Big Take WNBA Players Want More of the League’s Revenue. Can They Get It?
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Oct 31, 2025 
ESPN's Sarah Spain, Bloomberg's Jennah Haque, and Seattle Storm's Lexie Brown dive into the WNBA's demand for better revenue sharing amidst its rising popularity. They discuss players seeking a piece of the financial pie in light of soaring ticket sales and viewership. Lexie shares the players' struggles with low pay and their skepticism about league offers. Jennah reveals insights on the league's opaque finances, while Sarah highlights the lack of investor pressure for player pay. The conversation brings to light the ongoing tensions and negotiations shaping the league's future.
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Players Feeling Undervalued After Growth
- WNBA players say the league's rapid growth has exposed how undervalued they were for years.
- Lexie Brown frames the demand as claiming a fair share of the business they've helped build.
Huge Revenue Share Gap With NBA
- WNBA players currently receive under 10% of league revenue while NBA players get about 50%.
- Claudia Goldin's analysis implies WNBA pay should be roughly a quarter of NBA pay, not an 80th.
Different Revenue Frameworks Explain Payouts
- NBA shares a single basketball-related income pot and pays ~50% to players via BRI.
- WNBA's CBA restricts shared revenue to narrow "league revenue" and sets hard growth triggers that never paid out.