We're Not Machines': Liberty Stars Sound Off on WNBA Scheduling Concerns
- Mia Nuñez
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
The WNBA's expanded schedule is drawing fresh criticism from players and coaches who say the increased number of games is compromising player health and competitive fairness.
Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally called out WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, saying, "Cathy added a lot of games, and for us as players, recovery is so important. We put our bodies on the line every single time. We had nine games in 18 days. That's not really responsible for a commissioner."
New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello says there are pros and cons to the additional games. “Playing more games is good for our league, but not at the expense of making it not good for the players either, because they're not machines,” she said.
"Hopefully, we keep growing it, but not at the expense that we're playing four games a week that gets really hard," Brondello said. “Now we did that for one week; we can't do it on consecutive weeks in a row.”
Liberty forward Breanna Stewart added that it's not just the volume of games but the cadence of the schedule that causes strain.
“We want to play the games, especially if that's what is wanted in TV, Stewart said. “But I feel like the hardest part is no matter what — when I was playing 36 games or 32 games, it was in the same amount of time as 44 games.”
Stewart believes the imbalance between rest days and games is a visible inconsistency.
“We want two or three days between games, but also, if you look at schedules, it's like, our team has three back-to-backs. Some teams have only one back-to-back,” she said.
The Liberty were well rested before securing a commanding 85-66 win over the struggling Chicago Sky. They entered Tuesday's game with five days of rest and will have another four days of rest before heading to Indiana to take on the Fever.
While the extended rest helps, Brondello says comparing the WNBA to the back-to-back games played during the NBA's 82-game season is not fair.
“Men recover differently than women. That’s a fact,” Brondello said. “My players can push through, I know that. But, how much does it affect as you get further and further into the season and month after month?”
Brondello’s remarks underscore a broader issue in the WNBA as studies by the National Institutes of Health indicate women are two to eight times more likely to suffer ACL injuries than men. Because of this, Brondello believes it is time to “Put our heads together [find] what’s best that still enables our league to continue to grow.”
As the league continues to evolve, expect these scheduling concerns to be a central topic in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations.