Las Vegas Aces investigation by WNBA creates 'bad optics' | On Her Turf | NBC Sports

Natalie Esquire and Callie Lawson-Freeman react to the news that the WNBA is investigating the Las Vegas Aces' tourism sponsorship by the city of Las Vegas, arguing that it creates some bad optics for the league. #NBCSports #OnHerTurf #Aces #WNBA
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Las Vegas Aces investigation by WNBA creates 'bad optics' | On Her Turf | NBC Sports
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[@AprilRoxStudios]

WNBA needs new management that supports and promotes all of their players fairly!

[@brandygates6583]

They need NEW MANAGEMENT & marketing team!

[@user-dy2il6cu4b]

Yes

[@claudus12]

The commissioner needs to go

[@jessiecoastaliving]

Yea I don’t like her. She doesn’t value the players.

[@essence2302]

ASAP

[@RelojoAsenime]

There definitely needs to be more transparency. If the Commissioner can't make that happen, then she needs to step down.

[@mr6688]

The WNBA needs to focus on stuff that matters, like better officiating! The WNBA is always shooting themselves in the foot!

[@Michael-rr4ii]

Facts.

[@Redridge07]

I have said that the League Commissioner needs to be fired.

[@brandygates6583]

Agreed!

[@mr6688]

She horrible.

[@Patchwork85]

Quickly!

[@jay5756]

Fire the commissioner!

[@paulharbron8439]

We have NIL in college, but they are investigating a WNBA team because some women who win are getting some sponser money? This has to be scorned women hating on other women. My lord

[@natfluential]

It’s more likely cheap owners complaining. No other players would be upset by something like this.

[@carlosrossi9201]

Women hating on women. This league will never learn.

[@natfluential]

@@carlosrossi9201 who are the women hating here?

[@darrickbrown88]

"scorned women" are not investigating a WNBA team, WNBA higher ups are. I'm nearly certain you know at least that much. If you must reach with a false narrative, make it an original one.

[@colleenposadas8415]

Any functional brain cells here? Huge sports gambling state throwing over a million dollars at a sports team? Hmm what could go wrong?

[@byronkeith8490]

WNBA is tripping there fucking their league up😅

[@Smackwater587]

Leave it alone!!!!!! These guys do so much for Vegas!!!! ❤

[@shereeross4049]

Commissioner must be mad she didn't get her cut

[@kellywilson5275]

Caitlin Clark catching strays for existing 😂😂😂

[@vickimainard6048]

The WNBA just don't like the aces and fact they are successful and winning and doing things to help their team get ahead. If this was any other team. The WNBA would be not doing a thing.

[@marcdaddy33]

Can you explain why the WNBA would have issues with the Aces? I don't know the ins and outs of the league. All is I know is that Tom Brady has partila ownership of the Aces.

[@brandonleemoss]

If it was Indiana they would be celebrating 🥳🎉

[@KyndallNicolee]

They don’t like the fact that the Aces keep winning despite the W standing in their way

[@AndreaW-jh5pb]

Gurl people are hating on the Aces because they are the team people are jealous of. Hates want to hate

[@user-dy2il6cu4b]

I don’t think none of the players are jealous like people keep stating. They are just ballin and if you can’t stand heat then get out of the kitchen. Some white Congress man said in a post that he was going to contact the WNBA about hard fouls. He needs to worry about what’s going on in Washington DC. That video is some where on KZbin.

[@bcos7328]

W needs to investigate themselves

[@donaldtillman4351]

If one player would have received the whole sponsorship and gave it to their teammates then that would be their choice

[@quarantinetheater5612]

If you give it to one player it would be the same as giving it to the team to disperse. Which is the point that it now becomes part of their salary. They have a negotiated salary in their contract that cant be altered(up or down) by anyone including third parties.

[@donaldtillman4351]

@quarantinetheater5612 LOL funny because they can get shoe contracts. So it's not what you just described

[@quarantinetheater5612]

@@donaldtillman4351 of course it is. A shoe contract is an individual deal. A team sponsor is nothing more than a salary jump.

[@natfluential]

⁠@@quarantinetheater5612 a salary is paid by your employer. A sponsorship is not a part of their salary and is entirely permissible.

