The race for equal pay is on! The players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) are fed up with the unfair treatment they have been facing since the WNBA was founded in 1996. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) ends on Oct. 31st, 2025; the perfect opportunity has arisen to finally get the money and treatment they deserve.
The players are aiming for better pay and management as the next agreement period begins. The women have already begun to protest the treatment they have tolerated for far too long. If the board can not promise better conditions in the next season, players may stop playing altogether.
The players made a game-changing statement during the All-Star Weekend, which took place from July 18-19. The weekend is an annual occurrence filled with various basketball activities, including the All-Star Game.
During the All-Star Game, teams led by Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier proudly displayed new warm-up uniforms displaying the words “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” The black and white fabric was seen as a way to peacefully protest the unfair treatment they have been facing. The most prominent reason for concern is the league’s irresponsibility.
”She said to me, ‘Caitlin should be grateful she makes 16 million off the court. Because without the platform the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’ And in that same conversation, she said to me, ‘players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them,’” said Collier.
Engelbert mentions that the players would not have anything without her help with sponsorships. The problem with this statement is how true it really is. Without sponsorships, the WNBA players would make nothing.
The “media rights” Engelbert mentions to Collier includes the new 11-year agreement, stating that USA Network, a sports cable program, would present WNBA games starting in the 2026 season. This deal would generate a substantial amount of money for the players. The money is still not coming from the act of actually playing, which is why the players are dissatisfied in the first place.
Engelbert saw this as a type of saving grace for the players under the guise of “fixing” the pay issue, though players still aren’t being paid fairly for their efforts.
While the National Basketball Association (NBA) generates income from sponsorships, ticket sales, and other sources, the pay gap is still far too substantial to justify
Women are being paid about 1% of what men are paid to play the same game. According to Sports Illustrated, the base salary for WNBA players is $100k, while for men, the base salary is around 11.8 million. This is a significant difference, being an 11,700% increase in salary.
Without the WNBA, the NBA would not be even close to where they are. The WNBA was founded in 1996 as an attempt to increase interest in the NBA. At the time, the National Hockey League (NHL) had added new teams to its program, leaving the NBA in the dust when it came to sales. Trying to revive interest in basketball, the NBA brought eight new female teams that were set to begin playing in 1997.
Young women throughout the world watch the WNBA, and the women in the sport are attempting to make them proud by standing up against the gender based pay. Freshman Isabelle Banks is a female athlete herself and has aspirations to play professional golf.
“Young women should know that they deserve the same amount of pay that men get, and it’s not fair to go into a field where they aren’t respected. Young women should know that they can work and do anything in any field. They can do anything they put their mind to,” said Banks.
The WNBA has been inspiring young women to chase their dreams, and the players are doing an amazing job at demonstrating an important fight for what they believe.
