WNBA All-Stars Make ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’ Statement During Warmup
The WNBA All-Stars sent a message this Saturday during warmup rounds before the game. All of the players on Team Clark and Team Collier wore shirts that said “Pay us what you owe us.”
“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. So we want a fair and reasonable percentage of that,” said Napheesa Collier.
The decision was also made after the players and the league failed to reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The WNBA’s fortune is tied up with the NBA, and while the relationship between both has grown over the years, there are many WNBA teams with no direct ties to the NBA.
The league’s players opted out of their last CBA in October as they are looking for a better revenue-sharing model, increased salaries, improved benefits, and a softer salary cap, according to reports.
After the last failed negotiations, many of the players stated that there was a large discrepancy between what they wanted and what was being offered to them from the league. Some players, including All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese, have discussed a potential walkout if a new CBA is not reached by October.
While the WNBA players aren’t suggesting that they should be paid the same as their NBA counterparts, they understand the high revenue they bring in. A WNBA rookie minimum is $66,000 compared to $1.27 million in the NBA.
Fans and supporters alike supported the players’ wishes at the end of the game with chants of “pay them!” and some even held up signs that read “pat the players” throughout the game.
“We had no idea that they were in solidarity with our demonstration,” said Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA.
“I’ve been hearing it all weekend at the fan events, supporting us and wanting us to get our fair share of the value.”
The players also recognized that this All-Stars game was potentially the last time that so many of them would be together in one place before the season ends, so they had to take advantage of the opportunity to get their message across.
“This is a perfect opportunity to raise awareness for what we’re doing and do it together,” Collier stated.
The players have yet to decide if they’ll wear the shirts on their own teams throughout the second half of the season which begins this week.
“You put it out there, and you stand on business, and we’re standing on business,” said Courtney Williams.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
