WNBA: Where’s the extra prize money promised by the league?

The week’s news in women’s basketball was dominated by the business of sports, including schedules, prize money, merchandise, and earnings.

WNBA schedule shenanigans

The WNBA surprised everyone by releasing the 2025 schedule on Monday, raising questions as to why.

It seemed odd to announce next season’s schedule before the free agency period, especially with prominent players likely to switch teams. The excitement for upcoming matchups makes more sense when each team’s roster is mostly set. This is particularly true for the Golden State Valkyries, who only just started building their team in the recent expansion draft on Friday.

The league could have built anticipation for the schedule release to engage fans better. Looking at examples like Unrivaled, which effectively generates excitement with player announcements and more, the WNBA misses opportunities to create fan excitement despite valuing social media metrics.

Even though the WNBA is more successful and popular than ever, it sometimes feels like it has achieved this status despite itself. The recent mishap in revealing the team name of the Toronto expansion franchise is just one example.

Regardless, there is already excitement building for the 2025 season with a record 44 games for each team starting on May 16. The Commissioner’s Cup returns for a fourth season, with Cup play scheduled for June 1 through 17 and the Championship Game on July 1. The season will also introduce a revised playoff format with a seven-game WNBA Finals series for the first time.

Will the W pay out promised $750,000 prize pool?

An accounting issue within the WNBA’s 2025 schedule announcement was discovered by Mike Vorkunov at The Athletic.

The league announced a $500,000 Commissioner’s Cup prize pool, but the 2020 CBA stipulated a total prize pool of $750,000 for special competitions. The discrepancy raises questions about the missing agreed-upon prize money.

It appears that the remaining $250,000 was reallocated to the Commissioner’s Cup prize pool, with participants receiving an extra payout in cryptocurrency.

Unrivaled announces captains, merch and more

Unrivaled recently revealed the league’s Club Captains and signed LSU junior Flau’jae Johnson to an NIL deal. The partnership with Johnson and UConn redshirt senior Paige Bueckers introduces Unrivaled’s new merchandise line.

Flau’jae, CC get sports biz recognition

Flau’jae Johnson and WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark were recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 Sports 2025 class. Clark was also listed as the 10th highest-paid female athlete in 2024 for her NIL deals.

Clark’s trading card market continues to thrive as her Panini Select WNBA Gold Vinyl signed rookie card sold for a record-breaking amount.

The sale of Clark’s trading card ranks second only to Serena Williams’ autographed patch card in terms of sports card sales.