WNBA players appear to be gearing up for a strike as the current collective bargaining agreement nears its expiration on October 31, 2025.
Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) director Terri Jackson has emphasized the union’s readiness to negotiate “as long as it takes” to secure a fair deal. Even if it means a potential strike that could cripple a league that has never made a profit.
“There’s no better moment than right now for women’s sports, and particularly for women’s basketball and particularly for us,” Jackson said, according to the New York Post. “So are we seizing on every level? Absolutely.”
Those comments have two main points: 1) What is the ‘moment’ she is talking about? That’d be the league’s popularity based almost exclusively on fans seeking to watch Caitlin Clark. 2) ‘Seizing’ on a work stoppage seems like a foolish business model for a league that, despite Clark’s popularity, is still fully subsidized by the NBA and still lost something on the order of $50 million last year.
It’s borderline business suicide. But Jackson is loaded for bear for the fight.
WNBA Strike Could be Fatal
Last year, the union opted out of the existing agreement, citing the need for a business model that reflects players’ true value through higher salaries, better working conditions, and expanded health benefits.
The players certainly have an argument. Their salaries are absurdly paltry, though bigger stars are certainly able to subsidize them through paid endorsements or advertisements.
“We’ve been aggressive in terms of our discussions, our proposals — plural — and our meeting schedule,” Jackson said. “It’s a group project. We’ve been doing our part of it, and we’re just hopeful that the league sees the opportunity to have those kinds of milestones really in place, like work towards significant progress.”
But it’s a balancing act. Being too aggressive and creating a work stoppage would be a fatal blow for a league already teetering on the edge. If they lose $50 million in a season that saw ticket sales and viewership go through the roof, how much money will be made when nobody is on the court?
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Will They Halt the Caitlin Clark Momentum?
The WNBA is riding the Caitlin Clark wave into 2025, with the Indiana Fever set to dominate national airwaves like never before.
According to The Athletic, 41 of the Fever’s 44 regular-season games will be nationally televised or streamed, the most of any team in the league.
Ten of those games will be on ABC/ESPN, and another eight on ION. This is a testament to Clark’s meteoric rise and the “Caitlin Clark Effect” that’s reshaping women’s basketball.
It’s setting the stage for a blockbuster year before a $2.2 billion media deal kicks in 2026. That is, if the players don’t cause a work stoppage and destroy any momentum the league may be building.
“Certainly, we can’t come this far from last season and this season then start going backwards. That won’t be accessible,” Jackson continued. “I don’t think anybody on the league or the team side wants that.”
That said, nothing will set the WNBA further back than a strike. Get your finances back in the black first, then you have more footing in the hardline negotiating tactics.
