At present, less than one-fifth (20%) of the total revenue in the WNBA is distributed to its female players compared to an estimated 50 to 52% of revenue sharing that occurs in male-dominated sports.

This disparity of income, confirmed by Market Watch and Jocelyn Shek of NBC, prompted the WNBA’s star players to show up at the league’s All-Star game in Indianapolis, Ind., wearing black t-shirts that featured a slogan on the front of the shirts: ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’.

“We are taught that domestic violence includes financial abuse of our partners, and yet, on a larger scale, companies abuse women every day with wage abuse,” said San Quentin Warriors Coach Jeremiah “JB” Brown. 

According to Rohan Nadkarni of WNBA.org., the existing collective bargaining agreement is due to expire in October, and players believe that now is the time to support this popular women’s sport by rewarding the rising stars who continue to generate the league’s success.

The shirts’ slogan has become a mantra aimed at the league franchise owners. The slogan spurred the player’s association and the fans of the WNBA to act in protest of the grossly dismal players’ share of the leagues’ total revenue. 

According to Rohan Nadkarni’s story posted on WNBA.org, the leagues’ representatives are working to negotiate a new CBA.

Nadkarni reported the players’ association believes that as the league grows exponentially, and as attendance and television revenue increases proportionately, the time is ripe for the players to get their just due. 

Their current salaries almost universally support the demands from players.

The average salary for WNBA players this season is $102,000 per year. In San Francisco, $120,000 per year qualifies a household of two for general assistance and food stamps.

Caitlin Clark’s rookie season salary was $78,066 during the first year of her negotiated four-year contract that totaled $340,000. In 2024, Clark entered the league and helped establish WNBA merchandise sales records and attendance records during the 24-game regular season.

Clark’s rookie year paralleled Angel Reese’s arrival in Chicago and created the first true sports rivalry that recalled the most famous rivalry in basketball; Ervin “Magic” Johnson vs. Larry Bird.

The increased fan interest has led league prognosticators to estimate a 30% expansion that will grow the franchises from the current 14 teams to 18 by 2030. Franchises awarded for the five years of expansion include Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia and Toronto.

The ownership groups in Detroit, Philly, and Toronto will pay a $250 million expansion fee compared to the Golden State Valkyries expansion fee of $50 million in 2023.  

A meeting between the league and players before the All-Star game brought frustration. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty forward and union vice president, spoke about the impasse in negotiations after the most recent meeting with the league’s Board of Governors. “I think, to be frank, it was a wasted opportunity,” said Stewart.

“We could have really kind of gotten into a deeper dive of everything. Based on their most recent proposal, we just aren’t able to get to a place where we’re actually even talking about the same thing,” Stewart said.

Another revenue stream being negotiated is the WNBA’s television contract that was signed last year for a reported $2.2 billion over the next 11 years. 

On July 29, 2025, Dustin Dorsey, of ABC 7, reported that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors introduced legislation supporting the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries. The bill proposes a resolution for equitable overall compensation — not just equal pay for WNBA players in the negotiated CBA.

According to the Bay Area News Group, the Valkyries are already the most valuable ownership group and franchise in the WNBA with a record-breaking estimated value of $500 million. This estimate makes the Bay Area team the most valuable franchise in all of women’s sports.

Chiney Ogwumike, who played with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2023, wrote in The Players Tribune in May of 2024 that discriminatory pay in women’s sports is not a new issue. “It’s time for WNBA players to get a higher percentage of the league’s basketball-related income,” said Ogwumike.

On August 26, CBS Morning News reported that Caitlin Clark signed the largest endorsement deal in women’s sports history: a $28 million deal with Nike that comes close to the total annual payroll allocated for the WNBA players.