The Women's Professional Basketball League (WNBA) in the United States is engaged in a war without gunpowder.

A year ago, the Players' Union (WNBPA) chose to jump out of the existing Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) three years in advance, laying the foundation for the next five or even ten years of development with a new contract. Now, the initial deadline of October 31st has passed for a long time, and the league and player union have not reached an agreement yet, leaving many scratches on the negotiation table.

As of now, this round of labor management negotiations has been postponed for the second time, with the latest deadline set before January 9th. Despite the delay, there is still a "powder keg" under the negotiation table: both unions and alliances can unilaterally withdraw from the negotiations with 48 hours' prior notice to each other.

At present, there is still a significant gap in the demands of both sides, and the relationship has reached a point of tension. If no agreement is reached in the end, the WNBA will face its first ever shutdown.

So, why did WNBA's labor management negotiations come to this point?

The root of the problem lies in a major contradiction that has emerged in a rapidly developing league - the contradiction between the increasing salary demands of players and the outdated distribution mechanism.

Previously, after the WNBA Finals, the sports industry ecosystem wrote that the WNBA was experiencing a "growth illusion", where the league's thriving viewership, attendance, and sponsors were all increasing, but it did not translate into a qualitative change in social media discussion and attention.

This feeling is true, but one lesson that the Internet has been teaching us is that, compared with the "fire" on the Internet, what is more important is real gold and silver.

For WNBA, these real gold and silver come from real data. In the 2025 season, the average attendance of WNBA reached a historical high of 10986 people. According to data released by ESPN, the average viewership per game is 1.3 million, which is the best performance since the establishment of the league.

In terms of sponsorship revenue, according to SportsPro data, there are currently 531 commercial cooperation agreements between the league and each team, with an average of 44 partners per team, an increase of 52% from 2022.

The revenue figures are equally impressive. In 2019, the total revenue of the alliance was only slightly over 100 million US dollars; By 2023, it has increased to the range of approximately $200 million. With the franchise fees of two expanding teams and the upcoming 11 year, $2.2 billion broadcasting contract, the WNBA's cash flow will continue to grow in the coming years. Against the backdrop of the overall rise in women's sports, the WNBA's future upward curve will only look better.

Therefore, players naturally have the confidence to shout out: the league earns more, and we should also share this growth dividend.

But the problem is that the current allocation mechanism does not support this growth sharing. According to the existing labor agreement, the total salary of WNBA players accounts for approximately 9.3% of the league's revenue. The league implements a "trigger based revenue sharing" mechanism: the revenue sharing mechanism will only be activated when the league's revenue increases by 20% annually for multiple consecutive seasons. After triggering, the league will first deduct 30% of operating costs and then divide the remaining 70% equally with the players.

It sounds complicated, but this mechanism has never been triggered before. Due to the pandemic, the revenue for the 2020 and 2021 seasons has significantly decreased, and the league has yet to make up for the gap.

The result is that even though the current revenue growth exceeds 150%, the players still receive less than 10% of the share.

So, the union put forward a core demand: to establish a revenue sharing system directly linked to the alliance's income. The proportion does not need to be on par with the NBA, but there should be real room for growth - according to multiple reports, the union's target is around 30%.

In the words of Kelsey Plum, Vice President of the Players' Union, the first, second, and third priorities are all based on profit sharing and salary: "If we don't even decide which restaurant to go to, what's the point of discussing what dishes to order

In last week's latest proposal, the alliance's latest plan centered around a significant salary increase: the standard maximum salary is $1 million, and the maximum can reach $1.2 million through an income sharing mechanism; The average annual salary is about 500000 US dollars, and the minimum annual salary is around 220000 US dollars. These numbers are far higher than the current level. The current base salary, average salary, and maximum salary of WNBA are $66000, $102200, and $249000, respectively.

Image source: ESPN

The sincerity of a fixed salary is sufficient, but in terms of the distribution mechanism, the league still wants to maintain the existing structure, which contradicts the core demands of the players. The new proposal of the alliance in terms of revenue sharing is that revenue sharing is no longer linked to predetermined targets. But according to multiple reports, the highest proportion can only reach 14%.

In terms of revenue sharing, the league's statement is: "We understand the players' demands, but any distribution mechanism must be based on the financial health of the league

This is also Xiao Hua's viewpoint. In a previous interview, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly stated, "They do deserve to get more money, but I don't think the distribution ratio is the key. The key is the absolute value

Why did Xiao Hua express his opinion on this issue? Speaking of which, it is necessary to talk about the complex capital structure of WNBA. At present, the WNBA is composed of three parties: the NBA holds 42% of the shares, the WNBA holds 42%, and external investors hold 16%. Due to the fact that external investors and team owners are mostly related to the NBA, the NBA can hold up to 70% of the shares and have a hand in anything.

