Liberty co-owner Clara Wu Tsai believes charter flights 'enough of a topic' within WNBA that commissioner will address it

Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty are on the same page "fighting to elevate the standard" when it comes to using charter flights in the WNBA and now the playbook is being pushed toward the commissioner's desk.

Liberty co-governor Clara Wu Tsai said on Wednesday during Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot's introductory news conference that she needs to be a "constant voice" and "as influential as I can" on the issue, and believes it's at a point where it will be addressed in some capacity.

"As we know, I’ll get fined if I talk too much about anything related to the collective bargaining agreement," she said. "Everyone knows where we stand on this issue and I alluded to it earlier in a way with my remarks. But I do believe it’s enough of a topic within the league and several other governors that it is going to be addressed by the commissioner."

Stewart signed with the Liberty during a hyped free agency in which the 2018 MVP centered the issue of charters and chose the team in part because ownership viewed the issue the same way. The sides want to ditch the commercial flights required by the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement (CBA), but it will take a vote by the board of governors and support by commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Engelbert has estimated the cost at $25 million per year, and wants to ensure it is financially feasible annually.

The Liberty were fined $500,000 for repeatedly using charter flights in the backend of the 2021 season, setting in motion the heightened discussion around the issue. The Las Vegas Aces, the league's west coast super-team, and owner Mark Davis have also been vocally in support of charters. The use of charters is a competitive advantage, so the CBA has leveled the playing field by requiring teams to fly commercially. The 2020 CBA upgraded players to economy plus or comfort seats for more leg room.

"I think the fine that we took and the actions that we made pretty much spoke for themselves," Wu Tsai said. "I’m a person that is about actions and not words."

Players are pushing for charter flights for health and safety reasons. Flying charter would allow them more rest and recovery, keep them out of delays and cancelation problems at airports, and give teams more flexibility in departures and arrivals rather than harsh game-to-takeoff turnarounds.

The opening remarks Wu Tsai referenced had to do with the issue of player support. She said when she and her husband, Joe Tsai, purchased the team in 2019, they "decided to invest in the Liberty and the league for the long term."

"And we’re especially committed to player health and well being, ensuring adequate player rest and recovery, and really raising that standard for all the players in the league," Wu Tsai said. "Really behind that investment is a true intention to position this team and the league for continued success and growth really along all metrics, including national awareness, corporate sponsorship, TV ratings [and] fans in the building."

New York, the only original franchise without a championship, has been active in supporting players whether through Liberty-specific locker room upgrades or signage around and on Barclays Center. Neither are common for WNBA teams. They've also invested in team personnel.

"One of the most neglected areas in this league for a long time is player health," Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said. "Especially when you have players going overseas. They’re coming back, we have a [training] camp and they’re all in various states of condition. I don’t think it’s talked about enough.

"We say it when we’re hiring these really elite people on the performance side," Kolb said. "We don’t want to just have the best performance team in the WNBA. We want to have the best performance team, period. And that’s what we’re going to keep doing. Because that’s what these players deserve."

Stewart, 28, said she chose to sign with the Liberty to "continue to raise the standard" and made her announcement with a jersey that read, "I want to do my part to make this world a better place." Before her decision, she tweeted about subsidizing charter flights for the entire WNBA and offered her own name, image and likeness to get a deal done. Dozens of WNBA players raised their virtual hand in agreement.

"I think that it’s a conversation that needs to be had and it’s a topic that needs to be talked about," Stewart said on Wednesday. "I think that when we talk about pushing the needle and raising the bar and elevating the WNBA, it’s also that. It’s also player health and wellness and what’s going to make us be able to travel cross-country or whatever the case may be and be able to play our best. Because we want to play our best to win, but we also want to play our best to be in front of new fans, ticket holders, things like that."

Stewart reiterated her previous point that her hope is the charter flight issue moves from a flat "no" to a "maybe," or is allowed in instances that make sense such as those cross-country trips or on back-to-backs. The league has stepped in over the years to pay for charters when it is deemed incredibly necessary, such as flight delay issues during the postseason. Eventually, Stewart said she hopes it would turn into full-time charter flights.

MLS enacted a system in which it allowed charter flights for four legs (two round trips) per season. Its 2020 CBA requires charters for at least eight legs per season, and all of the postseason matches. Engelbert has consistently pointed toward a new media rights deal that "right-sizes" the valuation of the league as the way to take care of financially driven issues such as charters. The deal with ESPN/ABC ends after 2025, the same year she set last week as a new pushed-back expansion goal.

"We want to make sure that when I’m done playing, which hopefully isn’t a while," Stewart said, "and Sloot’s done playing, which hopefully isn’t for a while, that the next generation that comes in and the waves after that, they’re going to set up to have success and not have to worry about tedious things and they just can only try to be better and more great."