A Montgomery County native is helping reshape the future of women’s professional sports, writes Alexy Coffey for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bala Cynwyd native Deborah Willig, who attended Lower Merion High School, played a leading role in negotiating a landmark labor agreement for WNBA players.
Willig, a longtime labor lawyer, served as outside counsel for the WNBA players association during recent contract negotiations. The result was a historic deal that included a 367% increase in salaries, along with expanded benefits and improved working conditions. It was the largest jump in professional sports collective bargaining history.
Her advocacy was shaped in part by her own experiences as a female athlete decades earlier. Playing basketball in the 1960s and later at the University of Pennsylvania, Willig saw firsthand the disparities between men’s and women’s sports. She carried this into her legal career.
Beyond pay increases, the agreement addressed issues like housing, health care, parental leave, and minimum standards for training and facilities. Players and union leaders credited Willig’s direct, no-nonsense approach with helping push negotiations forward.
Willig’s story highlights how a local upbringing can translate into national impact. From Bala Cynwyd to the negotiating table, she helped secure changes that players say will be life-changing.
To learn more about Deborah Willig, the baller turned lawyer who fought for women’s basketball players, visit The Philadelphia Inquirer.
