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Morning Edition

October 31, 2025

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The WNBA and players union agreed to a 30-day CBA extension to keep negotiations alive. While the deadline has shifted, core disputes—especially over revenue sharing—remain unresolved.

— Annie Costabile [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

WNBA and Players Union Agree to 30-Day Extension for CBA Negotiations [[link removed]]

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The WNBA and WNBPA have agreed to a 30-day extension to continue negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, sources confirmed to Front Office Sports, making the new deadline Nov. 30.

The WNBA originally proposed a 30-day extension on Tuesday after both sides exchanged public criticism over their handlings of negotiations. The union accused the WNBA of putting “lipstick on a pig,” after NBA commissioner Adam Silver said “share isn’t the right way to look at it,” when asked if players deserved a larger share of WNBA revenue.

“There’s so much more revenue in the NBA,” Silver said.

When asked how the salary structure should be looked at, Silver responded saying, “It should be looked at in absolute numbers in terms of what they’re making, and they’re going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining. They deserve it.”

The union’s pushback included calling out the WNBA’s lack of urgency in discussions. The WNBA responded by clarifying a proposal from the league was sent on Oct. 1. The union did not respond until Oct. 27, according to the league.

“Throughout this process, we have been clear that our top priority is reaching a new collective bargaining agreement that addresses players’ ask for significant increases in pay, benefits and enhancements to their experience, while ensuring the long-term growth and success of the league and its teams,” a spokesperson for the WNBA said earlier this week. [[link removed]] “We urge the Players Association to spend less time disseminating public misinformation and more time joining us in constructive engagement across the table.”

Both sides have continued to meet over the course of this week leading up to the original Oct. 31 deadline [[link removed]]. Ultimately, the two sides agreed to an extension to continue negotiations.

According to multiple sources, a lockout was not an immediate threat if the league and union did not reach an agreement on an extension by the original deadline.

The league’s most recent proposal, according to multiple sources, included a supermax salary near $850,000 and a veteran minimum around $300,000. The revenue sharing model remains one of the major sticking points for the players’ union. A new revenue structure is what the players are pushing for that allows their salaries to be tied to the entire WNBA business. According to sources, the WNBA’s previous proposals only include league revenue and not team revenue.

During the last round of CBA negotiations in 2019 the WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a 60-day extension giving way to the ratification of a new agreement just ahead of free agency in 2020.

This year the league is up against different pressures, including the expansion draft for two new teams, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. The entire league is blindly preparing for the draft—it can’t procure draft rules without a CBA in place. Many league executives have said they’re planning in accordance with last year’s expansion draft rules, although this draft includes multiple teams. The last time the WNBA had a multi-team expansion draft was in 2000 when the league welcomed the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm, Miami Sol and the previous iteration of the Fire.

If the league and union reach an agreement by the new Nov. 30 deadline, the expansion draft would be able to take place in December, just as the Golden State Valkyries held their draft last year.

The league has never lost games due to a work stoppage, but in 2003 the WNBA draft and preseason were delayed due to contentious negotiations. Ultimately, an agreement was reached in April of that year.

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E1, the world’s first all-electric race boat championship, is coming Nov. 7–8 to Miami—and you won’t want to miss it.

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Secure your tickets [[link removed]] now to the E1 Ocean Club for exclusive hospitality—see you in Miami!

CBS Bets Big on Chiefs-Bills Rivalry As AFC Landscape Changes [[link removed]]

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Chiefs-Bills rivalry, arguably the NFL’s best this decade, is set for its latest installment Sunday, and CBS will again give the game its highest-level treatment. The circumstances surrounding this year’s contest, however, are quite different.

The network will again bring its pregame show, The NFL Today, to Highmark Stadium to broadcast live from there. The move repeats one that CBS made last year [[link removed]], and has since become standard for NFL networks showing big regular-season games, such as Fox doing the same in Kansas City for the Super Bowl LIX rematch in Week 2 between the Eagles and Chiefs, and by NBC for the Week 4 Sunday Night Football game between the Packers and Cowboys [[link removed]].

CBS expects to at least challenge, if not surpass, the average viewership of 33.8 million [[link removed]] for the Eagles-Chiefs that currently stands as the most-watched NFL game this season [[link removed]].

A Thanksgiving clash on CBS between the Chiefs and Cowboys will quite likely beat both games [[link removed]], but the network’s prior history with the Chiefs and Bills has been a stellar one, as it has aired the last seven games between the two. Among the recent highlights:

The 2024 American Football Conference championship game between the two averaged 57.7 million [[link removed]] viewers, setting a new high for that contest. The regular-season game last year averaged 31.2 million, the best non-holiday game in that part of the season for CBS since 2007. A division playoff game from the 2023 season averaged 50.4 million viewers, setting another record for that part of the postseason.

Sunday’s game in Buffalo will be shown to 100% of the country in the late-afternoon window.

A Changing League

Much of the Chiefs-Bills rivalry, however, has stemmed from the teams being the clear leaders of the AFC, something that’s no longer the case in a new-look NFL this season.

The 5–3 Chiefs started the season 0–2 [[link removed]], and while the team has returned to form of late with five wins in six games, they still trail the upstart AFC West division leader Broncos by a full game and are tied with the Chargers for second place.

The 5–2 Bills, meanwhile, looked like themselves last Sunday in a 40–9 rout of the Panthers, but two straight losses before that have helped put the team behind New England in the AFC East by half a game.

All of them, meanwhile, are also looking up at the 7–1 Colts, perhaps the biggest surprise of the season so far across the NFL as new owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon continues to make a significant impact [[link removed]].

If the past is precedent, though, more late drama awaits the Chiefs-Bills game.

“Every single game comes down to one play here or there that someone has to make, if that’s offense, defense, or whatever it is,” said Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “I think it comes down to players making plays in big moments, and that’s worked out for us in the playoffs and worked out for them in other times.”

SPONSORED BY TEAMWORKS

Blueprint Behind Florida State’s Rise

Florida State GM of personnel Darrick Yray joins Adam Breneman on this episode of Next Up [[link removed]] to break down how modern college programs build rosters—from high school recruiting vs. the transfer portal and retention as strategy to culture through competition. He shares lessons he’s learned from Mike Norvell’s consistency, why comparing NIL (name, image, and likeness) and revenue-sharing to the NFL is “lazy,” and the trait he won’t compromise: “Do you love football?”

Yray also shares recruiting war stories, evaluating players like Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Jordan Love, and how evaluation has evolved from DVDs [[link removed]] to data dashboards without losing the human read on character. If you’re a coach, recruiting staffer, or player trying to understand what actually moves the needle in 2025 roster construction, this one is a master class.

Watch the full Next Up episode here. [[link removed]]

World Series Game 5: Largest Blue Jays Audience Ever on Canadian TV [[link removed]]

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Another day, another set of big viewership numbers from the World Series.

Game 4 of the matchup between the Dodgers and Blue Jays on Tuesday combined to draw 21.5 million viewers in the U.S. and Canada across Fox, Sportsnet, and the French-language TVA Sports, up 21% from last year and extending a run of growth across the event.

Canadian viewership continues to be a major storyline of the entire World Series, and Sportsnet posted an average of 6.2 million viewers for Game 4, a figure that initially trailed only Games 1 and 2 [[link removed]] for the most-watched Blue Jays games in network history.

Sportsnet then topped them all for Game 5, averaging 7.2 million viewers [[link removed]] on Wednesday as the Blue Jays took a 3–2 World Series lead. Toronto can clinch its first title in 32 years at home Friday at Rogers Centre.

The audience dynamic is not surprising, as while the World Series is a major national and now international event, viewership from the home markets of the two competing teams drives a meaningful chunk of the overall audience. The Blue Jays have all of Canada and its 41 million people as part of their television territory, and the club’s run has captivated the country.

The Game 5 audience for Sportsnet represented nearly 18% of the entire country, a level of penetration seen in the U.S. for only the latter stages of the NFL playoffs.

Fox, meanwhile, averaged 14.8 million viewers in the U.S. for Game 4 of the World Series, down 11% from last year [[link removed]], a situation that is not surprising [[link removed]] as the network has only one Nielsen-rated U.S. home market in the matchup.

The trends mirrored those for Game 3 [[link removed]] on Monday, as despite the 18-inning length of that game, the audience fell 16% in the U.S. from last year, but rose 27% when also factoring in Canada.

Through four games, the World Series is averaging 19.3 million viewers in the U.S. and Canada, up 23%.

Praise From Fox Brass

Fox executive chair and CEO Lachlan Murdoch, meanwhile, said Thursday in a company earnings call that the World Series extending to at least a sixth game means that the network’s total MLB postseason ad revenue will likely exceed the total from 2024.

“While we thought last year’s Dodgers-Yankees World Series would be a tough act to follow, Major League Baseball has once again performed well for us,” Murdoch said.

That tone is a notable change from two years ago, when he said after the Rangers’ World Series win that “we’d like to see, you know, a bit more sort of national excitement around these games.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Dressing to Impress

Tune in Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. ET for our last virtual event of the year: Future of Sports: Stadium Sophistication [[link removed]].

Front Office Sports Today host and producer Baker Machado will sit down with industry leaders to explore the billion-dollar business behind these next-gen venues—the technology, key players, and innovations driving unforgettable fan experiences.

During Dressing to Impress, we’ll discuss what the newest, glitziest sports arenas are doing to impress visitors with an incredible experience. This session will focus on food, entertainment, and design to discuss the experiences that make fans want to come back for more.

Register now [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said state taxpayers may have to foot the bill for Brian Kelly’s $53 million buyout after the football coach was fired by LSU. Check it out [[link removed]]. Kirk Herbstreit is flying between Nashville, Miami, Salt Lake City, and Knoxville for his football broadcasting duties this weekend. Take a look [[link removed]]. Does private equity belong in college sports? Experts weighed in [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Florida-Georgia Rivalry Hits the Road—Still Nets Almost $10M Payouts [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]The annual rivalry game in Jacksonville is taking a two-year road trip. SEC-Led College Football TV Ratings Are Still Up 4% Through Week 9 [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]The average game audience this season is 1.95 million viewers. Disney, YouTube Settle Suit Over Poached Exec With Deep ESPN Ties [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]A carriage dispute between Disney and YouTube remains ongoing. Question of the Day

Do you plan to watch Chiefs-Bills on Sunday?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Thursday’s result: 45% of respondents think the NBA should be allowed to withhold players’ pay before the investigations are resolved.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Written by Annie Costabile [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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