battle is just one part of it all.
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