[@quarantinetheater5612]

@@natfluential they are sponsoring the team not the athletes. That is nothing more than revenue disguised as a sponsorship. If the athlete leaves the team they lose the sponsorship. A new player arrives and they automatically receive the sponsorship. It would be profit sharing. These are the very things that the collective bargaining was there to prevent. Teams finding loopholes in the salary cap to buy the best players.

[@nyceone43]

If the Dallas Cowboys decided that instead of paying the luxury tax, they would stay under the salary cap and have the tax payer cover the difference, that would not only be against the rules, but corruption.

[@natfluential]

Except your analogy creates facts that aren’t present here. Vegas (not the Aces) decided that it wants to sponsor each player on the Aces which is wholly permissible under the CBA.

[@neilkokemuller7841]

You asked them for a comment right away? Maybe they hadn't had a chance to discuss and contemplate the issue at that point.

[@donaldtillman4351]

Why can't this league allow a sponsorship that any city in the league can do the same thing for their team? Like we don't believe that our players deserve these sponsorships

[@vincentwilliams2314]

But the city isn’t paying the team they are paying the players of the team .

[@politicallil7060]

Exactly it's a challenge any city can do it every place on this nation has tourism 😊

[@quarantinetheater5612]

It's just to keep the salary cap fair. The cap was put into place so small market teams wouldn't be at a disadvantage for things just like this. Now if Vegas wants to sponsor the entire WNBA then it would be fair bc no single team would have an advantage

[@vincentwilliams2314]

@@quarantinetheater5612 exactly that’s All it is . Its like double dipping . You sign to play basketball for Vegas then Vegas pays you for pretty much being on the team .

[@quarantinetheater5612]

@@vincentwilliams2314 It's definitely not permissible. Again, the owner of th team could own a big business...or even just collude with a big business....and use that to pay their players higher than any other team in the league. If the sponsorship is for the team then it's team revenue and subjected to the salary cap if dispersed to players.

[@sterlingsanders4978]

Not only does the commissioner for the wnba needs to be evaluated but all of the officials that’s in power in the wnba needs to evaluated. Due to all of mishandling of sponsorship to the aces,not being able to see games, charter flights. On and on and on. There’s too many instances where the W is hurting there own brand.

[@juanmachado1844]

Always can count on Nat and Callie on reporting on my fave team Aces. The League needs to take a chill pill.

[@natfluential]

🙏🏾

[@leeboy7139]

The crabs in a bucket mentality in the WNBA is ridiculously funny.

[@charliemirus4124]

The issue is the Sponsorship can come across as an additional salary. All it takes is the team to funnel money through the “Tourism Board” and the Salary Cap is circumvented. I don’t like it, but it’s can be the beginning of something that can lead to significant competitive imbalance if the next time Free Agency rolls around players start to “count on” such a bonus/sponsorship.

[@natfluential]

It’s not additional salary. It’s a sponsorship and players gets sponsorships all the time and Vegas does this for other athletes in Las Vegas. They are paying it. The Aces aren’t funneling any money.

[@ghostnik]

​@@natfluentialyeah I agree. If the sponsors want to give money to the players then the league can't say they can't. It's nonsense.

[@7damon8ietheredge54]

cities should not be playing players, thats wild

[@neilkokemuller7841]

The bad optics are the clear violation of the collective bargaining agreement. This isn't just a WNBA consideration. There's a reason this hasn't happened before. Salary caps in pro sports are designed to promote parity (so small-town teams can compete with large-market teams). The notion of city governments sponsoring (pay for play) local teams would open a huge can of worms that impacts every major professional sport.

[@politicallil7060]

Nonsense sponsorship isn't against any bargaining agreement no more than merchandising. These are individual sponsorships as a result of the team members name, image and likeness. Now we gonna stop NIL. Miss me with that parity cry it's no parity in the league when it comes to Princess Clark and her charter flights and no cry when Fever is hogging up the national TV broadcast revenue is it?

