Caitlin Clark’s star power single handedly made the WNBA relevant and powered record ratings and attendance.
But now the league is facing a bigger crisis than low ratings and poor attendance.
And women’s basketball phenom Caitlin Clark may be getting a new job for this one reason that no one saw coming.
WNBA players union seeking to destroy the embattled league once and for all
Caitlin Clark endured a season’s worth of racist physical and verbal abuse from her fellow players jealous of her popularity.
The constant unwarranted attacks on Clark threaten to drive away the new fans drawn to the league to watch Clark’s amazing talents.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the league’s players union is now threatening a course of action that would alienate fans for good.
The players union opted out of the league’s collective bargaining agreement, giving the players and owners one year to work out a new deal.
If the two sides can’t come to an agreement, the owners will lock the players out.
The players union wants an increase in pay above the current nine percent of league revenues they receive, and the salary cap sits at $14.5 million.
A precedent setting statement from WNBA players’ union boss
“This is a defining moment, not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” a statement from WNBA Players Association President and Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike read.
“The world has evolved since 2020, and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind. This is a new era, and we are ready to lead transformational change—change that goes beyond women’s sports and sets a precedent for something greater.”
Ogwumike added that the players demand a new “equity-based” model of revenue sharing with players.
The statement from Ogwumike said the goal was, “establishing a new economic model that is truly more creative and ensures player wages better reflect the growing business. They also hope to build upon professional standards that are set by teams like New York, Seattle, Las Vegas, Phoenix, all of whom have state of the art practice facilities. And of course, they hope to expand lifelong benefits for players, including retirement and family planning.”
The problem for the WNBA, and the players union, is that even with increased attendance and viewership brought about by Clark, the league still lost $40 million last year.
And NBA owners – who subsidize the league – would like to see a return on their investment after 27 years of losing money.
And was set to become profitable once its new $200 million media rights deal kicks in.
But a union boss work stoppage could change all that.
However, fans could still see Clark on the court.
Because now Clark is about to receive an offer from a rival league.
Unrivaled is a new three on three women’s basketball league founded by WNBA players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
“Unrivaled is proud to offer the highest average salary in professional women’s sports league history — in addition to offering an equity stake to all athletes competing in the inaugural season,” a statement from Unrivaled to Front Office Sports read. “While we believe Unrivaled is setting a new standard in the marketplace, we are not disclosing individual player compensation packages or league financials at this time.”
A three-on-three format with a more wide-open court would showcase Clark’s long-range shooting and passing skills even more.
Clark could play in both the WNBA and Unrivaled, as Unrivaled would stage games in the WNBA offseason.
Of course, if the WNBA isn’t playing, then Clark will be free to devote all her talents to Unrivaled.
But if the WNBA players blow up their league over a lockout and player greed and jealousy, the only place fans can see Clark is on the court for Unrivaled.