The Mercury have a much-needed weekend off after they played games on both Thursday and Friday, first in Las Vegas and then back home in Phoenix the following night. It was their fourth game in sixth days.
They split the back-to-back slate, finding a way to beat the Valkyries with the help from yet another triple-double from star Alyssa Thomas after a loss to the Aces the night before. Satou Sabally, the Mercury's leading scorer averaging 16.8 points per game, hasn't been afraid to make her feelings known surrounding the hot-button topics facing the league.
Amid tense collective bargaining agreement (CBA) discussions, she called a CBA offer from the league a "slap in the face" earlier this season, as the WNBA and its player's union seem to remain far apart on a new deal ahead of the expiration of the existing CBA after this season.
This year, WNBA teams are playing 44 total regular-season games, up from 40 over the past two seasons, 36 in 2022 and 34 from '03 to '19. The longer schedule brings more back-to-backs and less time for recovery, which is especially important when you consider the fact that many WNBA players compete in other leagues over the offseason.
"Terrible," Sabally said when asked about scheduling after the win Friday via ClutchPoints' Hayden Cilley. "It's like they don't care about player safety, it's like they don't care about scheduling. And I mean, I only mentioned that one time in the beginning of the season, and I know people love to comment and say, 'Oh, you guys want to get paid more, you guys need to play all these games,' but at some point there's a sports science to it. ... We'll play tomorrow and we're professional. We'll do it."
Calendar wise, the league didn't increase the span of its season even with more games. With a new CBA getting worked out, a reworked league schedule seems to be a priority next to player salaries.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Satou Sabally Didn't Mince Words on WNBA Scheduling After Back-to-Back Games.