To some extent, the maker of the new labor contract for WNBA is Xiao Hua next door, not WNBA President Cathy Engelbert.

Generally speaking, the alliance believes that revenue growth does not necessarily equate to true profitability, and being locked in by the distribution mechanism when revenue increases and is not yet profitable may affect future development. Since its establishment in 1996, WNBA has remained in a state of overall loss.

The players' union believes that the league has miscalculated. WNBPA director Terry Jackson stated that what players want is not a one-time salary increase, but a mechanism to grow together with the league. Former NBA Players' Union Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio also pointed out that "with the current revenue scale of the WNBA, it is entirely possible to afford a more direct revenue sharing structure. ”

Historical experience also shows that profitability is not a prerequisite for player income sharing. For example, the NBA next door was in a loss making state for many years in the 1960s, but the proportion of player income was still higher than the current WNBA level. In the late 1960s, before the merger of the NBA and ABA, player salaries accounted for 41% of the league's revenue; By the end of the 1970s, this proportion had reached at least 50%. Even in the 1950s, the NBA's total revenue (after inflation in 2025) was only one tenth of the current WNBA, yet it still allocated about 40% to pay player salaries.

Looking at other leagues, NBA players receive 49% to 51% of the league's Basketball Related Income (BRI); The NFL and NHL are roughly maintained at around 50%; Even MLB without a salary cap, player income accounts for 47%. In the women's league, the United States Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has implemented a revenue sharing system, which includes 10% of sponsorship and media revenue in the team's salary cap.

Compared to these peers, WNBA appears to be lagging behind.

In this way, when there is a significant deviation between the negotiating parties on the core issues, the negotiation front is inevitably stretched, and conflicts are also inevitable. In the past year of negotiations, both sides have gradually become tense from initial restraint.

During the WNBA All Star Game in July, during the warm-up session before the start of the main game, 22 players from two All Star teams - the "Clark Team" and the "Collier Team" - all wore black T-shirts with the words "Pay Us What You Owe Us" printed on them, collectively conveying their strong demand for salary structure adjustment to the league.

During the NBA Finals in October this year, union vice president and Minnesota Bobcats star Nafisa Collier publicly criticized the league and president Engelbert, stating that "WNBA management is slow to respond to many key issues and is the worst management in the world. ”

Subsequently, multiple players shared and expressed their support, triggering public attention; The alliance responded by saying, "Negotiations should take place at the conference table, not on social media, and hopes that unions will focus more on negotiations." On October 24th, over 70 elected officials across the United States wrote letters to Engelbert and Xiao Hua, urging the alliance to negotiate in good faith and reach a fair labor agreement in a timely manner.

Last month, player unions in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and MLS successively issued statements expressing their support for the WNBPA, stating that they "support the efforts of the WNBPA and deserve a CBA that reflects its value and impact. ”

But several months have passed, and the new CBA still hasn't been achieved. From the current public opinion atmosphere and the statements of both sides, it is difficult to reconcile the differences between WNBPA and the alliance in the short term.

If no agreement is reached before January 9th, the players' union may launch a strike and the league may announce a shutdown. And a shutdown could potentially cut off the WNBA's current upward momentum.

In the new season, two new teams will officially join, and the entire broadcasting system will also operate under the new contract. More importantly, nearly 80% of WNBA players' contracts are currently facing expiration - in order to accommodate the arrival of the new labor agreement, most players, except for rookie contracts, have only signed until this year.

The next month is likely to determine the direction of the WNBA in the coming years. If an agreement is reached, the alliance may enter a new growth cycle; If it ruptures, WNBA faces the most serious shutdown risk since its establishment. If a shutdown ultimately occurs, all plans of the alliance will be forced to pause, and sponsorship, media, ticketing, and marketing will be affected.

For any sports league, a stable calendar is the most valuable asset, and once interrupted, restoring order often takes many years.

Since the emergence of social employment relationships, the labor capital struggle between employers and employees has never stopped. This round of negotiations in the WNBA is a microcosm of the wave of modern sports commercialization: players fight for income and rights, while the league seeks stability and sustainable development. But it is precisely in such a struggle that the league and players can find a new balance.

Rights are not gifts, every one must be fought for. Every time I take a step forward, I may regress a bit, but I will never completely return to my original position.

