For several years, WNBA players had advocated for better travel conditions, but to no avail. However, according to Caitlin Clark’s biographer, all it took was one highly publicized airport moment that turned a long-running concern into a decision that cost the WNBA $50 million. And according to her, Clark herself was the catalyst.
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Christine Brennan, the writer of On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports, appeared on Monday’s episode of the Linda Cohn Show. During one segment, she explained that the WNBA’s move to chartered flights was because of Caitlin Clark.
“Charter flights happened for one reason, Linda, because of Caitlin Clark and the concern over her security when she was photographed and videotaped walking through Dallas Fort Worth baggage claim,” she said during the YouTube video. “I know this because I made a call to a source at the NBA. We talked for 45 minutes on a Friday in early May of ’24… I was told, ‘There will be no charter flights. No charter flights. They will still fly commercial.'”
That stance lasted only three days.
“I got a call on the Monday, so that was a Friday weekend, Monday, from my source saying, ‘We are going to have charter flights, and we will give you the scoop. You’ll be able to break it first since you asked us about it,'” added Brennan. “So, in those 72 hours, they went from no charter flights to charter flights, and it’s because of Caitlin Clark. And so, that’s a fact.”
Here’s what she’s talking about. On May 2, 2024, ahead of then-rookie Caitlin Clark’s first preseason game against the Dallas Wings, she was recorded by a local TV crew and several fans when they arrived at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, generating a lot of attention. According to Brennan, following that incident, she reached out to an anonymous source the next day, who clearly told her that charter flights would not become the standard.
Then, a few days later, on May 7, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league had decided to provide full-time charter flights in partnership with Delta Air Lines for its teams during the season to address player safety concerns. The initial commitment was worth $50 million for two years.
Leading up to the season, the league had already announced that chartered flights would be provided during the playoffs and for back-to-backs, something that cost the WNBA $4 million in the 2023 season.
However, notably, the Clark incident likely wasn’t the only reason for the move. Brennan pointed out another high-profile incident that coincidentally also took place at the same airport. In June 2023, Brittney Griner was harassed by a “provocateur,” as the WNBA labeled him, something that Brennan believed should’ve been the catalyst that changed the league’s outlook.
“Horrible that they didn’t get charter flights after she got back from Russia,” she said. “Horrible decision by Cathy Engelbert. Absolutely just a vacuum of leadership, sad to say, from her. But that Griner thing, you’ve got to have charter flights once you’ve got Britney Griner and other players who could be attacked, as Britney Griner was.”
The decision had major advantages for players, outside of just security. Players now don’t need to deal with bodyguards in public areas, extremely cramped legroom for the bigger players, layovers, or long security lines, especially considering how long players had been advocating for the change.
A major proponent of the change was Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who highlighted the Griner incident while addressing the change, per the Associated Press.
“All these players and these faces are becoming so popular that it really is about that as much as it as about recovery,” she said.
Regardless, Brennan’s account provided a behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest changes the league has seen over the last few seasons, and how it was all motivated by Caitlin Clark’s popularity.