When the WNBA\u2019s biggest stars took the court for the league\u2019s All-Star game in Indianapolis on Saturday night, every player on the floor wore a black T-shirt adorned with white lettering sharing a simple message:<\/p>\n
\u201cPay Us What You Owe Us.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a weekend of celebration for a league that continues to rise in popularity, the players\u2019 message was a reminder that they are still looking for a stronger financial foothold in a league that falls far behind its contemporaries in regard to how the athletes are paid.<\/p>\n
Since the last collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the players\u2019 association was signed in 2020, the economics of the league have shifted rapidly.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
From 2019 to 2023, the WNBA\u2019s revenue increased<\/a> from $102 million to $119 million, according to Bloomberg. That was before Caitlin Clark\u2019s rookie season in 2024, which aided one of the most important years in league history. With Clark in tow, the WNBA set records for merchandise sales last year,<\/a> and also had its most-watched regular season in 24 years.<\/p>\n So far this season, the league\u2019s average attendance is the highest it has ever been, according to Across the Timeline<\/a>. <\/p>\n The WNBA has responded to the explosion with expansion. The league will increase to 18 teams by 2030,<\/a> adding franchises in Portland, <\/a>Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia over the next five years. (The Golden State Valkyries became the W\u2019s 13th team this season.)<\/p>\n The Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia ownership groups will also pay a $250 million expansion fee \u2014 a substantial increase over the $50 million the Valkyries paid in 2023. <\/p>\n On top of all that, the WNBA also signed a new television rights deal last summer that will reportedly pay the league $2.2 billion over the next 11 years, an average of $200 million a season. (NBC News’ parent company, NBCUniversal, is one of the rights’ holders under the new deal.)<\/p>\n The biggest issue for the players, then, is how to capitalize on the increase in interest around the game with a new economic model. The WNBPA opted out of the CBA agreement last year, and the deal will expire on Oct. 31 unless a new agreement is reached. <\/p>\n