In this week's episode of The Late Sub, Claire checks in on the big picture for both the NWSL and WNBA playoff races as title contenders emerge, playoff spoilers make their cases, and some teams begin to plateau at an inopportune time.

Then, she chats with NWSLPA President Tori Huster about the league’s landmark CBA, and how concerns about parity might be overstated.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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A first-of-its-kind sponsorship has hit the WNBA, with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) announcing on Friday it would be supporting all 12 players of the two-time WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.

The deal grants each player $100,000 dollars in exchange for representing the city in 2024 and 2025.

"The offer's really simple: We want you to just play, we want you to keep repping Las Vegas, and if you do a three-peat, that'd be icing on the cake," LVCVA president and CEO Steve Hill told the team in a video released Friday.

The news comes as WNBA salaries and team caps continue to be a point of contention in the league. With many players making less than $100,000 a year, outside sponsors have long helped bridge the financial gap for players. 

On Saturday, Aces coach Becky Hammon said that the local tourism bureau had reached out to all of the players individually via their agents, leaving the Aces organization out of the conversation entirely. The goal was to avoid breaking cap circumvention rules established by the league’s CBA.

"I'm going to put it to you real simple like this: Most of sponsorship people go after the top two people," Hammon said. "[A'ja Wilson] is taken care of — she's got plenty of stuff going on. [Kelsey Plum] has plenty of stuff. In this situation, from what I understand, is they wanted the whole team. So they went and called individuals, agents. I don't know the details. 

"I have nothing to do with it; the Aces don't have anything to do with it. It's just odd, but that's basically what happened."

Despite the apparent separation, the WNBA has launched an investigation into the legality of the sponsorship, according to multiple sources. 

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While the sponsorship does not directly violate the league-wide salary cap because the LVCVA did not orchestrate the sponsorship with the club, other teams are likely to raise questions about its fairness and whether or not it violates the spirit of the cap rules. The deal could potentially upend the balance of what teams are able to offer players in the free agency market.

"We have 100 influencers we pay to represent Las Vegas," Hill told the Associated Press. "This isn’t any different then that. All of these ladies are completely eligible to have sponsorships. We are just asking them to represent Vegas."

It’s not the first time the league has investigated the Aces for cap circumnavigation. Just last year, the team faced consequences — Hammon was suspended for two games while the team lost its 2025 first-round draft pick — for crossing league rules regarding impermissible player benefits and workplace policies.

"We get [things] from our agents all the time; they wanted it to be a big moment because it's something that's never happened before," Aces star forward A'ja Wilson said about the LVCVA's offer. "I don't understand the investigation; I haven't dived into it yet. I just looked at my phone [after the game] and was like, 'Oh, wow, just another day in the life of the Aces.' We can't ever start just normal, it's always going to be something, and that's okay."

When the NWSL and NWSL Players’ Association ratified their first-ever collective bargaining agreement on Jan. 31, one of the last pieces to come together in the final days of negotiations was Article 20: “Group Licensing of Player Name, Image and Likeness.”

The section states that the NWSL and its clubs recognize the NWSLPA as the players’ agent in executing commercial rights toward the use of their names, such as trading cards, video games, clothing and toys. Group licensing enables a revenue stream for players and the NWSLPA so that the union can continue to negotiate CBAs and be a presence in the NWSL ecosystem.

The measure was a sticking point for players during the final rounds of discussions with the league. The U.S. women’s national team players, especially Alex Morgan, were adamant about the importance of those rights after having gone through similar negotiations with U.S. Soccer.

While some sections of the CBA required more compromising in the end, the NWSLPA felt that Article 20 was a big win.

“I credit the NWSL for staying in there with us and coming to an agreement on an issue that is of high importance to players,” NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke told Just Women’s Sports. “This is a recognition of the control and autonomy that players should have over their own name, image and likeness, which is inherent to the person.”

On Wednesday, the NWSLPA built on the progress from the CBA with the announcement of a new exclusive, multi-year partnership with OneTeam Partners, a leader in commercializing collective licensing rights of professional athletes. Under the NWSLPA’s agreement, OneTeam will provide NWSL players and the NWSLPA with group licensing representation to maximize the value of group player rights.

OneTeam has already partnered with other athlete groups, like the USWNTPA, WNBPA, NFLPA, MLBPA, MLSPA and U.S. Rugby Players’ Association. The NWSLPA is confident OneTeam has the experience and tools to pull the them forward at a faster rate while making players’ needs the top priority.

“I found that maybe among the most compelling features of OneTeam is that they get it,” Burke said. “They know what a labor union is. They know that our fundamental mission is to serve the athletes we represent … The commercial opportunity stems from that, but we’ve got to serve and protect our members first and foremost.”

Burke also appreciates how much OneTeam has contributed to the NWSLPA’s evolution as a players’ association.

“They’ve really helped us learn, kind of get smart on group licensing, if you will. But they’ve never lost sight of the fact that we’re a labor union,” she said.

“We think there’s so much growth to be had in women’s soccer and in women’s sports,” said OneTeam spokesperson Eric Winston. “To be working with the NWSLPA and grow it from the beginning, we’re really excited about it … I can’t understate the magnitude of them now having a CBA and us helping in any way we could there.”

Working alongside OneTeam’s other major professional sports partners also gives the NWSL a seat at the table.

“[Women’s sports] is something we believe in,” Winston said. “Quite frankly, to be completely blunt with you, it’s good business.”

One request the players have is to give every fan the option to purchase a name-and-number replica jersey of their favorite player. There has historically been a shortage of jerseys and merchandise in women’s sports, and through OneTeam, the NWSLPA is eager to get those products out into the marketplace and create revenue streams back to the players.

“I think the CBA speaks to who we are, and group licensing speaks to where we want to go,” Burke said. “We’re really, really excited about launching something that I think is just full of potential, it’s full of promise. There’s a lot of unrealized potential in this space, and as players, we said throughout CBA negotiations we want to bet on ourselves. Group licensing is a way of us betting on ourselves.”

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.