Caitlin Clark, the 2024 Women’s National Basketball Association No. 1 overall draft pick, will earn 0.7 percent of what Victor Wembanyama, the 2023 National Basketball Association No. 1 overall draft pick, will be making. Clark will make 338.1 thousand dollars for the next four years, while Wembanyama will make 55.2 million dollars. That’s approximately 163 times more than Clark’s Salary. While the WNBA is a younger league and has far less revenue, 163 is just absurd. The WNBA is on the rise, and it’s time the players started getting paid more.
The Problem
Let’s start with the why. Why are WNBA players being paid so significantly less than their male counterparts? It comes down to three things: revenue, media coverage, and public perception.
The WNBA makes around 60 million dollars a year. To put that in context, next year Stephen Curry alone will be making 55 million dollars. The unfortunate reality is that the WNBA is not profitable, losing an average of 10 million dollars annually. Even though the league has record viewership and jersey sales in 2024, the WNBA is set to lose 50 million this year. The reason the league loses so much money is because 40 percent of the revenue goes to the NBA and 20 percent goes to outside investors. This means that the WNBA only gets 40 percent of their revenue leaving them at a net loss. If the WNBA doesn’t have the money they can’t pay their players.
The WNBA media coverage has only recently increased. In the past, even minor sports leagues got more coverage than the WNBA. Leagues such as the budding National Women’s Soccer League generated a higher turnout than the WNBA.
What the Players Want
The next question to consider is: what are the players asking for? The players’ requests cover a wide range of needs, from maternity care to equal contracts when compared to the NBA. Many WNBA players have asked for an equal share of the league’s revenue, similar to what NBA players receive. The NBA generates tens of billions of dollars annually, and meeting this request is not a challenge, given the numerous sponsorships and publicity the NBA receives.
As an article from NBC News highlights, “WNBA players aren’t necessarily asking to be paid at the same levels as their NBA counterparts. Rather, as Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum said on an episode of the Vegas-centric ‘The Residency Podcast,’:We’re asking to get paid the same percentage of revenue shared.'”
This discussion highlights the wider issue of fair and equal treatment and rights for both men and women in the workplace. It is evident that WNBA players are being underpaid.
The Progress
The unfortunate reality is that WNBA players cannot be paid at the level they want to be paid. What has been done to increase the wellbeing of the players and the revenue of the WNBA? Here we have two things: new players and new rights.
Over the past few years, the WNBA’s talent pool has been growing, but these players just weren’t getting the viewership or the money to attract enough attention. That was until Caitlin Clark was drafted. Clark brought a huge fanbase from her college days – both men and women – with her to the pro game.
She is unlike any WNBA player ever drafted, with a mix of silky smooth handles, a clean and accurate three-point shot, the ability to always put in strong effort and a persona that makes her relatable to people of all ages and genders.
Clark also brings intense rivalries with new players such as Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, who have also been drafted into the WNBA. This draft class has the ability to change the game – for players and the league – and has the potential to set several new records. Viewership and revenue have skyrocketed, especially in the games that Clark plays, and fans have started expanding to other teams and players as well.
In short, the arrival of Caitlin Clark is a huge positive for the WNBA. This new media attention has the ability to force the league to give the players some of the things they have asked for. The WNBA has moved towards new agreements to give players charter flights and team security, because of this. While this isn’t more money, it’s a start towards that money.
An ESPN article summed up the current progress on these things: “It was the latest example of the surge in popularity of women’s basketball … the announcement of the league’s first two expansion franchises since 2008, the shift to full-time charter travel at the beginning of the 2024 season and, most recently and arguably most significantly, the signing of an 11-year, 2.2 billion dollar media rights deal.”
This deal could set up more financial freedom and growth for the league in the future.
What needs to be done
A lot of progress has been made towards establishing better norms in the league. The big factors that are missing are the player’s salaries and equality with their male counterparts. WNBA players are talented and the league is reaching a new level. It’s time that their pay reflects that.
