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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAfter a fierce battle between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx for the WNBA title, another fight is brewing in women’s professional basketball.
The league’s players voted Monday to opt out of their collective bargaining agreement three years before its expiration in a push for a more lucrative deal, according to people familiar with the process.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association’s decision to opt out won’t affect next season. If the two sides reach a new accord, it will go into effect in 2026. If they can’t reach one, a lockout might occur that season.
Thanks in big part to the attention generated by Indiana Fever star rookie Caitlin Clark, the WNBA has experienced a surge in ratings and attendance, while also recently signing a media deal worth six times its previous one. The union said it has a handful of priorities for negotiations, including getting a cut of revenue, higher salaries, and improving benefits for retirees and pregnancy.
“The alignment with salary and compensation is off,” Terri Carmichael Jackson, the WNBPA’s executive director, said in an interview. The current CBA, which was signed in 2020, doubled the maximum salary to about $242,000 this season. “So we have to increase salaries, and I’m not sure doubling is going to be enough this time. I’m not sure that’s an accurate reflection of the value of our players.”
The WNBA declined to comment on the players opting out and instead sent comments WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert made when she was previously asked about the possibility of the move.
“This is going to be an opportunity to listen to one another and take this league to the next level for generations to come,” Engelbert said at press conference during the Finals, which the Liberty won on Sunday in overtime of Game 5 in the best-of-five series. She also said the WNBA has been planning for such a scenario.
Attendance booms
The WNBA is fresh off its biggest season yet. Attendance jumped 48% from a year ago, according to the league. Merchandise sales from its online store and flagship location in New York skyrocketed about seven-fold from 2023. ESPN had huge increases in ratings with viewership in the regular season going up 170%, according to the union.
“This is a defining moment not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said Monday. “The world has evolved since 2020 and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind. This is a new era and we are ready to lead transformational change.”
The increased interest helped the league negotiate a new media deal worth $2.2 billion over 11 years. It’s included within the NBA’s new agreement that is valued at $76 billion over the same timespan.
The league is also on the cusp of adding four teams. The Golden State Valkyries will debut next year, and teams in Toronto and Portland will play in 2026. The WNBA is currently scouting locations for 16th team.
But with CBA negotiations set to begin soon, there is a possibility that the union and the league don’t come to terms. The NFL, NBA and MLB have all had work stoppages over the past 15 years. The WNBPA’s Jackson said the union is prepared to do the same.
This is about “staying committed to negotiating as long as it takes to get what you’re fighting for,” Jackson said.
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The league lost $50 million this year even with Caitlin Clark and thyme want a raise. Just means they expect the NBA will have to subsidize it even more. The next profit the WNBA makes will be its first. Ever.
They want profit sharing on a net loss product?
Weird negotiating tactic to say I want to donate my salary – and they only have 12-15mm in total salaries so that won’t even cover 1/3 of the losses
They’re athletes; thinking is generally not their strong suit.
How does the league lose $50M with YOY attendance increasing by 48%, “seven-fold increase in merchandise sales” (from what amount?), $200M annual media deal (not in effect yet?), and player salaries capped at $242K per year. The numbers don’t add up….
If the WNBA not making a profit is such a big problem and the owners don’t see potential in the league, then maybe they should sell their teams. Who has ever heard of a non-profitable, high-growth business turning into a multi billion dollar opportunity???? I’m sure there are a lot of smart investors who would line up and pay lots of money for those teams (at a big profit to the owners who probably paid little to nothing for them) while also be willing to invest in the people who will drive the businesses success.
This is literally like welfare recipients forming a union to demand more money. Any other enterprise with these numbers would have been disbanded decades ago, but this one checks all the boxes for Democrats so it blunders on