\u201cThe reason why we\u2019re in the current economic scenario that we\u2019re in \u2014 with player compensation likely significantly less than their fair market value given the product and the value of the product on the court \u2014 is because, in the last five years, we\u2019ve seen exponential growth in the value of the WNBA,\u201d said Ingraham, managing director at Secretariat Economists, a global expert services and litigation consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been exponentially more interest. There\u2019s been more fans, there\u2019s been more revenues, and because of that growth and because that growth occurred largely under one CBA that didn\u2019t necessarily anticipate the growth, you now have the economic scenario that we\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n
But explaining how to get closer to a more fair average salary is simple math for Ingram.<\/p>\n
Based on the media rights deal, Ingraham said, the average WNBA salary should be between $861,000 and $994,000.<\/p>\n
When the NBA landed its 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal in 2024, it also jointly negotiated a $2.2 billion deal for the WNBA. While the NBA\u2019s media rights deal is 34.5 times higher than the WNBA\u2019s, total player salaries (approximately $5.355 billion in the NBA, compared with $18.72 million in the WNBA) are 286 times higher.<\/p>\n
There are undeniable benefits to the WNBA\u2019s relationship with the NBA \u2014 whether it\u2019s through the NBA\u2019s powerful marketing arm, its established infrastructure, or even the chartered flights arrangement that began last year \u2014 but negotiating media rights deals jointly has also come with the consequence of undervalued salaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey did go through the work to split the deal financially between its valuation for the WNBA versus the valuation for the NBA,\u201d Ingraham said. \u201cAnd I think that distinction allows one to perform analysis of valuation of at least the media rights, and then translate that into what that might mean for the league.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking at team valuations, he said an average salary of $754,000 would be fair market value. Over the past half-decade, WNBA team values have soared. The combined value of the 12 teams last year was $3.6 billion, according to Forbes<\/a>. Meanwhile, the 30 NBA franchises were valued by Forbes at $160.7 billion<\/a> \u2014 nearly 50 times higher. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople who control the purse strings to a lot of money recognize that there is value,\u201d Ingraham said. \u201cI think most people looking at the scenario would take it to mean that the [WNBA] is a proven entity. It\u2019s successful. It has a lot of value and it\u2019s not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n At the heart of the current CBA negotiations is revenue share. While NBA players and owners typically split basketball-related income 50-50, WNBA players end up with around 10 percent of league revenue. While NBA commissioner Adam Silver pointed out in 2018 that the WNBA had lost money every year since its inception in 1997, Ingraham said the league would\u2019ve turned a profit in 2025 had it not been for \u201canticipatory expense increases.\u201d If you consider that season a \u201cbreak-even\u201d year, then a true 50-50 revenue split would have added $100 million toward player salaries, Ingraham said \u2014 bringing the average salary to $761,000.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you see the increase in the in-league revenues, and if you\u2019re engaging in expansion, and if you\u2019ve negotiated new media rights deals, you can actually take on those new expenses now, in anticipation of new money coming in,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s not necessarily something that means the league is doing poorly. It isn\u2019t. It\u2019s actually doing very, very well as exhibited by the new media deal, and is exhibited by the fact that expansion franchises are valued at $250 million.\u201d<\/p>\n In Ingraham\u2019s eyes, there was no way for the previous CBA to account for the league\u2019s trajectory over its lifespan. The task in these negotiations is crafting an agreement that will look ahead.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat that means now is that, in the negotiation that\u2019s occurring now, a correction likely needs to be made,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then going forward, one of the things that [we] will be looking for is how subsequent CBAs try to anticipate the future growth in league revenues under future CBAs.\u201d<\/p>\n Sense of urgency<\/p>\n When the Connecticut Sun announced in July plans to explore selling the team, longtime Brookline resident and science fiction writer Michael Burstein felt a sense of urgency.<\/p>\n He had become a WNBA fan and Sun season ticket-holder because his daughter Sheva was a fan. But a potential sale not only opened the door optimistically for a relocation to Boston, but it created a worst-case scenario that the Sun could leave New England entirely.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be nice for the Sun to stay in Connecticut,\u201d Burstein said. \u201cBut the thing I feel would be awful was if the Sun were moved out to Houston or somewhere out of New England, because right now the Sun is the only WNBA team for all of New England.\u201d<\/p>\n With that in mind, the elected Brookline town meeting member and library trustee will introduce a resolution in support of the Boston City Council\u2019s resolution to bring WNBA basketball to Boston.<\/p>\n Burstein said, \u201cNew England should have a WNBA team, full stop.\u201d<\/p>\n