[@quarantinetheater5612]

​@@politicallil7060 It would essentially change their salary cap. The team can say...we can only pay you 75K bc thats all we have under the cap but the city will also pay you another 25k. It would become pRT OF their baseline salary as opposed to any kind of separate marketing deal between an individual and a business..

[@neilkokemuller7841]

@@politicallil7060 Calling something a "sponsorship" doesn't make it so. Regardless, I don't think you understand the implications. If this stands, you don't think a "collective" is going to up the ante in Indy to attract start talent this offseason. I don't think you understand the purpose of salary caps or the meaning of competitive parity. Miss me with your Cait hate.

[@shonp3761]

@@neilkokemuller7841 Wrong and loud. If that was the case any agent deals would then need to be investigated. It has absolutely nothing to do with the salary cap, nor should it. If a "collective" rises up, so be it, but it shouldnt have ish to do with this. Each agent had to present the deal to each player and they had to accept it. GTFOH. The bad optics are telling a team they cannot get their own charter flights as it would be an unfair advantage, yet the WNBA supplies only 2 teams with charter flights and that is fine. Poeple in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. They need to get right before pointing fingers.

[@neilkokemuller7841]

@@shonp3761 This is wrong. If this goes through, you don't think the sports teams in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles are going to be licking their chops.

[@bcos7328]

Nite Nite Liberty..

[@marcdaddy33]

Wow. NBA and NFL players would have been fined for those comments.

[@UncleOodoo]

CP3 needs to replace Cathy E...... the W this season looks horrible.... the league office, not the players......

[@deannabaker-halliburton7219]

Excellent points….all teams should equally have chartered flights…..the league needs to get it together. They are bumbling opportunities. Kudos to the players and how they are bringing awareness to these issues

[@bpraise517]

Its just an Endorsement deal...move on...💪🏾😎🔥

[@Smackwater587]

Aren't the Aces ambassadors? This city has the money. Sheesh!!!! Go WNBA!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@darrickbrown88]

The W has become so accustomed to Ls that wins feel foreign to it's system so it actively rejects them

[@hannahmoore14]

I’m hoping the investigation is just to placate some of the other owners, but the WNBA really should have gone about this differently. Like you said, inquiry would be a better term to use! I think there’s a lot more growing pains at the WNBA then they’re saying. It’s a big transition that the league is going through, and I’m willing to give some grace to the higher ups. Rome wasn’t built in one day.

[@doitall36]

THESE PEOPLE SOUND LIKE THE NCAA POLICING SOMEONE BUYING THE PLAYERS A JERSEY

[@GregCox1552]

you investigate because you don't want to get caught if something is eyed, and they look like they are covering up.

[@walterhunter3353]

Do you notice NBC thumbnail put A’ja Wilson’s face on this negative story

[@natfluential]

Are you insane? This video is defending the champs not disparaging them. The league is literally being called out here. And A’ja is the face of the Aces. Need y’all to exhibit some common sense here.

[@tinabayne9377]

They the W need to investigate all these cheap shots...given the W a bad rap

[@dapopebfrank2265]

It's a shame a lot of women don't get simple things

[@Smackwater587]

All players in the WNBA deserve attention. They make little money!!!! NBA, hello?

[@goldeye3901]

WNBA would have been okay if the Fever had received it for little Miss America Clark everyone would be saying that so nice she's deserves it because she the best ever ever to play with no rings

[@brandonleemoss]

EXACTLY 💯🎉

[@colleenposadas8415]

You talk like a baby

[@TheeEgyptianQueen]

​@@colleenposadas8415Okay white girl.

[@meganharmon2923]

The W is uncomfortable with this because it’s causing the rest of the league cities to rise up and take care of their teams. There’s nothing nefarious here. However, do I think if they were a losing program, would they still get this offer? No, prob not. That’s why it’s advantageous for the Aces program AND the city of Las Vegas.

[@natfluential]

That’s always the case in any league. When you win, more money comes in.

[@GrahamCStrouse]

If you believe that you’ve been hittin’ the pipe too hard. This is a sleazy way around the salary cap that only works in Vegas because there’s no much shady money.

[@Remy2947]

I cant finish watching this. Her (the lawyer) voice combined with the bad attitude and rudeness is a big NO for me. Shes gonna cost yall views for sure.

