Jared Smith Speaks Out: “I Want the WNBA to Succeed — But Demanding ‘Pay Us What You Owe’ During \$40M Loss Year Is Peak Delusion”
The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game was more than just a celebration of women’s basketball—it became a focal point in the ongoing debate over fair pay for the league’s players. As athletes donned “Pay Us What You Owe Us” t-shirts and union leaders made impassioned pleas, the question at the heart of the controversy remains: Are WNBA players underpaid, or are their demands outpacing the league’s financial reality?
A Protest on the Biggest Stage
The seeds of protest were sown early on All-Star weekend, as leading players met to vent their frustrations over stalled labor negotiations. Their solution: take the fight public. That evening, every All-Star wore a black t-shirt with the now-iconic slogan “Pay Us What You Owe Us” during warmups, sending a message to nearly 17,000 fans in the arena and millions watching on national TV.
Napheesa Collier, All-Star Game MVP and WNBPA vice president, summed up the players’ stance:
“The players are what is building this brand. We feel like we’re owed a piece of that pie that we helped create.”
A League on the Rise
The protest comes at a time of unprecedented growth for the WNBA. The 2024 season set records for viewership, attendance, and merchandise sales, thanks in part to the arrival of stars like Caitlin Clark and an influx of high-profile rookies. The league is preparing to add expansion teams in Toronto, Portland, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Cleveland over the next five years. In 2026, an 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal will begin, promising a significant boost in revenue.
This surge in popularity has emboldened the players’ union, which opted out of its current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) last year. The union is pushing for a new deal before the current CBA expires on October 31, seeking a revenue-sharing model that mirrors those in other major leagues.
The Numbers: Are Players Underpaid?
The heart of the dispute is how much of the league’s revenue should go to players. Currently, WNBA players are entitled to 25% of profits, but only if certain revenue targets are met—a stark contrast to the NBA, where players receive 50% of all revenue, regardless of league performance.
Salaries reflect this gap. The WNBA minimum salary is $66,079, and the maximum is $249,244, while NBA minimums start at $1.27 million and superstars earn over $50 million per year.
Harvard economics professor and Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin, who has advised the WNBPA, recently wrote in the New York Times that WNBA players are “embarrassingly” underpaid. Goldin estimates that, based on TV ratings and attendance, WNBA salaries should be one-quarter to one-third of NBA salaries to achieve true equity. Instead, WNBA pay lags far behind.
Other sports economists agree. David Berri of Southern Utah University estimates the WNBA will generate at least $500 million in revenue next year, factoring in league-wide earnings, expansion fees, and the new media deal. If players were to receive 50% of that revenue—standard in other leagues—the average salary would jump to $1.49 million, more than 10 times the current average.
“Clearly, if the league is going to treat WNBA players like they do the NBA players, there has to be a substantial increase in pay,” Berri told Yahoo Sports.
The Owners’ Perspective: Losses and Transparency
Not everyone agrees with the players’ math. Critics like commentator Jared Smith argue that demanding a larger share of revenue is unrealistic when the league has never been profitable and reportedly lost $40 million last year. The NBA founded the WNBA nearly 30 years ago and continues to subsidize its operations; seven of the WNBA’s 13 teams are owned by NBA groups, and the leagues share media contracts.
The league’s financial losses, however, are contested. NBA commissioner Adam Silver previously estimated annual WNBA losses at $10 million, a figure that has allegedly quadrupled recently due to increased expenses, such as full-time charter flights. But some, like sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, are skeptical of these claims, pointing to “shenanigans” in sports accounting and a lack of transparency.
Union leaders echo this concern. WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike has called for more openness about league finances, writing, “As players, we never get to see the numbers. We just want to see the receipts.”
Negotiations: Tension and Hope
Negotiations remain tense. After a recent in-person bargaining session, players described the league’s counterproposal as “disrespectful” and “a wasted opportunity.” The gap between the two sides is so wide that it raises fundamental questions about the future of the league and its labor relations.
Still, the players’ public protest has energized fans, many of whom chanted “pay them” during the All-Star Game’s MVP presentation. The union hopes this groundswell of support will pressure the league to offer a fairer deal.
The Path Forward
Economists say the key for players will be to maintain public support and clearly communicate why their demands are justified. As the WNBA’s popularity and revenue grow, the debate over pay is likely to intensify.
“You’ve got to come back and say, ‘Look, I know what the revenue is. I know what the math says. We’re partners in this and you owe us money,’” Berri said.
The WNBA stands at a crossroads: Will it seize this moment to invest in its players and secure its future, or will it risk alienating the very athletes driving its newfound success? The answer may define not just the league’s next chapter, but the future of women’s sports in America.
