It is an excellent day for the WNBA and its players.
Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the WNBA, declared on Tuesday that all clubs will begin flying charter aircraft this season. Engelbert states the program should cost about $25 million a year for the following two seasons. “As soon as we can get planes in places,” is when the league intends to start the program.
Teams used to often travel by commercial aircraft, which drew criticism from supporters, coaches, and players.
Many players took to social media and responded to the huge news:
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WNBA teams have traveled commercially since its inception in 1997, resulting in player safety concerns.
Earlier this week, Caitlin Clark, the NCAA’s all-time scorer and first pick of last month’s WNBA Draft, said that flying commercial would have been “an adjustment.”
The regular season is scheduled to tip off on May 14.
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WNBA Star Brittney Griner Once Got Harassed At Airport
Issues with travel have been an ongoing topic for years. The most significant controversy that happened last year was at an airport in Dallas involving Brittney Griner and other Phoenix Mercury players.
A Twitter celebrity approached Griner and her colleagues as the Mercury players made their way through the airport. After being ordered to leave Griner alone, he continued to badger her with questions while recording.
A conservative media figure named Alex Stein approached Griner, according to a police record that ESPN was able to obtain.
A Mercury security guy was allegedly in Stein’s way when he shoved him and Griner. Griner waited for police officers to arrive at their terminal from behind a gated area. Stein “seemed aggressive and made some inappropriate comments,” the security guard reportedly claimed, according to authorities.
Griner and Stein avoided physical contact, and the security guard refrained from filing any charges against Stein.
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