2025 Most Important Moments in Sports: #9: THE WNBA'S BILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION

 THE WNBA'S $2.2B Deal, Will the Players Get Paid

Photo credit: Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos, Rae Burrell blocks Rhyne Howard.

The WNBA secured an 11-year, $2.2 billion media partnership that quadruples its previous agreement, fundamentally reshaping the commercial ceiling for women's basketball. Starting in 2026, annual media revenue will jump from $60 million to approximately $200 million.

But here's where the real story begins.

Photo Credit: Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos, Te-Hina Paopao and Paige Bueckers square off.

While the league celebrates this watershed moment, WNBA players currently receive just 9.3% of league revenue, less than one-fifth the share of most other professional leagues. Compare that to their counterparts: NBA players receive 49-51% of basketball-related income, NFL players get at least 48.8%, and NHL players receive 50%.

The numbers tell a stark story. The average WNBA salary this season is just over $102,000 Caitlin Clark, who helped drive record viewership and attendance in 2024, earned only $78,066 in her rookie year, with her entire four-year contract worth less than $340,000 a figure many role players in men's leagues earn per game.

At the 2025 All-Star Game, players made their stance crystal clear, wearing warm-up shirts emblazoned with "Pay Us What You Owe Us." It wasn't just a slogan, it was a declaration that the era of accepting scraps is over.

Photo credit: Supriya Limaye/ISI Photos Fans filled the arena during a game between the Golden State Valkyries and Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center on May 6, 2025 in San Francisco, California.

The league has evolved dramatically since 1997. Attendance is at historic highs, merchandise sales hit records in 2024, and the league experienced its most-watched regular season in 24 years. Expansion teams now pay $250 million fees five times what Golden State paid just two years earlier. League revenues are projected to reach $1 billion in 2025, up from $710 million in 2024.

The disconnect? All that explosive growth hasn't translated proportionally to player compensation. The athletes generating the value, the ones packing arenas and driving viewership, remain dramatically underpaid relative to the revenue they create.

With CBA negotiations underway and proposals on the table that would establish $1 million base salaries at the maximum level, this media deal represents more than just financial growth. It's the foundation for finally ensuring that the women who built this league over nearly three decades receive their fair share.

Photo credit: Supriya Limaye/ISI Photos, Golden State Valkyries Fans hold up the “V” during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center on May 6, 2025

The competitiveness, the athleticism, the fan support, it's all there. The packed arenas speak for themselves. The question is whether the financial infrastructure will finally catch up to the product on the court. [RS]

Join us daily for the countdown to #1, followed by our Sportsperson of the Year.

Sources: THE WNBA'S $2.2B Deal, Will the Players Get Paid

Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Business Analysis Report 2025: Commercial Value Surges as Caitlin Clark Accelerates Global Popularity and Revenue Growth - ResearchAndMarkets.com