The Next Fight For Equal Pay: WNBA’s “Pay Us What You Owe Us” Campaign
Indiana Fever's Aliyah Boston before the WNBA All-Star Game in campaign shirt (Michael Conroy/AP)
Gender discrimination in sports. It’s a story we have unfortunately all heard before, as female athletes across all sports have historically faced inequitable pay and treatment.
One of the biggest headlines being the disparities in pay and treatment of female soccer players in the U.S. For around six years, they fought to reach a settlement that would put them on the same playing field as their male counterparts. Now the WNBA has made a bold statement to the league that can’t be ignored. During warm-ups this past weekend, the All-Stars walked out in t-shirts that read “pay us what you owe us.” A true “girl boss” moment.
All-Star players during warm-ups wearing “pay us what you owe us” t-shirts (Getty)
The current league contract expires at the end of the 2025 season, so going into All-Star weekend, the players had one goal in mind that couldn’t be settled on the court. More than 40 players, including both rookies and veterans, attended a meeting with league officials to advocate for better pay.
"We feel like we are owed a piece of that pie that we helped to create,” Napheesa Collier told reporters post-game.
After the league’s unprecedented growth over the last three seasons, it’s a completely warranted conversation. Over the past three years, these athletes have boosted ratings and attracted a whole new fan base, as well as securing incredible sponsorships. The league has announced the addition of three new teams over the next five years, alongside the debut of teams in Toronto and Portland next year. The franchise has experienced significant growth both on and off the court, and they deserve to be fairly compensated for their success.
David Berri, a professor of economics at Southern Utah University who covers the business of the WNBA, says there's plenty of history and math to back up the players’ argument.
"WNBA players get less than 7% of (league) revenue," David said. "The top salary in the WNBA right now is less than $250,000. The NBA 50 years ago was paying its top players $400,000 a year, and that was (at a time) when the NBA only had $30 million in revenue 50 years ago. The WNBA is at $300 million in revenue, at least, and we also know that with the new television deal, it'll be at least $500 million."
For further context, the WNBA and NBA both have league-wide salary caps. The cap for the NBA in the 2025-2026 season is a little over $150 million more than the WNBA.
Washington Mystics' Brittney Sykes holding a “pay the players” sign after the WNBA All-Star basketball game (Michael Conroy/AP)
While there are numerous factors contributing to their current low salaries, as long as the WNBA continues to trend upward, pressure on Cathy Engelbert and league leadership to deliver more during Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations will intensify.
These athletes put in as much time and effort, if not more, to make this league as successful as their male counterparts. They spent years in the NBA’s shadow, and now that they are gaining attention, their demands must be heard loud and clear.
The deadline for a new WNBA contract is in October, and in the meantime, the conversation about better pay will continue. But to the athletes of the WNBA, we hear you, we see you, and we stand by you.