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Time of India
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'I don't really give a f**k': Adin Ross slammed for "misogynist" & "sexist" WNBA comment in viral clip
(Image via @adinross/Kick) Kick streamer Adin Ross is once again at the center of internet backlash, this time for his reaction to WNBA players wearing protest-themed T-shirts. During a livestream on July 20, 2025, Ross went on a heated rant, claiming that only Caitlin Clark 'deserves' to wear the now-viral 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' shirts. Within hours, clips of his comments spread like wildfire across X and Reddit. Adin Ross calls WNBA a 'tax write-off,' says 'no revenue at all' The comments came after Ross watched a clip of WNBA All-Star captains Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier walking out in black shirts with the bold message: 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' Ross paused the clip, then unleashed. 'Unless you're Caitlin Clark, you shouldn't ever be able to put on a shirt,' he said. He followed up with a monologue where he denied being misogynistic but insisted the WNBA was, in his words, 'probably a write-off for the NBA' and that the league generates 'no f**king revenue at all.' He clarified, or at least tried to, that he 'loves women,' has a mother and sisters, and wasn't trying to hate. But by that point, the clip had already spread like wildfire. Social media explodes as fans, creators slam Ross's 'tone-deaf' take By the next day, X (formerly Twitter) was flooded with reactions. Some called the rant sexist. Others said it was just plain misinformed. 'This nigga genuinely never knows shit about what he's talking about. ' one user wrote. Many fans pointed out that stars like Angel Reese and A'ja Wilson have played a massive role in growing the WNBA's audience, long before Caitlin Clark entered the scene. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like You Won't Believe the Price of These Dubai Apartments Binghatti Developers FZE Get Offer Undo One viral reply said, 'To be honest he is right, She is the only reason people are talking about the WNBA.' Another day, another Adin Ross controversy This isn't the first time Adin Ross has found himself at odds with the internet. But this time, the mix of gender, race, and sports economics hit differently. What started as a livestream reaction turned into a full-on cultural debate. And while Ross may not care, as he loudly reminded his viewers, the backlash is loud, swift, and showing no signs of slowing down. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
New York Post
20-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
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.' 3 Barstool Sports founder and owner Dave Portnoy thinks WNBA players deserve a pay raise. @stoolpresidente/X 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. 3 Dave Portnoy attends a game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun at TD Garden on July 15. NBAE via Getty Images 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.' 3 Fever star Caitlin Clark wearing a 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' shirt before the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19. Getty Images 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.
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Caitlin Clark joins in 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' WNBA CBA demonstration
A picture is worth a thousand words. And on Saturday night, the picture that the WNBA's biggest stars were painting was that the collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the players and the league haven't progressed nearly positively enough. With an October deadline looming, WNBA All-Stars wore "Pay Us What You Owe Us" t-shirts during All-Star Game warmups. This collective demonstration comes on the heels of 40 WNBA players having met with the league during the latest round of collective bargaining agreement negotiations on Thursday. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, one of the WNBA All-Star Game's two team captains, joined in on the demonstration. Afterwards, as WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert awarded Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier the 2025 All-Star Game MVP trophy, chants of "Pay them!" rang out from the sold-out Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd of 16,988. "That was a powerful moment," Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said of the crowd's support. "We didn't, at least as players, we didn't know that was going to happen. So it was a genuine surprise. Those chants tonight, those signs, it just shows that as players, we are united, but the fans are united in believing what we're seeking." Plum said the players wanted to send a clear, concise message from all of the league's most prominent players as the sports world was watching. "We wanted to do something that was united as a collective, and I thought that it's a very powerful moment and got the point across. Sometimes, you don't have to say anything," Plum said. The WNBA announced a new 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal in July of 2024. The 11-year deal is valued at $2.2 billion, or $200 million annually. Future agreements with additional partners could bring the league's overall media deals closer to $3 billion. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
WNBA fans jeer commissioner with 'Pay them!' chants during All-Star Game ceremony
During Saturday night's 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, basketball fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse decided to show their support for the players amid their ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the league. With the current WNBA CBA set to expire in October, WNBA players wore "Pay Us What You Owe Us" shirts during All-Star Game warmups to send a message to the league about improving the WNBA pay scale. The WNBA met with more than 40 players on Thursday in Indianapolis but seemingly made little, if any, progress on finding compromises for a new CBA, as the WNBA players association issued a critical statement after the meeting concluded. The players understandably want their salaries to increase as more and more revenue pours into the WNBA, and any compromise will almost assuredly feature a higher salary cap for the league's teams so that the athletes' average pay scale can increase. Plenty of fans let the league know whose side they were on during the All-Star Game postgame ceremony, where loud chats of "Pay them!" broke out as league commissioner Cathy Engelbert spoke. Fans also held up "Pay the players" signs in the stands. Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes also held up one of the "Pay the players" signs while ESPN's Holly Rowe interviewed All-Star Game MVP Napheesa Collier. While we're sure the CBA negotiations still have a ways to go, the WNBA had to hear the message from the players and the fans loud and clear during one of the biggest nights on the league's calendar. "Pay the players" will be one of the biggest takeaways from WNBA All-Star weekend, whether the league wants it to be or not. We'll see if this momentum breaks the ice any as negotiations continue.
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
WNBA players advocated for higher pay with custom shirts before the All-Star Game
WNBA all stars wearing a "Pay us what you owe us" shirt in warmups Ahead of Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, the players involved made a clear statement to the league over the ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations. During All-Star Game warmups, WNBA players wore a shirt that read "Pay Us What You Owe Us" in front of the large crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the audience at home. With the current WNBA CBA expiring in October, the players and the league officials have been unable to come to terms on a new agreement. The new CBA would presumably raise the ceiling for what WNBA players would earn during a season, among other pertinent issues. Just how much the pay scale would increase, if at all, is likely the biggest sticking point between players and the league. With the rampant growth the WNBA has experienced, this is a historic opportunity for the players to change the financial landscape for how they are compensated for their work. Players came out wearing 'pay us what you owe us' shirts to big cheers from the after what players had a meeting with the league about the CBA on Thursday, which they described as a 'wasted opportunity.' WNBA players wear "Pay Us What You Owe Us" shirts ahead of the All-Star Game. 🏀💰 #WNBA More than 40 players met with WNBA officials in Indianapolis on Thursday. After the meeting, the WNBA's players association says the league's response to its CBA proposals "fails to address the priorities we've voiced from the day we opted out: a transformational CBA that delivers our rightful share of the business that we've built, improves working conditions and ensures the success we create lifts both today's players and the generations that follow." Arguably the league's biggest financial driver, Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark, voiced her position on the currently unsuccessful CBA negotiations. "We should be paid more, and hopefully, that's the case moving forward as the league continues to grow," Clark told reporters ahead of this year's All-Star Game, via SI's Robin Lundberg. "I think that's something that's probably the most important thing that we're in the room advocating about." Caitlin Clark breaks WNBA CBA negotiations down to the simplest form We'll see if the league eventually responds to these proposals from the players or if the WNBA is actually headed for a lockout. From the statement the players made at the WNBA All-Star Game, they will clearly not back down from their goals to increase their compensation for their immense contributions to the league.
