Major League Soccer, which began operations just a year before the WNBA, still has teams that operate primarily on commercial flights — but there is an exception that allows four charter flights per season.
The biggest issue, as with most things, is cost. Charter flights vary in price, but a commercial flight is certainly the least expensive option. It’s fair to say that the economics of the WNBA don’t justify charter flights — and in fact, NBA commissioner Adam Silver at least hinted at that in an interview with ESPN last year.
“It would cost more than the value of every ticket sold in the WNBA last season,” Silver said. “But I think the players are realistic. What they’re saying is there may be special cases where we would have to use charters. … Even if we do a modified charter program for some special occasions, it’s a huge expense.”
When WNBA players opted out of the collective bargaining agreement last year, meaning it ends after this season instead of 2021, Silver also noted that the league lost, on average, “over $10 million every year we’ve operated.”
Lin Dunn, longtime head coach of women’s college basketball and the WNBA, tweeted about Indiana’s situation: “In the WNBA, it’s not about ‘what they deserve’, it’s about what you can afford! There is NO Title IX in business!”
Many WNBA players and fans might argue that the corporate mentality is part of the problem and a barrier to finding a solution.
