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When Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier calmly sat down and told a group of assembled local media the WNBA is helmed by the worst leadership in the world on September 30, she likely did so with a full understanding of the potential impact of her words. Collierwho launched Unrivaled, the womens professional three-on-three basketball league alongside the New York Libertys Breanna Stewart in 2023is the granddaughter of Gershon Collier, who served as Sierra Leones representative in the United Nations in the 1960s. She understands the impact of the right words. And the words she chose forced the in-house negotiations between the WNBA and the players union, the Womens National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), fully into the public eye. I think its time that people know whats happeningthe way that the league is not valuing us the way that we need to be valued, Collier said. WNBA players opted out of their current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) last year, and since then the clock has been ticking: after missing the October deadline, the WNBA offered players a 30-day extension, they agreed; the new deadline is November 30. [The players] are at the center of everything we do, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said speaking to reporters on October 3. If the players in the W don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better, and I have to do better. The WNBPAs current fight is one that hails from a long lineage of women-led labor strikes and disputes. UC Santa Barbaras Dr. Eileen Boris, who specializes in labor studies as well as gender, race, class, and womens history in the universitys Feminist Studies department, told Fast Company that there is a big history of women organizing in the United States. Women have never been passive in the workplace, she says. Were seeing that play out yet againand in the case of the WNBA, on one of the biggest public stages possible. Echoes of the past The heart of the dispute is money: the WNBA has never been more popular, and more money than ever has been pouring into the league. At the same time, the players are not adequately compensateda reality that is all the more confusing when one considers that the athletes in the WNBA are both the product and, effectively, the marketing team. Throughout the regular season, fans turn to social media more often than not to catch up on game scores, tunnel fits, and what teams are up to, and they form parasocial relationships with the stars of the game. It should be noted that the WNBAs astronomical growthstaggering increases in viewership and game attendance, league expansion that has included adding a total of six new teams by 2030, improved resources for players such as chartered flights, and an influx of funds from media rights deals and partnershipshave all happened under Engelberts watch. She emphasized to the reporters that the heart of the league lies with building a movement that not only showcases the best athletes in the world, but also inspires millions who dream of following in their footsteps. At the top of the players list of demands is a more equitable share of overall revenue thats coming into the league. The players have proposed a new system: one that allows that share to grow as the leagues revenue grows. That would benefit not only the athletes currently in the league, but for the athletes who will join in years to come. But in response, the league has suggested a system not too dissimilar from what is already in place, offering salary increases that include a cap that increases by a fixed rate over time. To complicate matters further, the WNBA and NBA have not yet shared the books that explain just how much revenue there is. This is hardly the first time the 29-year-old leagues athletes have entered into a legal dispute with the leagues leadership. In fact, the first-ever CBA nearly tore the league apartbut ultimately set the standard for womens professional sports leagues in the United States (and even in the world). And yet, today, players remain embroiled in an extremely public, high-stakes fight; workers (in this case, players) are pushing back on a leadership they believe to be toxic. This reality is underscored by a host of women-led labor movements: From the striking female workers at textile factories in the 1800s in Lowell, Massachusetts, to the garment workers of New York City, to the 1881 Atlanta Washerwomen strike, which achieved racial solidarity as part of its movement. Historically, Boris says, women who were considered the consumers of the goods supported the [striking] workers in past U.S. disputes a pattern that is also playing out as the WNBPA continues to receive broad support from female fans. Those past movements are not dissimilar to what the players of the WNBA face now, and one key to success will be garnering and retaining mass public support for the fight. Contentious negotiations The players are demanding what they feel is fair, author and cohost of The Womens Hoop Show podcast Jordan Robinson explained to Fast Company. And I believe that the players feel like they maybe settled [for less than they deserved] in their last CBA negotiation with the hope of the league growing down the line. Now? That growth happened way faster and way sooner than a lot of the players probably were thinking. That growth is owed in large part to Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, as well as Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, and these new rookies coming in bringing a lot of fans from college, and a lot of eyes, attention, and dollars, Robinson says. Under the current agreement, a rookie drafted in the top four spots in 2025 makes $78,831 this year. But Clark, who is responsible for 26.5% of WNBA revenue all by herself, signed a contract that began at $76,535 annually when she was drafted as the number-one overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. ESPN reported this week that the WNBA has proposed increasing the max salary as part of the current negotiations. But why are some of the leagues best players making less than $80,000 a year, especially in a league that landed a $2.2 bilion media rights deal in July 2024? The answer might be hiding behind what increasingly appears to be a toxic storm brewing within the league itself. Collier hinted at league-wide dysfunction and unrest in her statement, and in an interview with Glamour published October 28, she took things a step further. We are being so grossly almost taken advantage of, and it should be illegal, she insisted. The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and shes getting 0% of it because we have no rev share. She gets less than $80,000 a year, and shes bringing in, like, hundreds of millions of dollars. Its insane. As Boris put it, the general public does not look at these workers as workers. They