The final couple of years have been large ones for the WNBA, with out query. Caitlin Clark’s arrival introduced drastic will increase in viewership, attendance, and general curiosity within the league. The WNBA has at all times had loyal fanbase however that is one other degree. Increasingly individuals are listening to girls’s sports activities typically, notably the WNBA.
However there is a flip aspect to this, and that is the gamers eager to receives a commission. Being on the roster of a WNBA franchise shouldn’t be a good way to become profitable. For most of the girls enjoying within the league, what they take dwelling after taxes in addition to giving percentages to their brokers and managers is abysmal.
That is why so many WNBA athletes head to different nations within the low season to play ball there. As such, the present collective bargaining settlement (CBA) negotiation between the league and the WNBA Gamers Affiliation (WNBPA) is extremely essential.
The gamers need their reduce of the pie, whereas the WNBA desires to verify they stroll earlier than they run. The issue is that the present optics appear to point out the league is getting cash hand over fist, hurting their bargaining place.
Enjoying reality versus fiction with the WNBA
There is not any query that final season was an enormous success for the WNBA. The league has seen drastic will increase in nearly each potential financial metric. Extra ticket gross sales means extra merch gross sales. Extra viewers tuning into video games means extra worthwhile TV offers. It additionally implies that franchises are value considerably more cash than ever.
None of which means the league is flush with money. The WNBA is just partway via their second booming season since opening its doorways in 1997. For the overwhelming majority of that point, the league has struggled financially.
The WNBA has misplaced cash yearly it has operated and has solely been maintained by monetary subsidies from the NBA. Even in 2024, Caitlin Clark’s breakout first season, theWNBA misplaced $540 million.
It was presumably the league’s greatest yr ever, and so they nonetheless did not make sufficient cash to maintain the lights on with out the NBA’s assist. The issue is that full seats and new TV offers make every little thing look good from the skin, which is how the WNBPA is framing their argument.
The WNBA is negotiating from a place of weak spot
All of that could be a large downside for the WNBA within the CBA negotiations. The gamers see all of the followers within the stands carrying their jerseys and fairly understandably wish to be paid pretty. Many of the gamers do not have big shoe offers like Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese.
The league is their fundamental supply of revenue, and none of them are there for the enjoyable of it. Like Nikola Jokic stated, it is a job. Sure, the league has by no means made cash. On the similar time, there’s a big demand for brand spanking new franchises as a result of proudly owning a sports activities group is a long-term funding.
The aim is to purchase a franchise now because the league grows after which money out after the worth will increase. Contemplating they’re doing the work all of that is primarily based on, the gamers need a piece of the motion. It is laborious in charge them.
With the optics created by the expansion the league has seen in thoughts, it may be laborious for the WNBA to legitimately counter the WNBPA requests. They may have the ability to mitigate them to an extent. In actuality, each side must take the lengthy view and plan via the expansion of the following few seasons with out harming stated progress. It’s, at greatest, a dicey state of affairs.
