The WNBA is celebrating the halfway mark of the 2025 season this weekend in Indianapolis, but looming labor issues could dampen spirits. The big picture: The WNBA is the hottest brand in pro sports. Owners who in the early aughts struggled to find investors for their distressed assets are now clamoring for a piece of a rapidly expanding pie.

Los Angeles Sparks's Kelsey Plum poses on the orange carpet for WNBA All Star basketball events (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston, elegant in a long, dark gown and heels, echoed the sentiment.

The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire Oct. 31. If the league and players don’t reach a new deal by then, a work stoppage could begin.

SportsLine's Jimmie Kaylor locked in his picks, predictions, props, and WNBA best bets for the Chicago Sky vs. Minnesota Lynx game on Monday, featuring Angel Reese

In a poll published Thursday by Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman of The Athletic, a plurality of players voted the Sky as the worst-run organization in the league. With 40.7% of votes received, Chicago beat out the Connecticut Sun (29.6%), Los Angeles Sparks (14.8%) and Dallas Wings (7.4%).

So, for which franchises do players most want to compete? And what do they think about a host of topics around the league, like who is the league’s best player, where should expansion head, who is the face of the league and what issues are important in the next collective bargaining agreement?

According to their future franchise rankings, Chicago ranks ninth in the league out of 13 teams, meaning it only has a brighter future than four other organizations.

The Connecticut Sun have had a rather up-and-down week as a franchise. On Tuesday they sold out TD Garden for the second time as they hosted Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Although they lost the contest, the Sun drew over 19,000 fans to the arena and local bars were jam-packed with watch parties.

As the women's basketball league continues to expand, racial attacks against players are getting loud on social media