Maybe it's because Nevada doesn't have an income tax, while New York gouges the players on their income tax. No you don't own it, the LVCVA doesn't own a thing, they are using their dollars to promote Las Vegas and the entities within Clark County. Like I stated earlier, if the WNBA decides to stop this, there will be a lawsuit and they will lose in the end. This is outside income that has nothing to do with the league.
See you in court. I think the deciding issue will be to what extent it impacts the WNBA's internal workings. And I know the title of the thread mentions NIL, but this isn't that since these players are actually employees, unlike student athletes. Should be interesting what is decided.
Exactly, which is why the WNBA has opened an investigation and will take a hard look at this. This could open the door for other creative ways to circumvent the salary cap. Remember the Aces were investigated last year for attempting to make under-the-table payments to free agents. Regarding this arrangement, the Aces have said "we know nothing,"
The quoted section of the bargaining agreement is interesting. Can it be circumvented by having the LVCVA reword the agreement for out-of-season promotional appearances, and vary the amount of the payment based on some sort of perceived value to the team? Can that clause hold up in a very conservative court environment as it limits the freedom to earn more money, kind of like the way noncompete clauses have been rendered illegal? I don't know the answer, of course, as it's all theoretical right now, but the ability of the WNBA to limit income opportunities seems shaky.
Unless the contract between the WNBA and the players prohibits earnings from other sources, such as testimonials, sponsors ads, play for other leagues in the W off season, etc., there is not anything the W can do to legally impede this earning stream for the LV players.
Is the casino ownership separate from the team ownership? If so then they could pay the team to walk around the mall and talk to people periodically.
I've often thought the same thing regarding college NIL. The easiest for the current "wild West" situation is to make players accepting NIL from a booster of the team that they play for a disqualifying event. Do you want to have a deal with Nike, chipotle, Kool-Aid, it's all good. Do you want to have a deal from Lenny's car wash where Lenny is a booster of the team, not so good. (for what it's worth that approach was at the suggestion of huskyhawk on the men's board. But it makes sense to me.
Good question. I have never paid for a ticket to a Sun game including the CC game.
1. In contract law, words matter. If the words are adhered to, subjective notions of he spirit tend not to prevail in court.
Any tax revenue represents taxpayer funds, public funds, and is a payment of diverted taxpayer public revenue to the team creating an ultra above salary cap payment. If I send you $100 of sales tax revenue through a public agency or private agency, it's still taxpayer monies and is taxable income to the recipient. It won't stand up.
What are they getting paid for if not basketball services? It's a subterfuge at best. The real problem in my mind is that it is public taxpayer revenue. How much do they get per hour to welcome visitors? $5000.00? $10,000.00?1. In contract law, words matter. If the words are adhered to, subjective notions of he spirit tend not to prevail in court.
2. Compensation for welcoming visitors does not constitute payment of compensation for basketball services. As to your bolded portion, how might anyone deem such payment to be substantially in excess of fair market value? Expiring minds want to know.
I didn't look terribly hard, but I couldn't find anything where they did anything for anyone at the airport or any other venue. Maybe it's something they're going to be doing?
That doesn't help the players, it helps the teams. The WNBA has been around since 1997 and they still haven't grown. The players still get measly pay and benefits, it's not the players fault, it's the league.
What do you mean by "anything at the airport or any other venue"? Community bulletin boards announcements are taped and played on video screens throughout the airport as well as the convention center.
The team is owned by Mark Davis, which they pay to play in Michelob Arena in the Mandalay Bay Casino owned by MGM Resorts. Both are separate from each other as well as separate from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
I keep reading how the league management is incompetent. So my challenge to any of you: Start your own league and do better.
Maybe they need to kind of force the owners to meet minimum guidelines across the board, like player facilities, home court standards. Restricting players from signing contracts outside of league play is not good for business and has a good chance of losing in court, no matter what their bylaws say.
The problem is that the franchise has nothing to do with the contract or its negotiation of the contract. So as far as I'm concerned the league has no way to stop it from happening, unless they want to have a heck of a lawsuit to worry about and some very bad publicity.
I would think these ads could be seen on the internet somewhere as I assume they are geared towards visitors or potential visitors.. Maybe not.
I don't disagree with this. But, the league has a stake here. So if it takes a court to figure it out so be it.
You are incorrect, the LVCVA has the feeds and uses them at the Airport, the Las Vegas Convention center and has a channel in the hotels in town. They did have one during last years final with Wilson and Plum, but that might have been a local only commercial.
This is Vegas, where dealers and even cocktail servers can make more than $100K a year when you include the tips. So who is going to be the arbitrator on what is a fair market value on a contract from an organization that spends over a $100M in advertising a year? 1.2M is peanuts and most likely brings in more than that amount in high rollers that come to watch the Ace vs New York, L.A. and others. So far this season 15 of the 20 home games are already sold out with the chance of all of them ending up at the end to being sold out. They have already broken the league record with the 15, they are the second hottest team in Vegas only behind the Golden Knights.