[@colleenposadas8415]

Always trying to put it on Clark. Pathetic.

[@dapopebfrank2265]

The only ones complaining about charter flights is the Caitlin Clark haters

[@antnam4406]

MADNESS

[@Dre51255]

No wonder Candace retired

[@shereeross4049]

Her knees gone plus her time up

[@kenosourball6124]

No one is upset with Clark and her millios so whats the real problem

[@Soy-Hammad2649]

Let them earn some money

[@ericlane659]

The Las Vegas Tourism Authority is funded by tax payers. Tax payers should not be providing bonuses for private industry employees. The Aces need to get THEIR money up, and not be incentived by public funds.

[@LaidbackAF]

I guess it’s true what they say, good or bad publicity is good PR lmfao

[@vincentwilliams2314]

It makes sense . It’s pretty much under the table money and tampering

[@jinx7609]

But it’s not against the Players Bargaining Agreement. It’s not against the rules.

[@vincentwilliams2314]

@@jinx7609 it might be because what are the stipulations. Does the player lose that sponsorship if they get traded to a different team . Is the sponsorship solely because that player is on the team .

[@politicallil7060]

FOH if Indiana tourism has come up with the idea you would have called it the best thing that ever happened. Where the national TV broadcast parity? Tampering with fair national coverage of all the leagues teams broadcasting is equal to revenue for that team.

[@brandonleemoss]

​@@politicallil7060EXACTLY 💯

[@natfluential]

@@vincentwilliams2314 no it’s not. The league is investigating based on the spirit of the CBA not the written words of the CBA. There is no violation by the letter of the CBA.

[@MrsKKuz]

As a Sky fan, MAYBE distributing the money IN the team locker room, to the TEAM, then SPLASH it all over media. Just saying.

[@markblain8438]

The answer is simple. Give Rey player on every team 100000

[@foo2244]

Everybody knows the Aces & Liberty are paying the players under the table and that's why we have 2 super teams and everyone else Parity >>> Super teams

[@natfluential]

The Aces have drafted their core except for Chelsea who they traded for.

[@user-dy2il6cu4b]

They are a winning team and they were winning before the sponsorship. Yes it’s seem to be full of hater aide

[@tyronedelk5702]

WNBA is poor management!!!! This is to make CC look good

[@BestofItMoviedoc]

This comment makes you look extremely ignorant. Caitlin Clark has nothing to do with this.

[@aaronfleming4176]

Please don't shoot yourself in the foot

[@bcos7328]

Alleged astute minds in the W

[@TUBE-BONTONSONN-sport-vt9zw]

One word for you ,skins!! Skins gave that money

[@bcos7328]

CC $28 million

[@colleenposadas8415]

She's got other Deals too.

[@colleenposadas8415]

As do other players.

[@alleng012985]

They were almost mobbing Caitlyn Clark in the Dallas airport. Wasn't nobody mobbing what's her name's size 14s at no airport. WTF 🤣🤣🤣

[@paulharbron8439]

Just go somewhere else to talk.

[@goldeye3901]

Because she not little Miss America Clark n most of us know why,but Miss size 14 shoe Aja Willson is the best player in the league 😂

[@WhoisDJNox]

Were you there at the airport with 2x Champion, MVP, and NY Times Best Seller?

[@mattyboy8830]

Size 14s is crazy💀💀

[@alleng012985]

@@mattyboy8830 🤣🤣🤣

[@dism1424]

Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard

[@Smackwater587]

Becky deserves a lot, too! Aces are winners!!! ❤❤❤❤

[@tinabayne9377]

Investigate the violence in the game..it's the new WWF

[@7damon8ietheredge54]

the hate on Caitlin clark is crazy. she has nothing to do with this subject. everybody not happy about that women and thats sad. women dont support other women

[@only1adonis]

If one of the paid players leave… does each new Vegas player get the same money? Is that corruption? Competitive advantage? These are the astute questions

[@williamsmith8017]

No need to investigate. The tax paying people of Las Vegas wanted to pay the Aces 100,000 per player.

[@colleenposadas8415]

Did they?