After reluctantly experiencing my first WNBA game, I found myself wanting to know more about the controversy surrounding Caitlin Clark, one of the league’s brightest young stars. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was knee deep in research about a bigger controversy: the so-called “gender pay gap” in women’s sports.
Take a look at what I dug up and let me know if you came to the same conclusions I did.
Boy, Was I Wrong About the NBA!
The Only Thing I Knew About the WNBA
The only reason I knew anything about the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) was because I had been following the controversy over Caitlin Clark, the rookie sensation who, despite making and breaking records on the court (including points and assists per game) – not to mention the fact that her rising popularity was breaking attendance records and boosting revenues for the league, every franchise in the league, and every player – was being disparaged and bullied by some of her opponents, discouraged by her coaches, and ghosted by WNBA management.
It’s a fascinating story – even for someone like me, who doesn’t follow sports – because it provides a dramatic perspective on how the economic and social dynamics of professional sports (as well as just about everything else) have changed in the last several decades.
An Unwelcome Invitation
So when, last week, MM, an old friend who lives in NYC, invited me to spend an evening with him attending a WNBA game, I was not at all eager to go. But when he upped the invitation with dinner at Evalina’s, a restaurant near the stadium that JF, one of my nephews, worked at, I accepted.
He must have sensed my initial reluctance because he promised me – several times – that I would enjoy the game. “I’m sure I will,” I said, making a mental note to prove him wrong.
Softened Up by Food and Drink
Our meal at Evalina’s was delicious. The cocktails, made by JF, were ambrosial. After the first one, I could feel my crankiness ebbing. After the second, I was moving into the mid-7s along my mood scale. With game time approaching, I couldn’t finish the third one, but I didn’t need to. I was happily in Zone 8, which pried open my firmly closed mind about the possibility of enjoying the game.
A good meal (and cocktails) at Evalina’s
The Stadium
Barclays Center in Brooklyn is home to the New York Liberty, founded in 1997 and one of the eight original franchises of the league. The team is owned by Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, the majority owners of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. I presume the team is named after the Statue of Liberty.
Approaching the stadium, I was surprised by how new (2012) and large (nearly 700,000 square feet) the building was. Entering, I was impressed by the size of the arena (with a seating capacity of almost 18,000 for basketball games), as well as the variety and quality of the restaurants, retail shops, and other amenities inside. (On a par with the Miami Heat arena, but newer and a bit cleaner.)
The Fan Base
The demographics of the crowd were diverse – the same range of ages, races, and (if you can judge from the attire) economic classes that I was accustomed to seeing at Heat games. However, there did seem to be a larger population of women, including lots of small groups of only women, which was both understandable and also different. At Heat games, when you see small groups of same-sex fans, they are mostly men.
When the teams entered the arena, they erupted in shouts and cheers with a level of excitement that reminded me of Heat game finals or when they were playing against arch enemies like the Chicago Bulls or New York Knicks.
The Players
The players themselves looked pretty much as I expected them to look – long and lean, but, at least from where we were sitting, not like members of a different species of humans, the way NBA players look. And there seemed to be a higher percentage of White players on the court (like maybe 40%) than I was accustomed to seeing with NBA teams.
In short, My First Impressions
* Stadium: equal to NBA stadiums
* Age profile of the crowd: roughly the same
* Racial profile of the crowd: roughly the same
* Gender profile: a higher percentage of women
* Initial demeanor of the crowd: more enthusiastic
The Game
That night, the Liberty were playing the Connecticut Sun. The Sun has been a strong team since the beginning, qualifying for the playoffs in 15 of their 21 seasons in Connecticut.
It would be silly to pretend that the level of athleticism of WNBA players compares to their male counterparts. The difference in size and strength is just too great. Nor did these women play with the same quickness or speed. I was surprised, although I probably shouldn’t have been, that throughout the entire game, I didn’t see any breathtaking blocked shots or a single dunk.
On the other hand, the rebounding was strongly contested, and the passing and the shooting looked just as good as I remembered from watching the men. And the game itself was just as hard fought, with the Liberty maintaining a lead in the first half, the Suns coming back strongly in the second quarter, and then a final quarter that stayed close until the Liberty pulled out an 82/79 victory in the last two minutes.
The Best Part
The crowd was fantastic – super-supportive of not just the team but the cheerleaders, the Timeless Torches (middle-aged cheerleaders), and the half-time entertainment. And boy, did they make a lot of noise!
