“With several CBA conversations in Indy this weekend, players warmed up in shirts that read ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us.'” That was the headline during the All-Star weekend. Months down to the WNBA finals, the sentiment hasn’t changed but gotten worse. Napheesa Collier has made wild allegations, and Cathy Elgelbert could only do much to deny the claims in the presser. Despite that, her demeanor in the presser raised questions about what long-term implications await Caitlin Clark and her WNBA peers.

‘WNBA on NBC’ hosts Natalie Esquire and Megan L. Hall recently touched base on how the commissioner should have expected some questions about Collier’s allegations. Despite that, as the reporter highlighted, “I was looking at her body language and she looked very uncomfortable answering these questions, which I can imagine a lot of pressure to do so. Her eyes also seemed to dart from moment to moment.” Can you guess what’s incoming? A brutal phase.

“There were moments where Cathy Engelbert, as well, was just looking down at the ground, listening to these questions, and like seemingly waiting to get her answers for them. I…. So to me, I…. I wasn’t quite convinced that she was fully digesting what was happening. It almost felt like she couldn’t get through that presser fast enough,” Hall said. All throughout the presser, Cathy’s body language was more about why now than why me.

If what Megan said is true, then this means that the Minnesota Lynx star’s allegations have greatly affected the WNBA commissioner. It is not clear whether the same is out of guilt, anger, or some other feeling. Nevertheless, if the commissioner has been affected by this incident, then she might be looking to make things right with Clark, Collier, and the rest of the WNBA players. One way to do that is through the other issue that is in front of them: the CBA negotiations.

“There’s an October 31st deadline to ratify a new CBA, and it’s October 6 as of this date of this recording, and I’m not convinced we’re going to get there by October 31st, which means there could be a lockout on the horizon,” Megan added. The reporter didn’t let the important question go as he asked Cathy Engelbert what a lockout would mean. The answer? There ain’t any.

Megan added, “Cathy Engelbert was like, ‘Yeah, that’s a great question, right?’ And so I don’t know that they necessarily have that full answer right now, but it’s go that question’s going to get louder. So, I just think right now there’s more pressure on the league than it is on the players to potentially come to good faith.” But this isn’t the first time. Tensions about a potential lockout existed even before Napheesa Collier made her remarks.

After all, if the ‘Pay us what you owe us’ T-shirts at the WNBA All-Star game showed us anything, it was that the players were united in their desire to get paid more. With WNBA ratings having reportedly surged over the last few seasons, revenue being boosted, and the league signing new media deals, there is no better time to ask for a raise than now. Then, Napheesa Collier highlighted that Engelbert failed to address this issue. Furthermore, the Lynx star also alleged that Engelbert told her in a private conversation that Caitlin Clark and other young standouts “should be on their knees” in gratitude for the platform the league has given them.

Over the last few days, Collier’s remarks have gained support from players like Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, coaches like Stephanie White, and sportscasters like Stephen A. Smith. Collier, in light of Engelbert’s response to her allegations and the insinuation that the player was lying, reportedly canceled the meeting scheduled for this week. Therefore, at this time, when the divide between the league and its players’ association is at a high point, the commissioner might be primed to give them what they want.

More than anything, it was the part about Caitlin Clark that would have hit the mark and escalated the tension. After all, no one can deny what the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ has done for the WNBA. Which is a shame, as the WNBA star’s head coach recently highlighted.

Stephanie White calls Caitlin Clark A ‘Pawn’ in WNBA dispute

Earlier this month, Stephanie White made an appearance on ‘Query and Company’ on 107.5 The Fan Friday. During the episode, she complimented Clark for showing maturity amidst this ongoing controversy. After all, according to White, “I hate it all for Caitlin. You know, she’s a 23-year-old kid who loves to play this game who is a pawn in a lot of other people’s games and a lot of other people’s narratives. And I hate that for her.”

The Napheesa Collier-Cathy Engelbert issue hasn’t been the first Clark has unwantedly gotten herself thrust into. Ever since she was drafted, she has been in the middle of league-wide debates over race, officiating, physical play, etc. With her name now being used to leverage a higher pay for all players, including herself, of course, the list grows.

“You can probably name just maybe a handful more of athletes who have been the game changers and who have experienced what Caitlin Clark is experiencing,” White added. “[Besides them], no one can really relate to what she’s going through.” Caitlin Clark herself didn’t respond in the immediate aftermath of Napheesa Collier’s remarks.

Later, she said that Collier made some valid points, but didn’t go into much detail about the exact remarks the commissioner was accused of saying. All in all, the Indiana Fever star is trying not to get sucked into the issue as much as possible. Do you personally believe that, amidst all that is going on, the league officials and players can reach an agreement on the CBA before October 31st? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.