Tensions Rising As WNBA Salaries Aren’t Going Up Anytime Soon, Despite Record-Breaking Rights Deal And The Popularity Of Angel Reese & Caitlin Clark
WNBA salaries aren’t expected to increase anytime soon despite how popular the league has become, which is mostly due to the arrivals of players such as Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
The WNBA also just agreed to a record-breaking television rights deal that will pay out $2.2 million over the next 11 years, a significant jump from the $60 million a year it currently earns.
Things are certainly looking up for the league, but perhaps not so much for the players. According to Tania Ganguli of the New York Times, the WNBA is still planning on operating cautiously with money as it still isn’t profitable.
“As its popularity booms, the W.N.B.A. has made some concessions to players beyond the collective bargaining agreement, but it isn’t quite ready to fully loosen its purse strings,” Ganguli noted in a recent piece. “Some owners would also like to make serious investments in players, but league rules protecting competitive balance often don’t allow for that.”
All-Star skills competition winners previously made just $2,575. Phoenix Mercury owner Mat Ishbia is reported to have offered $100,000 for each winner in a bid to get the best players to enter the competition, but the league turned it down because of salary cap concerns. They reached an agreement with Aflac instead, with the insurance firm paying winners $55,000.
League Legend Thinks WNBA Salaries Could Be Negotiated A Lot Better
Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, the sister of another HOFer, Reggie Miller, recently accused the league of undervaluing itself and its players.
“I’m not great with numbers,” Miller told reporters. “That’s a lowball. We need tough and fair negotiators and visionaries. And we need a bully, we need a bully behind the table that’s willing to say we’ll break up the pieces and go from there. But there’s a certain number bigger than 2 that we want.”
The WNBA is making more money than ever before, but it might be a while before players start benefitting from it.
