Historic WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement Signals Shift in Women’s Sports

By Ryan Paster

On March 24th, one day after the players ratified the new WNBA collective bargaining agreement, the owners agreed to sign the historic deal. After over 17 months of negotiation, and the season expected to start in just over a month, a lockout was likely to ensue if not for the rapid progress seen in the last few weeks. The WNBA player association was thrilled with the news, appreciating the large leap for the sport. In a press conference, the WNBAPA announced, “This transformational CBA delivers consequential economic progress and expanded benefits that support players on and off the court.” Going further, this sixth CBA in the history of the WNBA is set to last through the 2033 season. 

The WNBA has been a key case in the drastic differences in salaries between men and women; however, this CBA is progress to changing that narrative. The salary cap is $7 million per team, with the max salary per player reaching $1.4 million in 2026. Additionally, in 2026, the average salary in the WNBA is expected to be over $580,000, a massive leap for the players. These numbers are only expected to improve, with both the salary cap and average salary set to increase by $1 million each. Minimum salaries are also jumping from the previous CBA, up to a base salary of $270,000. 

In addition to salary changes, players will experience better lifestyle benefits as well. Housing will be provided for all players starting in 2026 and continuing through 2029. Required housing was a key point in the 1999 CBA, but has fallen out of practice since. Teams are now required to have 12 active roster spots, with 2 extra for injured and pregnant athletes. The number of games is increasing from 44 to 50 this season, and to 52 in the coming years. Therefore, all travel will be through privately chartered airplanes. Lastly, the WNBA will follow other leagues in expanding mental health coverage for its players, including a specific mental health reimbursement benefit. With all of these new benefits, it is apparent why the WNBA has called it “one of the most transformational labor agreements ever reached in major professional sports.”

The last major change of the CBA is the introduction of two new teams – the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. Both are in untapped markets for the WNBA, and this expansion is a step in the WNBA’s long-term plan to be available across North America. The WNBA aims to expand up to 18 teams by 2030, with potential teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. The WNBA expansion draft takes place on April 3rd, with two rounds of 12 picks each and alternating picks, beginning with the Portland Fire. Each current team protects its five most valuable players, and the rest of the league is placed into the draft pool. Only two players from a team can be drafted, and once that occurs, the rest of the players are protected.  

A CBA, or collective bargaining agreement, is a contract agreed-upon between the league’s owners and its players association. Almost every American sport has one. It sets the rules for the league, player salaries, establishes working conditions and benefits, and is crucial to prevent unfair labor conditions. However, it is not unique to sports teams and is broadly used by unions for similar purposes. The last WNBA CBA was in January of 2020, and, given the league's recent success, a new agreement was due. The key to a CBA is the negotiation; the players initially asked for 40% share in total revenue, which later came down to an agreed-upon 26%. The CBA is equally as beneficial for owners as it is for the players, or workers more broadly. Owners receive confidence that the employees will not strike, and are able to plan out payments years into the future. The authorization to create CBA’s comes from the 1935 National Labor Relations Act. This provides the framework for private sector employees – such as athletes – to engage in collective bargaining and improve overall working conditions. 

Although there is still much to be desired between the gap between men's and women’s sports leagues, the WNBA is breaking barriers and leading to much needed change. The WNBA is now set to earn by far the most among women’s pro leagues in America. The National Women’s Soccer League’s minimum salary is $50,500, almost $200,000 less than the WNBA’s league minimum. This is a large step forward within women’s sports as more change needs to be made. Luckily, the WNBA is not unique in its progress for better pay, working conditions, and revenue sharing. The NWSL has begun to push back on league rules that they feel undermine the fair pay they deserve. Top stars are now attracting overseas offers to make higher salaries, and change is continuing to occur. Much of this progress across women’s sports can be attributed to the 2016 USA women’s national team. Following an incredible World Cup victory in 2015, star players such as Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, and more filed a federal wage discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They complained that despite their success, with over 750 million homes tuned-in to the World Cup Championship Game win, they were being drastically underpaid compared to the men’s team.  After a long and intense legal battle, the players received a $24 million dollars settlement offer in 2022. Massive strides have been made for women’s sports in the years since, and there is hope, driven in part by the WNBA and this CBA, that more is yet to come.