Rethinking Revenue Sharing in the WNBA

A New Game Plan: Rethinking Revenue Sharing in the WNBA

The Women’s National Basketball Association (“WNBA”) has seen historic growth over the past five years, with viewership at an all-time high.¹[1]Alex Feuz, ESPN Networks Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever, ESPN PRESS ROOM (Sep. 9, 2025), https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/09/espn-networks-deliver-most-watched-wnba-regular-season-ever/. Despite the league’s success and increasing coverage, the players’ salaries represent the smallest share of league revenue when compared to American men’s professional leagues.²[2]Shane Garry Acedera, “We are only asking for a similar percentage of revenue that the men are getting” – Kelsey Plum on the misconception of what the players are demanding from the WNBA, BASKETBALL NETWORK (Aug. 2, 2025), https://www.basketballnetwork.net/wnba/kelsey-plum-on-what-players-are-demanding-from-the-wnba. This issue, in addition to roster sizes, salary caps, and requiring players to prioritize WNBA commitments, are key topics in the current negotiations between the league and its Players Association (“WNBPA”) for a new collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”).³[3]Kevin Pelton & Michael Voepel, Assessing WNBA CBA negotiations, from salaries to salary cap, ESPN (May 9, 2025), https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/45060883/wnba-2025-collective-bargaining-agreement-cba-negotiations-salaries-prioritization-work-stoppage. CBAs govern the terms and conditions of employment for athletes and typically address salaries, draft rules, free agency, and other topics.⁴[4]Justia, Collective Bargaining Agreements in Sports Leagues & Their Legal Scope, JUSTIA (July 2025), https://www.justia.com/sports-law/collective-bargaining-agreements-in-sports-leagues/.

The current CBA negotiations have been contentious largely because of new NBA-WNBA media rights deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon, which takes effect in the 2026 season.⁵[5]Kurt Badenhausen, WNBA’s $2.2B Media Rights Deal Marks 6x Jump for League, SPORTICO (July 17, 2024), https://www.sportico.com/leagues/basketball/2024/wnba-media-rights-deal-1234789726/. The deal allocates to the WNBA about $200 million annually, six times more than the value of the previous deal.⁶[6]Id. This increase led the WNBPA to exercise an option to terminate the existing CBA early and demand a greater share of league revenue.⁷[7]Becky Sullivan, As the WNBA’s historic season comes to an end, players say it’s time for higher pay, NAT’L PUB. RADIO (Oct. 21, 2024), https://www.npr.org/2024/10/21/nx-s1-5159991/wnba-players-association-opts-out-contract. One role model for the WNBPA is the National Women’s Soccer League (“NWSL”), which signed a landmark CBA in 2024 with a new media revenue sharing model for paying female athletes.⁸[8]NWSL Editor, NWSL and NWSLPA Agree to Historic Collective Bargaining Agreement Two Years Ahead of Expiration, NAT’L WOMEN’S SOCCER LEAGUE (Aug. 22, 2024), https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/nwsl-and-nwslpa-agree-to-historic-collective-bargaining-agreement.

This article will explore the current WNBA labor agreement and negotiations, and propose that the WNBA adopt a revenue sharing model similar to the NWSL’s 2024 CBA, allowing players to benefit directly from the league’s financial success.

Current State of WNBA Player Compensation

The current WNBA CBA does not guarantee the players a percentage of league revenue. Instead, player revenue share is conditioned on reaching a cumulative revenue target that increases each year.⁹[9]Jacob Mox, Everything to know about the WNBA revenue sharing debate, THE IX BASKETBALL (Aug. 1, 2025), https://www.thenexthoops.com/wnba/everything-to-know-about-the-wnba-revenue-sharing-debate/. In 2024, WNBA players received about 9.3% of the league’s revenue, which is the lowest among the American professional sports leagues.¹⁰[10]Weston Blasi, WNBA players only get 9.3% of league revenue – here’s how much NBA, NFL and NHL players get, MARKETWATCH (Oct. 22, 2024), https://www.marketwatch.com/story/wnba-players-only-get-9-3-of-league-revenue-heres-how-much-nba-nfl-and-nhl-players-get-0abef80c. By comparison, NBA players are contractually assured 49-51% of all the league’s basketball-related income.¹¹[11]Id. This includes revenue from merchandise, licensing, and media rights deals.¹²[12]Id.

In 2025, the salary cap for a 12-player WNBA roster was $1,507,100.¹³[13]Women’s National Basketball Association Collective Bargaining Agreement, Art. VII § 1 at 70, WNBA PLAYERS ASS’N (2020), https://www.wnbpa.com/_files/ugd/575289_1904d7b630624d93a59a904e0d5abffb.pdf. The maximum WNBA player salary was $249,244.¹⁴[14]WNBA CBA at Art. V § 8.1(a), supra note 13, at 37. However, to earn this salary, a player must have five or more years of service in the league, be designated a “Core Player,” or meet other veteran criteria such as re-signing with their previous team.¹⁵[15]Id. A Core Player is a veteran free agent designation that allows each team to keep one player from their roster by providing them with exclusive negotiation rights. The minimum WNBA salary for the 2025 season was $66,079 for a player with zero to two years of service in the league.¹⁶[16]WNBA CBA at Art. V § 7(a), supra note 13, at 36. To put these numbers in perspective, the 2025 NBA minimum salary is $1,272,870, which exceeds the maximum WNBA salary by over $1 million.¹⁷[17]Spotrac, NBA Minimum Salaries, SPOTRAC, https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cba/minimum.

