Latest news with #UsWhatYouOwe
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dave Portnoy calls out ‘morons' who think WNBA players shouldn't get more money
Dave Portnoy is fed up with those who believe WNBA players don't deserve a higher payday. In the wake of players wearing warmup shirts that said 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' at Saturday's All-Star Game, the Barstool Sports founder and owner made his stance clear with a lengthy post and subsequent video on X on Sunday. 'I don't know how anybody in the world with a brain, and maybe my brain is just bigger than most, can rationally say women don't deserve more money at this point,' Portnoy said in the video. Portnoy went on to reference how Caitlin Clark's rookie salary, $76,000, is less than what Barstool personalities Nicky Smokes and Ben Mintz make per year, calling the disparity 'insane.' As of the 2024 season, the WNBA's average salary was $147,745, according to DirecTV. Portnoy noted how some WNBA critics have referenced reports of the league losing tens of millions of dollars each year, but said the finances of the league are 'a mess, tied in with the NBA and purposely murky.' In October 2024, The Post reported the WNBA would be losing $40 million in the 2025 season. But, as Portnoy put it, the league is 'exploding.' 'Franchise values are exploding. Ticket sales, merch, tv rights all exploding. The players have an opt out in their CBA. Of course they took it. It's all about leverage in re-negotiations and for the 1st time in history of [the] league players have power,' Portnoy wrote. The league agreed to an 11-year, $2.2 billion TV rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal last summer, and TV ratings (up 23%), ticket sales (up 26%) and attendance (13%) are all surging halfway through the season, according to NPR. 'The players make virtually nothing while the entire league explodes,' Portnoy added. 'Of course they deserve more money.' Portnoy, who is one of Caitlin Clark's most vocal superfans, also refuted the notion that the league's recent success is unsustainable because it over-relies on Clark's star power. 'This league is so white hot right now, and I know everyone's going to say, 'Well, it's only Caitlin Clark, it's a one-person league,'' Portnoy said. 'Caitlin Clark was 100% the match that lit the fuse…but, Caitlin's not going anywhere. She's year two of a 15-year career.' He added that other young stars like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers and the soon-to-be pro JuJu Watkins mark a bright future for the league, too. Portnoy concluded by writing that if he could purchase a Boston-based WNBA franchise for $250 million, he 'would do it without blinking.' 'That's all you got to know about the WNBA finances,' he added.
New York Post
21-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Kelsey Plum awkwardly calls out Caitlin Clark's All-Star team no-show for players' meeting
Los Angeles Sparks All-Star Kelsey Plum couldn't help but 'tattletale' on some of the players after the WNBA All-Star game ended on Saturday. During her postgame press conference, Plum, who was on Napheesa Collier's team, explained that members of Caitlin Clark's team (Collier and Clark were the captain of their respective team) weren't very present when both teams met before the game to coordinate wearing their warmup shirts with the message 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' 'It was a very powerful moment. As players, we didn't know that that was going to happen. It was a genuine surprise,' Plum said of the fans chanting 'pay them' while WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was speaking on the court after Saturday's game ended. 'The t-shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that.' Liberty All-Star Sabrina Ionescu, who was on Team Clark, looked surprised as she was sitting alongside Plum at the press conference. 4 Kelsey Plum #10 of the Los Angeles Sparks speaks to the media after defeating Team Clark 151-131 during the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Getty Images 'That really needed to be mentioned,' ionescu said sarcastically as she and Plum laughed. 'I'm trying to the make the situation light, OK,' added Plum, who is the vice president of the WNBPA. 4 Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever wears a shirt saying 'Pay us what you owe us' prior to the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Getty Images It was clear that Ionescu wasn't expecting that from Plum, who went on to explain that the players wanted to be united in their message. 'I think it was just all of us getting on the page before the game and we wanted to do something that was just united and collective. I thought that was a vert powerful moment and it got the point across. And sometimes, you don't have to say anything.' 4 Liberty All-Star Sabrina Ionescu seemed caught off guard by Kelsey Plum, who called out Team Clark after the WNBA All-Star game. X While Clark was present all weekend, she was unable to play in the game due to a groin injury. All of the players on Team Clark and Team Collier warmed up for Saturday night's WNBA All-Star Game in black shirts with the message: 'Pay us what you owe us' with the WNBPA logo amid ongoing CBA negotiations. They decided on the shirts after the players and the league failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement at an in-person meeting Thursday. 4 Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever talks with Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty prior to the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Getty Images The players have been vocal about wanting to be paid more. 'We get a very tiny percentage of all the money that's made through the WNBA, which obviously is made through the entertainment we provide,' Collier said on the decision to wear the shirts. 'So we want a fair and reasonable percentage of that.'