The Women's Professional Basketball League (WNBA) in the United States is engaged in a war without gunpowder.

A year ago, the Players' Union (WNBPA) chose to jump out of the existing Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) three years in advance, laying the foundation for the next five or even ten years of development with a new contract. Now, the initial deadline of October 31st has passed for a long time, and the league and player union have not reached an agreement yet, leaving many scratches on the negotiation table.

As of now, this round of labor management negotiations has been postponed for the second time, with the latest deadline set before January 9th. Despite the delay, there is still a "powder keg" under the negotiation table: both unions and alliances can unilaterally withdraw from the negotiations with 48 hours' prior notice to each other.

At present, there is still a significant gap in the demands of both sides, and the relationship has reached a point of tension. If no agreement is reached in the end, the WNBA will face its first ever shutdown.

So, why did WNBA's labor management negotiations come to this point?

The root of the problem lies in a major contradiction that has emerged in a rapidly developing league - the contradiction between the increasing salary demands of players and the outdated distribution mechanism.

Previously, after the WNBA Finals, the sports industry ecosystem wrote that the WNBA was experiencing a "growth illusion", where the league's thriving viewership, attendance, and sponsors were all increasing, but it did not translate into a qualitative change in social media discussion and attention.

This feeling is true, but one lesson that the Internet has been teaching us is that, compared with the "fire" on the Internet, what is more important is real gold and silver.

For WNBA, these real gold and silver come from real data. In the 2025 season, the average attendance of WNBA reached a historical high of 10986 people. According to data released by ESPN, the average viewership per game is 1.3 million, which is the best performance since the establishment of the league.

In terms of sponsorship revenue, according to SportsPro data, there are currently 531 commercial cooperation agreements between the league and each team, with an average of 44 partners per team, an increase of 52% from 2022.

The revenue figures are equally impressive. In 2019, the total revenue of the alliance was only slightly over 100 million US dollars; By 2023, it has increased to the range of approximately $200 million. With the franchise fees of two expanding teams and the upcoming 11 year, $2.2 billion broadcasting contract, the WNBA's cash flow will continue to grow in the coming years. Against the backdrop of the overall rise in women's sports, the WNBA's future upward curve will only look better.

Therefore, players naturally have the confidence to shout out: the league earns more, and we should also share this growth dividend.

But the problem is that the current allocation mechanism does not support this growth sharing. According to the existing labor agreement, the total salary of WNBA players accounts for approximately 9.3% of the league's revenue. The league implements a "trigger based revenue sharing" mechanism: the revenue sharing mechanism will only be activated when the league's revenue increases by 20% annually for multiple consecutive seasons. After triggering, the league will first deduct 30% of operating costs and then divide the remaining 70% equally with the players.

It sounds complicated, but this mechanism has never been triggered before. Due to the pandemic, the revenue for the 2020 and 2021 seasons has significantly decreased, and the league has yet to make up for the gap.

The result is that even though the current revenue growth exceeds 150%, the players still receive less than 10% of the share.

So, the union put forward a core demand: to establish a revenue sharing system directly linked to the alliance's income. The proportion does not need to be on par with the NBA, but there should be real room for growth - according to multiple reports, the union's target is around 30%.

In the words of Kelsey Plum, Vice President of the Players' Union, the first, second, and third priorities are all based on profit sharing and salary: "If we don't even decide which restaurant to go to, what's the point of discussing what dishes to order

In last week's latest proposal, the alliance's latest plan centered around a significant salary increase: the standard maximum salary is $1 million, and the maximum can reach $1.2 million through an income sharing mechanism; The average annual salary is about 500000 US dollars, and the minimum annual salary is around 220000 US dollars. These numbers are far higher than the current level. The current base salary, average salary, and maximum salary of WNBA are $66000, $102200, and $249000, respectively.

Image source: ESPN

The sincerity of a fixed salary is sufficient, but in terms of the distribution mechanism, the league still wants to maintain the existing structure, which contradicts the core demands of the players. The new proposal of the alliance in terms of revenue sharing is that revenue sharing is no longer linked to predetermined targets. But according to multiple reports, the highest proportion can only reach 14%.

In terms of revenue sharing, the league's statement is: "We understand the players' demands, but any distribution mechanism must be based on the financial health of the league

This is also Xiao Hua's viewpoint. In a previous interview, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly stated, "They do deserve to get more money, but I don't think the distribution ratio is the key. The key is the absolute value

Why did Xiao Hua express his opinion on this issue? Speaking of which, it is necessary to talk about the complex capital structure of WNBA. At present, the WNBA is composed of three parties: the NBA holds 42% of the shares, the WNBA holds 42%, and external investors hold 16%. Due to the fact that external investors and team owners are mostly related to the NBA, the NBA can hold up to 70% of the shares and have a hand in anything.

