The one outcome the WNBA and its players can't afford

The two biggest topics at WNBA All-Star? Studbudz and the CBA. 

“Studbudz” is the Twitch stream of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, friends and teammates on the Minnesota Lynx. The pair did a non-stop, 72-hour stream of WNBA All-Star — and it took the weekend by storm. 

The stream produced a continuous run of viral moments, from Aliyah Boston taking a drink from Caitlin Clark, to Commissioner Cathy Engelbert dancing to Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck.” 

Napheesa Collier called Studbudz the “highlight of everybody’s weekend,” while Clark herself said she’d watched it for three hours straight while getting ready Friday night. 

It’s the latest example of the growing celebrity of WNBA players. Fans crave candid moments with their favorite athletes, and Studbudz provided 72 hours of them, inadvertently becoming one of the weekend’s biggest marketing wins. 

Studbudz chatter was fun. CBA chatter was scary. 

Everyone knows that tensions have been building between the league and its players, with the current CBA set to expire in October. These tensions spilled into the public discourse over the weekend, with players wearing shirts that said “Pay Us What You Owe Us."

Coming off the weekend, I wrote an op-ed for Sports Business Journal about how critical it is that the WNBA and its players avoid either a strike or a lockout. 

As I say in the op-ed, I’m not in the room, I don't have all the answers, and I won't pretend to know what exactly a new CBA should look like. 

But here's what I do know: a strike or a lockout would be catastrophic for both the league and its players. 

As I say in the piece: 

Negotiations are meant to be difficult and tense, but it’s paramount both sides understand there’s one conclusion neither can afford. Momentum can’t be paused — it’s either fed, or it dies. And a short-term disruption would be to nobody’s gain. It would only kill the WNBA’s growth at the exact moment the league is reaching escape velocity.

Read the full op-ed in SBJ here. 

ICYMI: Just Women’s Sports had a major presence at WNBA All-Star. Fans were literally lined up around the block to see Napheesa Collier, Rhyne Howard, Madison Booker, and Lexie Hull, as well as catch a live taping of Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie — and a special conversation with Dawn Staley.

Huge shoutout to Famous Footwear for helping us create the ultimate fan experience, and to Eli Lilly and Company for presenting the show.

This weekend was the biggest All-Star weekend in both WNBA and JWS history. It’s now the baseline for what we do going forward.