A Necessary Confession
Notwithstanding the lack of connection I had to either team, my appreciation and enjoyment of the game was equal to what I experienced at the best NBA games I’d watched. Leaving the arena, I had to admit to MM that I was wrong!
The Controversy About Caitlin Clark
IMHO, the “controversy” surrounding Caitlin Clark in the WNBA is about four things:
She is very good. As a college player, she was the NCAA single-season and all-time scoring leader as well as all-time assist leader. In her rookie years, she set WNBA records for the most points (769) and assists (337) in a rookie season. She also made 100 three-pointers and a record 400 points and 200 assists faster than any player in WNBA history.
She is fearlessly competitive. Clark doesn’t talk smack about other players, like some of her WNBA rivals do about her. She prefers to shut them up by outplaying them on the court, which she does almost every time.
She makes a ton of money. Clark’s salary is basement-level at $85,000 a year. (About a third of what the three highest-paid WNBA players – Kelsey Mitchell, Arike Ogunbowale, and Jewell Lloyd – make, at $250,000 each.) But her commercial endorsements are phenomenal. Her current contracts exceed $11 million, which puts her at the top of the WNBA ladder and in the #10 spot of all professional female athletes in the US.
She is White. The NBA is dominated by Black athletes, and until Caitlin Clark arrived, the WNBA was, too. Her remarkable success as a rookie surprised everyone, even many who knew of her performance in the NCAA. Her limitations were supposed to come to light as a pro. Instead, she won Rookie of the Year. This, not surprisingly, bothered lots of people, including some of her fellow players and some in the WNBA management who saw her rising popularity as bad for PR. As her profile extended beyond the WNBA into early celebrity status, the only people on TV defending her were Black former NBA players.
Bottom Line: Caitlin Clark did in the world of basketball what Tiger Woods did in the world of golf and what the Williams sisters did in the world of tennis. By being very good at playing her sport, very smart in how she handled herself with the media, and naturally photogenic, she became not just one of the top players in her rookie year, but one of the most popular and highest paid professional athletes of her generation.
Like Woods and the Williams sisters, Clark was not only making bank for herself, she was making her sport exponentially more popular and profitable – for the franchises, the teams, and the individual players.
During a time when we are supposed to believe in White privilege and systemic racism, having a White athlete break through the color line has made a small number of Black athletes and a whole lot of White NBA executives, managers, coaches, and media commentators jealous and/or upset.
Three Videos on the Caitlin Clark Controversy
The WNBA’s Untold Story: What’s Really Stopping Caitlin Clark?
Watch it here.
NBA Legends and Players Speak Out on Caitlin Clark
Watch it here.
Caitlin Clark Getting Fouled Nonstop
Watch it here.
Now let’s switch to a related issue…
he So-Called “Gender Pay Gap” in the WNBA
Sexist and Unjust?
There is a huge difference in player compensation between the NBA and the WNBA.
The average salary in the NBA is about $11 million vs. $110,000 in the WNBA. The highest paid WNBA players will bring in about $300,000, counting bonuses. The minimum NBA salary is $1 million. The minimum WNBA salary is $66,000. As for the highest paid players? The top three WNBA players average around $300,000 a year, including bonuses. The top three NBA players make 100 to 200 times that much.
However…
There are good, economic reasons for this. For example:
Revenue Disparity. The most significant factor is that the NBA generates vastly more revenue through higher ticket sales, broadcasting rights, and merchandise.
Revenue Sharing. Unlike the NBA, WNBA salaries have not been directly tied to revenue sharing. The NBA is contractually obligated to give 50% of its net proceeds to its players, while WNBA players have no such guarantee and receive only about 10% of the net.
Revenues and Profitability: As I said, there are several good reasons for that disparity. Firstly, the NBA makes much, much, much more money. Their revenues last year exceeded $11 billion. The WNBA, on the other hand, made only $200 million last year, and that was considerably higher than it has made in the past – in part because it never had a big following and big media attention until Caitlin Clark was drafted.
* WNBA attendance dropped from an overall average of more than 10,000 in the late 1990s to a little under 7,000 just after the pandemic. (Note: It has increased since Caitlin Clark entered the franchise.)
* Expenses have gone up, most notably a $25 million per year commitment to fly WNBA teams by charter planes rather than on regular flights, as has been the case in the past.
