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Prior to the start of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, the players made a huge statement when they wore a shirt that read “Pay What You Owe Us”. This is part of the WNBPA's (Women's National Basketball Player's Association) continued bid to receive a higher portion of the revenue the league is bringing in. This made waves on social media, as the most prominent players in the league, including Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, joined in this stunning protest.
As is the case with this sort of thing, the response was divisive. Many fans clowned the WNBA players for wanting a higher portion of pay, arguing that the league simply isn't as profitable as the NBA is. But the WNBPA wasn't arguing to be paid as much as the men. They simply wanted a higher percentage of the total revenue of the league. At present, players are receiving just 9.3 percent of league revenue. Meanwhile, the basketball-related income in the NBA is split 50/50 between players and owners.
This is a part of the equation that many fans who make fun of the women's game simply cannot comprehend. And Nick Wright of Fox Sports called those who don't understand this such “utter losers”.
“The story is how many people are such utter losers. Nobody serious is arguing that the WNBA players and the NBA players should make the same amount of money. But nobody serious can actually think that Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers making $70 some grand a year is a proper payment for services rendered,” Wright said in his rant on his show, What's Wright?
“Is there any capitalistic endeavor where someone of Caitlin Clark's quality would make less than $80,000 a year? And the answer is no. It is just outrageous, the amount of people, that were like, ‘Pipe down, ladies. Be happy.' So many losers are just bootlicking management sellouts.”
“Nobody serious can actually think that Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers making $70-something grand a year is a proper payment.”@getnickwright says it’s obvious that WNBA players should be earning more money… and too many losers don’t understand what’s going on pic.twitter.com/0X5Ws8Aet4
— What’s Wright? with Nick Wright (@WhatsWrightShow) July 22, 2025
Caitlin Clark, WNBPA look to follow in USWNT's footsteps
The USWNT used to earn peanuts despite winning World Cups. But after ratifying the groundbreaking equal pay agreement, the men and women's soccer team now split all earnings.
But it also took them a little while to get where they want to be, revenue share-wise. They had to protest peacefully as well, and it worked. Now, the WNBPA will be looking to enact such a change as well, and considering the league's increased draw over the past few seasons, then that change may not be as far into the future as one might think.