To some extent, the maker of the new labor contract for WNBA is Xiao Hua next door, not WNBA President Cathy Engelbert.

Generally speaking, the alliance believes that revenue growth does not necessarily equate to true profitability, and being locked in by the distribution mechanism when revenue increases and is not yet profitable may affect future development. Since its establishment in 1996, WNBA has remained in a state of overall loss.

The players' union believes that the league has miscalculated. WNBPA director Terry Jackson stated that what players want is not a one-time salary increase, but a mechanism to grow together with the league. Former NBA Players' Union Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio also pointed out that "with the current revenue scale of the WNBA, it is entirely possible to afford a more direct revenue sharing structure. ”

Historical experience also shows that profitability is not a prerequisite for player income sharing. For example, the NBA next door was in a loss making state for many years in the 1960s, but the proportion of player income was still higher than the current WNBA level. In the late 1960s, before the merger of the NBA and ABA, player salaries accounted for 41% of the league's revenue; By the end of the 1970s, this proportion had reached at least 50%. Even in the 1950s, the NBA's total revenue (after inflation in 2025) was only one tenth of the current WNBA, yet it still allocated about 40% to pay player salaries.

Looking at other leagues, NBA players receive 49% to 51% of the league's Basketball Related Income (BRI); The NFL and NHL are roughly maintained at around 50%; Even MLB without a salary cap, player income accounts for 47%. In the women's league, the United States Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has implemented a revenue sharing system, which includes 10% of sponsorship and media revenue in the team's salary cap.

Compared to these peers, WNBA appears to be lagging behind.

In this way, when there is a significant deviation between the negotiating parties on the core issues, the negotiation front is inevitably stretched, and conflicts are also inevitable. In the past year of negotiations, both sides have gradually become tense from initial restraint.

During the WNBA All Star Game in July, during the warm-up session before the start of the main game, 22 players from two All Star teams - the "Clark Team" and the "Collier Team" - all wore black T-shirts with the words "Pay Us What You Owe Us" printed on them, collectively conveying their strong demand for salary structure adjustment to the league.

During the NBA Finals in October this year, union vice president and Minnesota Bobcats star Nafisa Collier publicly criticized the league and president Engelbert, stating that "WNBA management is slow to respond to many key issues and is the worst management in the world. ”

Subsequently, multiple players shared and expressed their support, triggering public attention; The alliance responded by saying, "Negotiations should take place at the conference table, not on social media, and hopes that unions will focus more on negotiations." On October 24th, over 70 elected officials across the United States wrote letters to Engelbert and Xiao Hua, urging the alliance to negotiate in good faith and reach a fair labor agreement in a timely manner.

Last month, player unions in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and MLS successively issued statements expressing their support for the WNBPA, stating that they "support the efforts of the WNBPA and deserve a CBA that reflects its value and impact. ”

But several months have passed, and the new CBA still hasn't been achieved. From the current public opinion atmosphere and the statements of both sides, it is difficult to reconcile the differences between WNBPA and the alliance in the short term.

If no agreement is reached before January 9th, the players' union may launch a strike and the league may announce a shutdown. And a shutdown could potentially cut off the WNBA's current upward momentum.

In the new season, two new teams will officially join, and the entire broadcasting system will also operate under the new contract. More importantly, nearly 80% of WNBA players' contracts are currently facing expiration - in order to accommodate the arrival of the new labor agreement, most players, except for rookie contracts, have only signed until this year.

The next month is likely to determine the direction of the WNBA in the coming years. If an agreement is reached, the alliance may enter a new growth cycle; If it ruptures, WNBA faces the most serious shutdown risk since its establishment. If a shutdown ultimately occurs, all plans of the alliance will be forced to pause, and sponsorship, media, ticketing, and marketing will be affected.

For any sports league, a stable calendar is the most valuable asset, and once interrupted, restoring order often takes many years.

Since the emergence of social employment relationships, the labor capital struggle between employers and employees has never stopped. This round of negotiations in the WNBA is a microcosm of the wave of modern sports commercialization: players fight for income and rights, while the league seeks stability and sustainable development. But it is precisely in such a struggle that the league and players can find a new balance.

Rights are not gifts, every one must be fought for. Every time I take a step forward, I may regress a bit, but I will never completely return to my original position.