Players PAID: WNBA Agrees To New CBA Raising Minimum Salary From $66k to $300k Along With A 5x Increase To Salary Cap, Chartered Flights, Trade Consent For Pregnant Players... But Does Angel Reese Or Caitlin Clark Deserve The Credit For This?
Giphy Images.For anyone who thought Caitlin Clark couldn't change the WNBA for the better….
TAKE A BILLION SEATS!
Because they just announced their new CBA outline on Friday and by Monday, the players unanimously voted YES to pass it on through. Certainly a great day for them and any fan of roundball & women's sports overall. Historic stuff really.
But it's especially sweet for the next crop of young players entering in The W too. Along with the superstar veterans. They are about to get PAID. And finally living & traveling in style as well. Long overdue I say!
GIRL. POWER.
Maybe this will alleviate some of those absurdly flagrant fouls on CC this season? Those benchwarming goons making league mininum better show some respect this time around. They just got $270k put in their pockets by barely lifting a finger. And certainly didn't do a damn thing to increase those TV ratings. Have respect idiots, Caitlin is legend.
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And she's also your daddy. Don't forget it.
Here's some of the finer details laying out all the leverage gained with this new deal.
(SOURCE) - At the centerpiece of the new deal is a revenue sharing model that the league calls "the first comprehensive revenue-sharing model in women's professional sports history." The league projects the new system will deliver more than $1 billion in player salaries and benefits over the course of the agreement.
The salary cap for the 2026 season will be $7 million and will change annually based on league and team revenue growth; it is projected to exceed $10 million by the end of the deal.
The maximum salary is set for $1.4 million in 2026 and is projected to grow to more than $2.4 million by 2032. The average salary is expected to be $583,000 in 2026 and set to exceed $1 million by 2032. Minimum salaries will range based on years of service from $270,000 to $300,000 in 2026 and are projected to range from $340,000 to $380,000 by 2032.
Under the new deal, existing rookie-scale contracts will be adjusted upward. Forthcoming rookie-scale contracts will also experience large salary jumps, with the 2026 No. 1 overall pick projected to earn $500,000.
The 2026 season will remain at 44 games, and then the schedule will expand to up to 50 games in 2027 and 2028 and then up to 52 games from 2029 through 2032.
The new CBA also addressed the housing issue, which emerged as a flash point in negotiations after the league initially did not include it in its proposals. Teams have provided housing since the league's first CBA in 1999.
Under the new deal, housing will be provided for all players in 2026, 2027 and 2028, and for players making $500,000 or less in 2029 and 2030. New developmental players will be provided housing in every year.
Giphy Images.Pretty pretty good. Looks like that All-Star game t-shirt stunt paid off after all? Ball don't lie!
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And the other perks they picked up are worth mentioning too.
Incredible upgrades for the entire league.
-Codified leaguewide charter air travel
-Enhanced standards for team facilities requiring teams to provide enhanced training and treatment resources
-Expanded team staffing requirements, including access to additional physicians, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, physical and massage therapists and nutritionists
-Salary cap exceptions for injured or pregnant players
-Pregnant player trade consent
-Substantial increases in bonus compensation for all league and postseason awards; starting in 2027, bonuses will increase at the rate of growth in the salary cap
-Expanded first-class travel accommodations for players across league events
-Significant increases in team contributions to player 401(k) retirement accounts
-A one-time recognition payment for WNBA veterans and retired players based on years of service in the league, ranging from $30,000 to $100,000
-Enhanced life insurance benefits totaling more than $700,000 per player
-Expanded mental health coverage, including a specific mental health reimbursement benefit
-Expanded family planning benefits for players and their spouses/partners
Cheers to a very bright future for that league. Basketball overall is better for it.
Of course I'm sure this good warm fuzzy feeling won't last for long and almost immediately people are gonna jump online to argue about who deserves all the credit for this historic new deal. But don't get it twisted with my headline, I'm not here to tell you the answer. That's for the eye of the beholder to decide my friend.
But gun to me head, and it's definitely there, I'd say Caitlin Clark certainly had a pretty big influence over it all. How can that be denied? She's the very definition of a generational athlete. But what do I know! I'm just a goddamn idiot blogger. I know nothing Jon Snow.
Maybe Ms. Mebounds herself, Angel Reese, was the one who actually increased TV ratings and inspired millions in sponsorship dollars? She's got plenty of supporters out there who claim that's 100% truth.
Who knows what the answer really is. Much like the age old question "How many licks does it take to reach the center of a Tootsie Pop", in this case the world may never know.
HOWEVA, credit where its due… Angel definitely produced the most pageviews from clips online last season. And on this blog. Her highlights generated millions upon millions of impressions for The W. That's not nothing! That is SOMETHING. Go off queen! MAKE IT RAIN!!
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No shade here though. She's competitive as hell. Good job, good effort out there.
And whether you're a hater or not, it's comforting to know we're guaranteed to see those Sky vs Fever games play out until at least the early 2030s. So many opportunities for our fearless leader Dave Portnoy to enjoy some games courtside again. After all the great work he's done to selflessly support women's sports over the years, I'd say he deserves that.
Congrats Dave! And as always, VIVA.