The best time for a union to collectively bargain on behalf of their members is after a significant increase in revenue. The WNBA saw massive increases across the board in revenue during the 2024 season, so the players union chose to opt out of the WNBA CBA (which was set to expire in 2027) and negotiate a new one.
Among the topics at the top of players’ minds will be upgraded facilities and travel, parental benefits, retirement benefits, and, of course, salaries. It’s the last topic that gets misogynistic men in a tiff. They will throw out comments about how the WNBA is losing money, how the NBA subsidizes the league, and how women shouldn’t make as much as men. They will frame it in terms of female basketball players, but we all know what they really mean.
Exploring the attacks one by one, the league has lost money every year but is seeing a boom in popularity and attendance. The league revenue of $200 million in 2024 is just the tip of the iceberg. The team is looking to add four expansion teams by 2028, and leagues that are faltering, contract; they don’t expand.
The NBA owns about 50% of the WNBA, and the New York Post reported that when taking into account the personal ownership stake that some of the NBA owners have, the men’s league owns roughly 75% of the WNBA. The NBA sends about $15 million a year as a subsidy to the WNBA to cover overhead items like travel expenses and marketing. This is not a gift; it is a responsibility of owning anything. Owners of cars, houses, or professional sports leagues have to pay for the operation and upkeep of what they own.
Lastly, the WNBAPA is not advocating for salaries equal to their male counterparts. The NBA has a $10 Billion media deal, and their employees are entitled to reap the benefits. The men get between 49% and 51% of the revenue, and the owners keep the rest. In the WNBA, players get just 10% of the revenue, with owners keeping the other 90%.
What Would A New WNBA CBA Look Like?
No details have been mentioned yet in terms of potential demands, but given the current state of things, it should be easy to speculate. Last year, the WNBA used charter flights across the league for the first time, and players would like to see that be made a permanent travel accommodation. Speaking of travel, it would not be asking too much to have heightened security where players stay for away games, similar to the type of security the men get. Like it or not, the WNBA players are every becoming every bit the type of celebrities that NBA players are.
Players would like to be taken better care of in retirement. Professional athletes of all genders, in all sports, have short careers. They aren’t able to play until 67 and collect Medicare and social security. They usually retire in their mid-30s. Retirement plans need to be put in place and partially funded by the league to help sustain life for the employees that formed and grew the league during their playing careers.
When it comes to salaries, the WNBA may not seek 50% of revenue like the men get because there wouldn’t be billions in profits for the owners. It’s not unreasonable to expect a tiered revenue share that increases as revenue increases, likely starting at 30%, with incremental raises as revenue goes up. This would immediately triple the average player salary and ensure they are taken care of when the profit margin isn’t as thin.
30% of $200 million could become 35% of $500 million, and eventually 40% of $1 billion. The league will hit $1 billion in revenue, and it will happen a lot quicker than some people anticipate. There should also be no surprise when the NBA sells its ownership to the WNBA at some point, making it an independent entity.
J. Craft of the
Planet W Podcast
, speaking to Stadium Rant about a potential salary cap for the WNBA, said they’d like to see the league do away with the cap altogether.
“I, personally, don’t buy into the profitable versus non-profitable conversations about the W. With the league being so small, and roster spots being so exclusive, I would love to see the WNBA do away with the salary cap altogether. If the most a player is making is a quarter-million per season, then maybe most of the players should make a quarter-million per season.”
There will be people who oppose this type of growth for the league and for the women who play in it. Anyone rooting for these ladies to fail should be called out for their anti-woman and anti-American views.