don’t see the working conditions. They don’t see the kind of bullying that might be taking place and the hierarchies behind the scenes. Its a big problem, she says. Like generations of women who have spearheaded labor disputes in the past, from the New York shirt waist strike of 1909 (which fought for better pay and hours, safer, more humane conditions) to a 2022 strike against Kroger (around wages and COVID-era safety at work), the players have to prove their own humanity to garner support. Workers in other industries have been forced to take drastic measures to get their needs met, too: there were the dual SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America (WGA) Hollywood strikes in 2023, or what may unfold in West Virginia if coal miners struggling with black lung disease arent adequately responded to. A WNBA spokesperson noted on October 28 that the league urges the Players Association to spend less time disseminating public misinformation and more time joining us in constructive engagement. But when toxicity feels as if its baked into the culture of the job, what options do any workers have but to fight for what they believe they deserve? ‘Self-sabotage’ for the organization Like these labor disputes of the past, WNBA players are pushing for the same goals so many workers everywhere want: higher pay, increased benefits, and protection from occupational hazards, like injuries on the court. As Collier also said, Whether the league cares about the health of the players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage. As we should have learned by now, it doesnt typically pay to devalue workers and continue with toxic conditions. Over time, that erodes an organization from the inside out, something that has been demonstrated throughout the history of work in the United States. When it comes to the WNBA, the concerns are a little more physical and personal. Injuries are part of the game, and perhaps no one knows this better than Collier herself. The 29-year-old forward suffered at least two at crucial moments this season alone: she missed several games due to a sprained ankle, a reality that could have cost her the coveted MVP crown this season. But playersworkersfeel within their rights to challenge any circumstances in which they dont feel safe. Many of the great labor advances in this country started exactly that way. This is not only for us Though it may feel obvious to those watching the WNBA and CBA negotiations closely that players are making demands that are reasonable when considering what they bring to the league, the path ahead of them is still very hard, Boris says. All workers have to get as high of a salary as you can during your prime when youre working, she explains. The success of negotiations will depend in part on how public they are. One strategy which is really useful is having workers give testimony about working conditions or being forced to play, and [being] forced to practice with injuries or lack of sick days or family accommodation. To that end, it seems thats what some players have had in mind: In addition to Collier, plenty of WNBA superstars, including four-time MVP Aja Wilson and the Indiana Fevers Sophie Cunningham, have made it clear where they stand on the issue and that they are willing to fight tooth and nail. Thats necessary because the stakes are just so high, Boris says. And like the historic, women-led labor movements in the past, the outcome wont just affect the women currently playing in the league. When asked about the perception that WNBA leadership is not pro-player, Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown tells Fast Company: I think it runs deep. I think its been this way for a long time, and I think its getting to the point where we just finally have the leverage. WNBA players have other opportunities, she points out, like AU Pro Basketball, the womens professional league that will kick off its fifth season in Nashville in February. The new Player B league in Europe and Asia also promises higher pay than the WNBA does. Such leagues afford players the money to potentially not have a [WNBA] season, she explains. None of us want that to happen, but I think its just been a build up over years and years, and we have to stand on business when it comes to this. The leagues players are fighting this fight for those who came before them: the players who continued to show up to work, every single year, despite the conditions, despite not having facilities, despite flying commercial, sharing hotel rooms, she says. Theyre also fighting for all the little girls out there that want to be in the WNBA. This is not only for us, Brown added. Its for everybody in the future.
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E-Commerce
A jovial President Donald Trump held a warm and friendly meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the White House, packed with plenty of handshakes and back pats. He brushed aside questions about Saudi Arabias human rights record, praised the prince for his statesmanship and announced hundreds of billions of dollars in new Saudi investment in the United States. The White House rolled out plenty of pomp for the Saudi royal on Tuesday, dispatching fighter jets that the two leaders watched from a red carpet, parading out an honor guard on horseback and giving a lavish dinner in the East Room. In a sitdown in the Oval Office that took place just seven years after Prince Mohammad was implicated by U.S. intelligence agencies in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump and the prince took numerous questions from reporters one of whom was repeatedly insulted by Trump on everything from commerce to the sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh. Here is a look at some of the takeaways from the visit: Movement on military cooperation Trump had previewed his decision to sell F-35s on Sunday but formalized it before the prince on Tuesday when he said the approval was complete and that Israels fears about maintaining its qualitative military edge in the Middle East would be addressed. Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but some in the Pentagon and other agencies have opposed the sale because of the potential for advanced technology being shared with China, which also has close ties with Saudi Arabia. As far as Im concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line, Trump said of Saudi Arabia and Israel, which already has F-35s. Israels aware and theyre going to be very happy. Israeli officials have suggested that they would not be opposed to Saudi Arabia getting F-35s as long as Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework. The Saudis have said they would join the Abraham Accords but only after there is a credible and guaranteed path to Palestinian statehood, a position Prince Mohammad repeated in the meeting. We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution, he said. Were going to work on that to be sure that we come prepared for the situation as soon as possible to have that. Trump also said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia would complete a broader agreement on military and security issues during the visit and that the U.S. would proceed with a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, about which Israel also has raised concerns. The two nations also signed a deal that calls for the Saudis to purchase nearly 300 tanks from the U.S. At the dinner Tuesday night, Trump announced he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, a largely symbolic move that gives foreign partners some defense, trade and security cooperation benefits. Khashoggi’s killing gets swept aside Tuesdays meeting was the first White House visit for the crown prince since Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018. U.S. intelligence said Prince Mohammad likely approved the slaying. In a remarkable scene in the Oval Office, the prince, nicknamed MBS, faced questions from reporters, something not typical for the de facto head of the absolute monarchy where dissent is criminalized. He was asked about Khashoggi’s slaying along with the role that Saudi citizens played in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Trump, however, lashed out at the reporter for the line of questioning. Trump called Khashoggi, a Saudi pro-democracy activist, extremely controversial and said a lot of people didnt like that gentleman that youre talking about. Whether you like him or didnt like him, things happen, but he (the crown prince) knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that. Prince Mohammad, who has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s killing, replied that his government had taken action. Its been painful for us in Saudi Arabia, he said. We did all the right steps of investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia, and weve improved our system to be sure that nothing happens like that again. And its painful, and it was a huge mistake. Trump also commended the Saudi leader for strides made by the kingdom on human rights without providing any specific detail but presumably referring to reforms relating to womens rights. Whats he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else, Trump said. Lots of pomp and circumstance Trump greeted Prince Mohammed at the White Houses South Lawn entrance with a handshake and arm slung over the prince’s shoulder. Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for the Saudi leader, with a military band on hand and a flyover by U.S. military planes, before showing the crown prince his decorations along the White House Colonnade. We have a extremely respected man in the Oval Office today, Trump said at the top of meeting, calling the prince a friend of mine for a very long time. Trump also castigated his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for greeting Prince Mohammed with a fist bump during his 2022 visit to Saudi Arabia. When you get out of the plane and you get the future king and a man who is one of the most respected people in the world you shake his hand, you dont give him a fist bump, right? Trump said. Trump doesnt give a fist bump. I grab that hand and he did just that. At the dinner Tuesday night, the tuxedo-clad president and first lady Melania Trump welcomed the crown prince back on the red carpet again, before feting him at a dinner attended by tech titans such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with golfer Bryson DeChambeau and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. They dined on a pistachio-crusted rack of lamb, followed by a couverture mousse pear for dessert. Vast but vague commercial and economic deals Prince Mohammad told Trump that his country would be increasing its financial commitments to the U.S. from $600 billion, which ws announced during the presidents trip to Riyadh in May, to $1 trillion. Details of those deals were not immediately clear but are expected to include investments in a variety of American businesses, including artificial Intelligence, as well as the purchase of jet engines and other equipment. Matthew Lee, AP diplomatic writer Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
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E-Commerce
Time slows. The mind chatter quietens. Outside distractions dial down to a hum. You are at one with the task at hand. Congratulations, youve reached flow state. Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi coined the term to describe a state of complete immersion in an activity, one in which focus comes naturally and youre in the zone. Think of the hours flying by as a painter gets lost in their art. Or when youre juggling three browser tabs, the caffeine hits, and suddenly, your fingers start flying across the keyboard. Well, over on TikTok, a new trend has the internet sharing the hyper-specific ways they genuinely enter their “flow statethe more chaotic, the better. One example: When the iced latte, Zyn & Adderall hit at the same time and I genuinely reach flow state, a TikTok user wrote, blinking and looking around the room with full alertness, punctuated by slurping coffee through a straw. When I have a drink for hydration, a drink for caffeine, and a drink for fun & genuinely reach a flow state, another wrote, triple-fisting beverages while standing in front of a laptop. Another added, When youre matching socks and genuinely reach flow state. Boom. While the trend takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the psychological phenomenon, it is a real, if elusive, feeling. Csíkszentmihályi explains that flow happens when our abilities line up just right with the task in front of us. Too easy, and we get bored. Too hard, and we get stressed. Flow occurs in the sweet spot where were both completely absorbed and able to enjoy the process. Theres this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback, Csikszentmihalyi said in a 2004 TED Talk. You know that what you need to do is possible to do, even though difficult, and sense of time disappears, you forget yourself, you feel part of something larger. Research shows that entering the flow state can boost performance in activities such as sports or music, and also improve both creativity and well-being. Csíkszentmihályi went as far as to call it the secret to happiness, with research showing those who regularly experience flow appear to be less susceptible to depression. With Gen Z locking in” from now until the end of the year, now is as good a time as ever to practice getting in the zone, blocking out all distractions, and checking off some goals before 2026. Or, as one TikTok user suggested: When Im eating the wings and fries at the same time while also getting water and I genuinely reach flow state.
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E-Commerce
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