During the WNBA All-Star game, players provocatively wore “Pay Us What You Owe Us” warm-up shirts during pre-game festivities. The women have an unlikely ally in Barstool Sports founder Dave Portney, who prediction market Kalshi actually let users trader on whether the WNBA would ban from games earlier this season.
Portnoy says the WNBA’s “exploding” revenues leave owners with no excuse for paying players what he calls “virtually nothing.”
Pointing to soaring media rights, expansion fees, ticket demand, and merchandise sales, the controversial social media mogul argues the league should raise salaries in the next collective-bargaining agreement.
Below are factors he cites to back up that claim, as he backs the WNBA players demand for a substantial raise.
Murky Accounting Masks Real Profits
The NBA and WNBA share business entities, so exact revenue figures stay private. Portnoy claims that the commissioner and owners are downplay earnings ahead of CBA negotiations for their own leverage.
A $2.2B Media Windfall Starts in 2025
An 11-year, multi-network broadcast deal worth roughly $200 million a year—six times the previous package—kicks in next season. That alone raises the league’s revenue floor well before the next labor agreement.
Expansion Fees Now Cost $250 Million
Three incoming franchises reportedly paid $250 million each, a 5× jump over Golden State’s 2025 entry fee and more than 25× what teams cost a decade ago. Portnoy says he’d “buy a Boston team … without blinking” at that price.
Sell-Outs and Sticker-Shock Ticket Prices
More than half of 2025 regular-season games have sold out, arenas are operating above 90 percent capacity, and secondary-market prices have surged. Obviously, there’s clear evidence that fans will pay more to watch.
TV Ratings That Top the NBA on Some Nights
Caitlin Clark’s Fever games have drawn audiences nearing two million, beating several NBA telecasts. Ten regular-season WNBA games have already crossed the million-viewer mark this year, and they’ve routinely beat college basketball ratings, including the NCAA Tournament.
Merchandise and Sponsorship Booms
League data show merchandise sales up triple digits year-over-year, app usage up six-fold, and a steady stream of new national sponsors. These are revenue streams that barely existed when the current CBA was signed in 2020.
Players Finally Hold CBA Leverage
The WNBPA exercised its opt-out last October, so the current deal expires after the 2025 season. With record ratings and new cash flowing in, union leaders say a work stoppage is on the table if revenue sharing doesn’t improve.
Mascots Out-Earn Superstars
Denver’s NBA mascot “Rocky” reportedly makes a whopping $625K a year, according to a story from Newsweek. WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark, who is already the biggest ratings draw in league history, will earn $338K total over her first four seasons. Portnoy highlights that disparity as proof the pay scale is broken.
Owners Call Teams “Absolute Bargains”
Franchises sold for $10–14 million as recently as 2019; now they fetch a quarter-billion. Portnoy argues the league could fund substantial salary bumps out of rising asset values alone, before selling a single ticket or jersey.
Players’ Slice Remains Tiny
Despite booming revenues and valuations, base salaries are still capped below $250K, according to Herhoopstats.com, and the total salary pool stays under $2 million per team.
Bottom Line
Portnoy believes the money is already in the system and more is on its way, so the players simply deserve a larger share going forward.
