July 23 (Reuters) - The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) kicks off its season on Saturday, navigating brand-new territory in the COVID-19 era, with no fans in attendance and players in lockdown.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s goals, however, remain the same, as the league looks to harness the momentum from its collective bargaining agreement ratified in January that dramatically ramped up player pay in a landmark deal for women in sports.

“We can start executing the strategy that we started pre-pandemic, which was to broaden the appeal, broaden the fanbase, bring in new revenue,” Engelbert told reporters.

“While many say, ‘Oh the pandemic set you back,’ it also… is an opportunity for us.”

The 22-game schedule in “wubble” - the players’ nickname for their Bradenton, Florida, quarantine bubble - begins after months of delay forced by the coronavirus, with players supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in a season dedicated to social justice.

“They’re bringing awareness to issues that have long been ignored – particularly as they advocate for… female victims of racial injustice and police brutality,” said Engelbert.

A handful of players, including Atlanta Dream guard Renee Montgomery and Washington Mystics all-time leader in assists Natasha Cloud opted out of the season to focus on social justice.

The reigning champion Mystics will also be without 2019 most valuable player Elena Delle Donne, who received a medical waiver after a initially being denied, and former MVP Tina Charles, who came to the Mystics from the New York Liberty in April and also received a medical exemption.

“We’re having to figure each other out,” Mystics head coach Mike Thibault told reporters this week. “When you’ve only had about 11 or 12 days together and we had that much time off beforehand, I don’t think anybody feels like their team has a real rhythm.”

The Seattle Storm, which went 18-16 in 2019, are among the biggest threats this season, with three-time WNBA champion point guard Sue Bird and 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart back in the mix after missing last season due to injury.

They take on the Liberty in the season opener on Saturday, with New York’s highly touted rookie Sabrina Ionescu, the first NCAA player to score 2,000 career points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists, looking to make an impact.

Meanwhile the LA Sparks, who were first in the Western Conference last season but got swept by the Connecticut Sun in the semi-finals, are out for revenge with six-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike and two-time MVP Candace Parker leading the charge.

“Nneka is one of those players that is just going to work,” Parker said at the team’s preseason media day. “It is really fun for me because I think that we bring out the best in one another.”

The WNBA season kicks off Saturday, July 25 at 12 p.m. ET (1600 GMT). (Reporting by Amy Tennery Editing by Toby Davis)

Source: Reuters

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