With the emergence of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and other W rookies, the league has grown by leaps and bounds. As per the BetMGM, the league made $102 million in 2019 whereas the WNBA is estimated to clock in around $200 million now. However, with a growing craze for the W, athletes too expect an increased salary which if not given, could lead to players striking and not plying their trade in the 27-year-old league, as per a popular journalist. And who could be most troubled out of it? The WNBA Commission Cathy Engelbert.

“Feels like we are quickly headed to a scenario where there is going to be a lockout in the WNBA, and this is something I’ve talked about a few times because I think the players… they just have a much higher perception around their dollar value worth than the league is actually worth. And some of this stuff will work itself out, right?,” Ethan Strauss, writer of the House of Strauss Substack stated.

While the WNBA hasn’t witnessed any lockout, the chances for it are not far away. The MLB has time and again seen strikes of the owners with the most recent being the 2021-22 lockout. The ownership group had stopped the players from participating and hence, it was an impediment to the functioning of the league as they wanted to reach a consensus with the league regarding the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). And with the league raking in large numbers, this looks to be a possibility in the WNBA.

“Like, if you look at the WNBA, attendance, viewership, merchandise, sales, everything’s up in the right sponsorships. They’re making a lot more money, TV rights, everything. But most people don’t understand the dynamic between the NBA owning a large chunk of the business. The owners owning a large chunk of the revenue stream… Aliyah Boston said she wants commas in her paycheck. A million plus dollars, essentially. And that’s not happening any time soon,” Strauss added.

In late September, the league announced that the regular season attendance was up 48 percent over the 2023 season. The W averaged a whopping  9,807 fans per game during the 2024 season which was quite an increase from the 6,615 per game attendance in 2023. Plus, as per the league, about 2,353,735 fans attended the W games which has been the most in the past 22 years. Therefore, with rising attendance and an increasing craze, merchandise sales and revenue from TV viewing have also increased and hence, the athletes demand a higher salary. However, their wishes could be stopped by another major statistic.

Is the WNBA really progressing?

Though the W has increased its popularity this season, one major cause of concern for the league is that it is losing money more than ever before. The NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated in 2018 that the league had lost around $10 million per year since its inception. However, according to an article by The Washington Post, the league might be losing $50 million this year which is a five times increase from the numbers stated by Silver. And the only thing that can solve the W’s woes is the collective bargaining agreement.

While the current WNBA CBA is set to expire in 2027, the WNBPA can opt out of it by November this year. When the CBA was signed in 2020, it was labeled as a watershed moment that could provide opportunities to athletes. However, as of now, the CBA has been termed outdated. Therefore, the W stars are looking to earn more money by having a better agreement in place. And if that doesn’t happen then Engelbert might have to bear the brunt of the athlete’s anger.

Engelbert could be held responsible because she had commented that top players can make around $700,000 a year. Her statements have already received flak from the Seattle Storm star, Gabby Williams, who had openly asked the W to pay her more if they want her to be a part of the league consistently. And if the CBA fails to make any changes then the W definitely, can have a lockout-like situation.