WNBA to investigate $100,000 sponsorship deals for Aces players

The back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces were recently surprised with individual $100,000 sponsorship deals. A day later, reports indicate that the league has opened an investigation to ensure that the arrangement is on the up and up.

On Friday, Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced the deal to a stunned group of players in the Aces locker room. According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Callie Lawson-Freeman, the agreements are similar to other third-party agreements like NIL pacts made in college sports. Though considering its scale, this sponsorship is the first of its kind at the pro level, paying all 12 members of the team's roster.

When Hill announced that each player would be pocketing a cool $100k, he said the only thing LVCVA wanted in return was for them to "just play." That's where things get a little complicated.

From the outside, that sounds like a way to give out bonuses to players while dodging the league salary cap. However, there's more to it than that.

"Each player signed a contract to 'reach mutually agreeable opportunities for appearances on Las Vegas' behalf,'" Lawson-Freeman wrote. "The LVCVA will also provide players with Las Vegas-centric gear that they will be expected to wear to promote the city."

In the end, this seems like much ado about nothing. Nevertheless, the WNBA is probably doing the right thing by looking deeper into the matter.

Hill revealed that the idea behind the partnership with the Aces came about "late last week," so it's possible that a small detail slipped through the cracks. It's a landmark deal, too, meaning that setting a precedent for future agreements is critical, especially for women's sports leagues like the WNBA.