Balance is a must in the universe, so of course when the WNBA received love like never before, it was only natural that it also incurred losses on a large scale. Despite the Caitlin Clark Effect turning the league upside down with increased ratings not seen since the W’s inaugural season, the league is still expected to lose $40 million this year. And amid all this drama, an ex-ESPN columnist has only one thing to say to the Fever rookie.

After a season focusing on equal pay more than ever, Jason Whitlock gave an opposing take on the situation on his YouTube channel. Mentioning how he had previously requested to create another league for Caitlin Clark, he said, “I said someone should try to money whip Caitlin Clark into walking away from the WNBA and starting a rival league.” Then, he had asked the WNBA players how if they thought te Indiana fans were so negative, there should be a separate league for Caitlin Clark.

Apparently, he had also discussed how the WNBA players would opt out of the CBA and potentially cause a lockout. Something that is in rumors now. Criticizing the W players for demanding equal pay, he proceeded with a reality check, “According to the WNBA model, they’re gonna lose $40 million a year. So perhaps we should divide 144 players into $40 million. And whatever that number is what the players should pay the WNBA for putting it on this league.”

Someone off camera does the calculations as Whitlock goes on speaking, “Each player, if they’re paid based on their value, should pay the WNBA that amount of money to continue on with this league because this league is a disaster.” And it’s not the first time he has expressed such sentiments, particularly going off after the WNBA Finals ended on a controversial note.

“Not a league that leans into pure competition and merit. It’s not a league that understands – I’ve just been told $277,000, that’s what each one of these players should pay to be in the WNBA if they wanna be paid based off of the revenue they generate. But instead, they have an entitlement mentality,” the columnist condemns.

He then goes off on a tangent about men’s and women’s sports. But getting back to his earlier point, if in fact something like what Whitlock suggested happens and CC and the rest of the league do cough up $277,000 – which would take a significant chunk out of their already low paychecks – could the CBA guidelines actually benefit them later on? Players are actually expected to opt out of the deal by the Nov. 1 deadline but even so, the current rules hold until 2026.

With the new media rights deal, the W will be receiving about $200 million a year, which could mean good things for the players. But if Whitlock’s words are to go by, whatever the WNBA does is falling short of what it should be doing.

Whitlock calls out WNBA for spurning “the greatest gift in sports since Tiger Woods,” AKA Caitlin Clark

The sports columnist has been vocal in his support of Caitlin Clark and how she’s handling the spotlight to popularize the sport. And yet, he also believes that the league, in turn, is not supporting her the way it should, or capitalizing on the golden egg they’ve found on their hands.

“Worst-run league in the history of sports. They get the greatest gift in sports since Tiger Woods, and they’re blowing that (CC) trying to satisfy a bunch of fragile, insecure, and entitled feminists,” Whitlock wrote on X last week when news of the $40 million loss was revealed.

NBA owners, a lot of whom own stakes in WNBA franchises as well, have also spoken up about the losses Cathy Engelbert and the W execs have incurred so far. But as the conversation around the community has recently pointed out, the league needs to figure out quickly how to make use of this growing fanbase, be it with Caitlin Clark’s help or other strategies.