WNBA, players agree on 22-game season to begin in Florida next month

Professional women's sports are going to thrive this summer with the latest announcement coming from the WNBA.

The league will resume play next month in Florida with a 22-game season and a full playoff schedule at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., the league announced Monday. 

Players who opt into the 2020 season will receive their full salaries, assuming the league is able to complete both the regular and postseason. Terri Jackson, the executive director of the WNBA Players Association, noted that being paid in full was a "critical component" in getting players to agree to a shortened season.

Many details, though, have yet to be ironed out. A formal start date has not yet been finalized, and the WNBA has identified multiple other destinations as a backup plan if playing at the IMG Academy becomes unjustifiable for various reasons.

The league very well could have to resort to their fallback plans, too, as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida is spiking after Governor Ron DeSantis opened the state rather early.

However, IMG Academy would be the perfect spot for the league to resume provided it is safe to do so. The school boasts four courts that can be used among the 12 WNBA teams. The world-renowned boarding school has hosted many professional athletes for workouts in the past, including Serena Williams, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson, so they'd have no problem hosting the WNBA.

The normal 36-game regular season was set to begin on May 15, but like every other professional sports league was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Women's Soccer League will be the first league in the United States to return to action with a 25-game "Challenge Cup" tournament in Utah beginning this month.