News18
20-07-2025
- Sport
- News18
Caitlin Clark, WNBA Stars Call for Better Pay Amid Contract Negotiations
Last Updated: Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark urged for better WNBA pay during contract talks. Despite her injury, Clark's popularity shone at the sold-out All-Star Game. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark made a strong call for better compensation in the WNBA on Saturday, as contract negotiations between the league and players ramped up. Meanwhile, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expressed optimism about the direction of recent talks. The All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis drew a sold-out crowd, with thousands of fans wearing 'Clark" jerseys despite the Rookie of the Year being sidelined due to a groin injury sustained earlier in the week. Though unable to play, Clark remained a central figure throughout All-Star weekend. Her image appeared prominently in advertisements for Nike, Wilson, and Gatorade across downtown Indianapolis, underscoring her massive popularity and marketability. Both teams wearing shirts that read 'Pay Us What You Owe Us" #WNBA — Aliyah Funschelle (@AliyahFun) July 20, 2025 When asked how her endorsement deals compare to her WNBA salary, Clark gave a candid response: 'That's a good question." She elaborated, 'That's where we're really fortunate—having those other deals. I think that's one of the main things we're in the room fighting for." Players used the high-profile event to amplify their message. During warm-ups, athletes wore T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan 'Pay Us What You Owe Us." Following the final buzzer, fans inside the arena chanted 'Pay them!" in a powerful show of support. 'That kind of backing from the fans—it means everything," said Napheesa Collier, who led her team to a 151–131 win over Team Clark and set a new WNBA All-Star Game record with 36 points. Collective Bargaining Talks Underway On Thursday, the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) and league officials met in Indianapolis to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. The players had previously voted to opt out of their current contract at the end of the season. Following the meeting, the union reported that the two sides remain far apart on several key issues. Engelbert, who also oversaw the last collective bargaining agreement in 2020, has led the WNBA during a period of significant growth, with surging TV ratings and rising attendance. 'We want the same things as the players," she added. 'We want to significantly increase their salary and benefits, while balancing with our owners their ability to have a path to profitability." view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
WNBA Commissioner booed by crowd chanting 'Pay Them!' Cathy Engelbert's legacy is at stake
INDIANAPOLIS — In case their message to the WNBA and its owners wasn't already clear, the players sent another one ahead of the All-Star Game. Taking the court for warmups, every single player wore a black T-shirt with 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' emblazoned across the front. 'We should be paid more and hopefully that's the case moving forward as we continue to grow,' Caitlin Clark said ahead of Saturday night's game. "That's probably the most important thing that we're advocating for.' The players' unwavering stance stands in stark contrast to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert's almost-Pollyannish take in her annual "state of the union" address. To hear Engelbert tell it, everything is hunky dory and this is just the normal back-and-forth that occurs in every labor negotiation. "I want to call it constructive. We had a candid dialogue and this is part of the process,' Engelbert said. Maybe that's what Engelbert has to say publicly. But she had better be far more unsparing when she's talking to WNBA owners. Because this contract won't only be transformational for the WNBA and its players, it will define Engelbert's legacy. Engelbert will either be the commissioner who oversaw a historic righting of wrongs for women athletes. Or she'll be the one who drove this rocket-fueled league into a ditch. The crowd booed Englebert and chanted "Pay Them! Pay Them!" as she presented the All-Star MVP trophy to Napheese Collier, whose team beat Team Clark 151-131. "I just want to say I really respect the players,' Englebert said before the game. "The goal (is) to have a fair CBA for all. I want a lot of the same things the players want. I said that last time, too, and it's not changed. But we also have to have a process where we go back and forth, and that's where we are in the process. "So again, still really optimistic that we'll get something done, that it'll be transformational, and that next year at All-Star we'll be talking about how great everything is," Engelbert said. "But, obviously, there's a lot of hard work to be done on both sides to get there." Again, Engelbert has to speak carefully. She answers not only to the WNBA owners, but to the NBA. Anyone who's ever heard NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speak for more than 30 seconds understands this. But the players aren't stupid, and Engelbert would be wise to remember that when she tries to sell a narrative that is as insulting as it is disingenuous. Take what she said about revenue sharing. This, along with higher salaries, is a priority for the players, who see the league and its owners reaping the benefits of the WNBA's popularity and wonder when it's going to be their turn. When Engelbert was asked about this, she said the league has revenue sharing. Sorry, but players only getting 10% when all of the major men's professional leagues have 50/50 splits, is not revenue sharing. It's an allowance. A bad one at that. "We want to significantly increase their salary and benefits while balancing with our owners' ability to have a path to profitability, as well as to continued investment,' Engelbert said. "You see tens of millions of dollars being invested in practice facilities and other player experiences by teams, and we want to strike the right balance between those two,' Engelbert said. "That's helped our hypergrowth, it's helped our free agency, it's helped our players play in places where they're getting a great player experience.' And therein is the disconnect. No one ever asks NBA or NFL players to take a discount because they've got a swanky new locker room or are flying charter. These are considered the cost of doing business in the big leagues, and it should be no different in the WNBA. The players deserve first-class facilities because they're world-class athletes, and they shouldn't have to forego some of their earnings to get them. It's true the NBA helped keep the league afloat for many years — though just once I'd like the folks who use this to diminish the W to consider the systemic misogyny responsible for this — and those owners want compensation for that investment. But team valuations are not skyrocketing and sponsors are not flocking to the W because of the owners. They're coming because of the players. Because of Clark and Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese and Napheesa Collier and Sabrina Ionescu and, soon, Azzi Fudd and JuJu Watkins. "Having new brands come in, having new sponsors come in, is exactly what we want. We just also want to reap the benefits of that,' said Collier, who was an All-Star captain along with Clark. 'We've been a part of that growth. We just want to make sure that we are also getting a cut of all this new money that's coming in." Engelbert gushed about All-Star weekend, and rightfully so. It wasn't so long ago that this was a game and little else. Now it's an event, with parties and sponsor activations and celebrities courtside and a fanfest and merch stores and, and, and — same as the NBA's All-Star Game. The players inserted themselves into casual conversation, with A'ja Wilson dropping a new show and the "StudBudz' becoming an internet sensation. It was a celebration of what the WNBA has become and a glimpse of everything still to come, and shame on Engelbert if she can't make the NBA and WNBA owners recognize the gold mine they're sitting on. "We're not going to be in hypergrowth forever. No company ever is,' Engelbert said. "So it's how to continue to sustain this momentum, gain on it, grow and, ultimately, globalizing the game." And define her legacy as commissioner. The clock is ticking on more than just these CBA negotiations. Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