* The WNBA salary cap has also risen incrementally, from $622,000 in 2003 (inflation-adjusted to 2025: $1.1 million) to $1.5 million in 2025. The league had one more team (14) in 2003 than it has now (13), although expansion teams are on their way, so the total cost of player pay has gone from a maximum of $15.4 million to $19.5 million.
* Generally, the less a league makes, the lower the share of revenue its players get – 50% of $1 billion is less of a chore to pay than 25% of $100 million.
The Bottom Line: You can’t compare an established billion-dollar business that has been profitable for decades with a startup business that is less than one-tenth the size and is – except for handouts from another organization (the NBA) – losing tons of money every year.
If you ask me – based on the one game I saw – if the WNBA players and their audiences (in this case, NYC) are on par with the NBA, I’d say yes. But product quality in business is only a small part of its financial value. On a P&L basis, the WNBA players are being paid fairly. On a percentage-of-franchise-equity-value, they are underpaid. But the value of the WNBA is make-believe. It’s not based on business economics, but on the perceived value of owning a prestige asset among a small group of multi-billionaires.
The positive news: if the WNBA can take its head out of its corporate ass and double down on the popularity of Caitlin Clark, it will be better for everyone – the owners, the fans, and the players.
Two Quick and Interesting Reads on the Pay Gap
“WNBA players say they’re not paid what they’re owed. Are they right?”
By Beau Dure, The Guardian
Executive Summary from Nigel: During the WNBA All-Star Game, athlete Napheesa Collier set a record with 36 points, while players wore shirts with a message demanding fair pay. The players’ protests highlight ongoing disputes over salaries amid the league’s financial complexity. Despite claims of significant losses, recent data indicates the league’s finances are strong, with rising broadcast rights and revenues and high team valuations. WNBA players, earning less than 10% of league income, argue they deserve higher pay given the league’s commercial success, increased team values, and expanding popularity. The debate underscores broader issues of equitable athlete compensation in women’s sports.
Read the whole thing here.
“Can Caitlin Clark Fix the Pay Gap?”
By Leonardo Armatto, Forbes
Executive Summary from Nigel: The WNBA, led by Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, improved revenues and franchise values but still struggles with gender pay disparities and low mass viewership. The league hopes Clark and other top athletes will drive sustained interest and bridge the gap, but while Clark’s success sparks excitement, the league needs widespread viewership to truly impact salaries. (Note: This essay was written when Caitlin Clark was still in college, but the argument still holds.)
Read the whole thing here.
Three Videos on the Pay Gap
As I explained above, WNBA player salaries, although modest in comparison to salaries of their male counterparts in the NBA, are, from a P&L perspective, irresponsibly generous. The reason WNBA players get paid so little has nothing to do with sexism and everything to do with anemic fan interest, correspondingly anemic revenues, and losses between $50 million and $100 million a year. But things began to improve – considerably – when Caitlin Clark became a household name.
Here’s Diana Taurasi discussing the pay disparity.
Click here and here for two videos that debunk the idea that it is unfair or discriminatory.
Caitlin Clark’s Impact on the WNBA
Though the WNBA franchise and some socially woke media pundits won’t admit it, Caitlin Clark is the most beneficial thing to happen to the WNBA since it began. Here are two short essays that explain why that is true.
“It’s crazy to be reminded of how seismic Caitlin Clark’s impact on sports is – both the good and the incredibly ugly.” (The New York Post)
Read it here.
“Race-Baiting WNBA Players Are Sabotaging Their Own League Out of Spite.” (DailyWire)
Read it here.
And two books…
Inside the WNBA
By Juliette Terzieff
A comprehensive look at the WNBA from the boardroom to the NBA to the movers and shakers who made it possible, with a retrospective of the league’s history and breakout players. From interviews with the players, coaches, and officials, readers gain insight into the game’s appeal, to markets including men and the lesbian community. Readers get a sneaky peek into the locker room for an insight into team dynamics. Also includes a breakdown of all the teams, with uniform, star details, stats, and photos. (Source: the book jacket)
On Her Game:
Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports
By Christine Brennan
On Her Game is a compelling bestseller that chronicles Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise in basketball, capturing nationwide attention with her record-breaking performances and dynamic style. It reveals behind-the-scenes insights into Clark’s journey, including her past struggles, Olympic snub, and the media spotlight she has attracted. Clark’s impact transcends sport, symbolizing the cultural shift brought by Title IX and inspiring millions of young athletes. Her charisma and talent have transformed women’s basketball into a celebrated national phenomenon. (Source: Amazon Book Reviews via Nigel)
