I’m worried about the WNBA.

A deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement is looming on Oct. 31. If you’ve been paying attention, it doesn’t seem like the players and league officials are anywhere near reaching a deal.

This, after one of the most successful seasons in WNBA history. Momentum is on their side, and a work stoppage just might undo everything.

I’ve been a fan of the women’s game for a long time, far longer than the past couple of years that have seen interest rising off the charts.

In many ways, the addition of college superstars like Caitlin Clark, who now plays for the Indiana Fever, and Angel Reese, who plays for my beloved Chicago Sky, proved instrumental in seeing the fanbase explode.

Still, even with more viewers than ever, the league has some work to do.

Did you know that it has only been since last year that players fly as a team on chartered flights to get from their home city to their away games? Before that, they were on commercial flights like the rest of us.

These are professional athletes, and sometimes they literally would be harassed. Incredible.

Some teams, including the Sky, have their practice facilities in a YMCA. Of course, the Sky is finally building a new practice facility for its players, but what took so long?

Does anyone think that this would be acceptable if these were male players? We all know the answer.

No one is trying to say that the WNBA has the revenue or ability to pay the players what those in the NBA are getting. As more revenue rolls in, though, more needs to be done for the players.

Yet, a brand-new league formed last year – Unrivaled – was able to provide the players with many of the quality-of-life amenities that are lacking in the WNBA.

It’s not just quality of life; a big problem is that players in the WNBA just don’t make even a fraction of what players in the NBA do. That’s one of the reasons that Unrivaled exists; it allows players to remain in the United States instead of going overseas during the WNBA offseason to make money.

Not all players have the incredible marketing team that Angel Reese does. She and Clark were already benefiting from deals made during their college years.

A sticking point in the negotiations between the players and the league is over revenue sharing. Perhaps you saw those T-shirts the players wore during the WNBA All-Star Game that demanded that the players be paid. The WNBA has experienced a lot of growth, and the players would like a more equitable distribution of revenue.

Probably the most obvious problem is the gap between the players and the WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert. If you watched the trophy ceremony after the Las Vegas Aces won the WNBA title this month, you probably heard all the booing when she showed up.

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who is a vice president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, came out with some strong statements about what she characterized as Engelbert’s failure to appreciate the role of the players in the growth of the league.

It’s interesting to note that the players and analysts generally acknowledge that Engelbert has made some good business decisions to grow the league. Still, to say that Clark’s success and popularity is due to the WNBA is ludicrous and missing the mark by a wide margin.

Among the players’ union core principles is one involving investment: “We strive to have our value as elite, global athletes reflected in the economy and society. We create economic opportunities to protect and grow the future and business of basketball for all, and endeavor for holistic fulfillment.”

In other words, without the players there is no WNBA. To grow the league, league management must acknowledge that the players have something to do with the success of the league.

As in any labor dispute, there’s more to it than just money and facilities, but they are two of the biggest areas on which to try to find common ground.

Here’s hoping that an agreement can be reached. Just about every player in the league who is not under a rookie contract becomes a free agent.

A work stoppage could be incredibly detrimental to the entire league. Let’s not go there.

• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.