Many players in the WNBA have been vocal about the need for change.¹⁸[18]Acedera, supra note 2. Kelsey Plum, a player on the Los Angeles Sparks, explained that the WNBA players just want the same percentage as the NBA’s revenue share, not the same salaries.¹⁹[19]Id. WNBPA president, Nneka Ogwumike, expressed a similar view, telling ESPN, “[t]he players are still adamant that we get a percentage of revenue that grows with the business, which perhaps includes team revenue, and that’s just a part of the conversation.”²⁰[20]Michael Vopel & Kevin Pelton, WNBA’s CBA Negotiations: From rev sharing to potential lockout, ESPN (Aug. 6, 2025), https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/45901210/wnba-2025-collective-bargaining-agreement-cba-negotiations-salaries-rev-shares-lockout. The CBA has been criticized for its lack of revenue share opportunities, inadequate compensation relative to other professional leagues, and insufficient facilities and travel accommodations.²¹[21]Noa Dalzell, Why the WNBPA opted out of the CBA, and everything players want to see in the next one, SB NATION (Oct. 22, 2024), https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/2024/10/22/24276642/wnpba-collective-bargaining-agreement-cba-opt-out-cathy-engelbert-priorities-nneka-ogwumike.

New Media Rights Deal and CBA Opt-Out

In 2024, the NBA and WNBA entered a new 11-year media rights deal, valued at $78.2 billion, covering the 2026-2036 seasons.²²[22]Badenhausen, supra note 5. Games will be streamed and broadcast on Amazon Prime Video, NBCUniversal, and Disney.²³[23]Id. The deal values NBA games at $76 billion and WNBA games at $2.2 billion.²⁴[24]Id. Despite the six-fold increase in the value of WNBA games from the prior media deal, the WNBPA executive director faulted the deal for allocating to the women’s league only 3% of its value.²⁵[25]ESPN News Services, Reports: WNBA to get $200M per year; union exec concerned, ESPN (July 18, 2024), https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/40587669/reports-wnba-get-200m-per-year-union-exec-concerned.

Arguably, the WNBA’s growth propelled much of the value of the collective media rights. The 2025 regular season was the most watched WNBA season ever on ESPN.²⁶[26]Feuz, supra note 1. The regular season average ESPN viewership saw a 6% increase from the 2024 season and a 170% increase from the 2023 season.²⁷[27]Santa Brito, The 2024 WNBA season delivers record viewership across ESPN platforms, ESPN PRESS ROOM (Oct. 25, 2024), https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2024/10/the-2024-wnba-season-delivers-record-viewership-across-espn-platforms/. Additionally, team valuations have increased dramatically.²⁸[28]JWS Staff, Golden State Tops WNBA with $500 Million ‘Sportico’ Valuation, JUST WOMEN’S SPORTS (June 25, 2025), https://justwomenssports.com/reads/golden-state-tops-wnba-with-500-million-sportico-valuation/. As of 2025, the average WNBA team is valued at approximately $269 million.²⁹[29]Id. The most recent expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, sold for $500 million while the New York Liberty is valued at $420 million.³⁰[30]Id. The 2026 season will introduce two new teams to the league with three new expansion teams following in the consecutive seasons.³¹[31]Id. The escalating team valuations and league expansion illustrate a WNBA growth trajectory that might justify credit for a greater share of the media rights deal.

The NWSL’s Team Revenue Share Model

To capture that revenue share, the WNBA does not need to reinvent the wheel. The NWSL has already established an ambitious model for revenue sharing in professional women’s sports. ³²[32]NWSL Editor, supra note 8.In August 2024, the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (“NWSLPA”) announced a revolutionary CBA with their league.³³[33]Id. The new CBA included a team revenue share model, unrestricted free agency at the end of players’ contracts, and the elimination of the rookie draft.³⁴[34]Jeff Kassouf, Inside the NWSL’s new CBA: Free agency, revenue sharing, more ESPN (Sep. 24, 2024), https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/41400681/nwsl-2024-cba-draft-free-agency-charter-flights-health-coverage-revenue-sharing. The addition of a team revenue share model is groundbreaking for women’s sports.³⁵[35]Id. This revenue share model stemmed from the 2023 media rights deal NWSL agreed to with CBS, Amazon Prime, ESPN, and Scripps Sports worth $240 million over four years.³⁶[36]Cesar Hernandez, NWSL announces new 4-year rights deal with ESPN, CBS, Prime and Scripps, ESPN (Nov. 9, 2023), https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/38857254/nwsl-inks-4-year-rights-deal-espn-cbs-prime-scripps. This deal helped the league introduce a revenue sharing structure where players receive a portion of income through salary cap allocations tied to the television contracts.³⁷[37]Jeff Carlisle, NWSL, players agree on new CBA with no draft, better pay, expanded leave, ESPN (Aug. 22, 2024), https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/40945371/nwsl-players-agree-cba-no-draft-expanded-leave.

The team revenue share model outlined in the NWSL CBA takes 10% of the combined national and international media and sponsorship revenue and divides it equally among the teams to enhance the amount available to spend on player salaries.³⁸[38]National Women’s Soccer League Collective Bargaining Agreement, § 8.14, at 23, NWSL PLAYERS ASS’N (2024), https://www.nwslplayers.com/_files/ugd/84dade_cdf25e593796416ca96f34e0e5fa0b88.pdf. While the calculation of included revenue is complex, it notably does not permit the league to deduct from media revenue the cost of producing and promoting the broadcasts.³⁹[39]Id. Gross sponsorship revenue is included after deducting 25%.⁴⁰[40]Id. This combined revenue goes towards each team’s salary cap and floor, effectively sharing league profits with the players.⁴¹[41]Carlisle, supra note 37.

As a result, the NWSL salary cap increased 20% from $2.75 million in 2024 to $3.3 million in 2025.⁴²[42]Id. The cap is expected to increase each year of the CBA, to $5.1 million in 2030.⁴³[43]Id. Sophia Smith, a Portland Thorns soccer player, is the highest paid NWSL athlete, making over $500,000 a year.⁴⁴[44]Rodney Reeves, The Highest-Paid NWSL Players Right Now, FRONT OFFICE SPORTS (Aug. 2, 2024), https://frontofficesports.com/highest-paid-nwsl-players/. Since the WNBA’s media rights deal is worth more than the NWSL’s media deals each year, applying this model would have an even larger impact on WNBA athletes.

Applying the NWSL’s Team Revenue Share Model to the WNBA

The WNBA CBA contains a revenue sharing option that is very different from the NWSL’s model. This option has never resulted in sharing any profits with the players.⁴⁵[45]Pelton, supra note 3. This model requires that a league revenue target be hit before the players can receive any part of the revenue.⁴⁶[46]WNBA CBA, supra note 13, at 106-07.

The league sets a cumulative revenue target that increases 20% each year and players only receive a share if cumulative league revenue exceeds that target.⁴⁷[47]Id. However, even if that occurred, players would not get the total difference.⁴⁸[48]Id. The league subtracts any prior overage and applies a 30% deduction for costs of generating revenue.⁴⁹[49]Id. Players would then receive 50% of what remains, which is split as 25% paid directly to players and 25% to marketing and promotional appearances.⁵⁰[50]Id.

This is an extremely high bar to reach. For example, even if the WNBA’s revenue exceeds the cumulative revenue target and the prior year’s overage by $20 million, with the 156 players currently in the league, each player would only receive about $22,000, which is only 10% of the maximum salary available to players. The current system prevents that income from going to the players. Instead of keeping their current revenue share model, the WNBPA should apply the NWSL revenue share model in their new CBA. Since the league already has a massive media rights deal, the NWSL’s team revenue sharing model would increase the money going straight to the players.

The WNBA’s sponsorship revenue for 2024 was $76 million and the league’s media revenue was $60 million.⁵¹[51]SponsorUnited, WNBA Partnerships Report 2024-25, SPONSORUNITED (July 24, 2025), https://www.sponsorunited.com/insights/wnba-partnerships-report-2024-25; ESPN News Services, supra note 25. Using those values, if the WNBA had the NWSL’s revenue share model in place for 2024, each team would receive $1.13 million for their salary cap and floor requirements. That would increase every team’s salary cap from $1.5 million to $2.63 million, nearly double the current player compensation.

Those numbers will shift upward with the growth of the league, whether because of expansion teams or increased views. The new media deal in 2026 is valued at $200 million annually and sponsorship revenue will rise with increasing viewership.⁵²[52]Dalzell, supra note 21. Using the NWSL model, player compensation rises automatically. This creates an advantage because the revenue share model ties directly to the league’s success. Unlike the current WNBA model, this new model has no threshold to meet and is very transparent.⁵³[53]NSWL CBA, supra note 38, at 23; Mox, supra note 9. Players know how they are being compensated.

Advancing Towards a Fair Agreement

As the WNBA CBA negotiations continue, the league has a chance to address relatively low salaries and create a model that shows athletes their value by following the NWSL blueprint.⁵⁴[2]Alexa Philippou & Kevin Pelton, WNBA, union agree to CBA extension; what‘s next in negotiations?, ESPN (Oct. 30, 2025), https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/46786847/wnba-cba-collective-updates-negotiations-latest-30-day-extension. Players deserve to share in league growth and profit margins through allocating a percentage of revenue to player salaries.

Written by: Mary Bonema
Mary is a 2027 J.D. Candidate at Brooklyn Law School.