By Douglas V. Gibbs
The WNBA has officially entered the realm of economic fantasy. At their All-Star Game, players wore shirts that read “Pay us what you owe us” — a slogan that sounds more like a protest chant than a business model. The message? They want a “fair share” of league revenue. But let me tell you something, ladies: fair doesn’t mean equal. It means earned.
Let’s look at the facts. The WNBA pulls in about $200 million a year. The NBA? Try $13 billion. That’s not a rounding error — that’s a canyon. Yet WNBA players are demanding the same revenue split as NBA players — around 50%. Currently, they get 9.3%, and they’re calling that unfair.
Unfair? No. It’s reality. You don’t get paid based on what you want — you get paid based on what you generate. The NBA has decades of history, global reach, and a fan base that fills arenas and drives billion-dollar media deals. The WNBA is growing, yes — but growth doesn’t mean you’ve arrived. It means you’re on the way. And until you get there, you don’t get to rewrite the rules of economics.
This is the same tired argument we saw in women’s soccer. “Equal pay!” they shouted. But the revenue wasn’t equal. The attendance wasn’t equal. The sponsorships weren’t equal. And guess what? The expenses were equal. Stadiums don’t offer discounts because your league is smaller. Travel costs don’t shrink because your ratings are lower. You want NBA-level pay? You need NBA-level revenue.
Otherwise, you end up with a Steven Colbert situation — more money going out than coming in. That’s not empowerment. That’s insolvency.
Now, I’m all for growth. I’m all for opportunity. But you don’t build a successful league by demanding a bigger slice of a pie you haven’t baked. You build it by earning it — by driving ticket sales, merchandise, viewership, and sponsorships. And when the numbers justify it, the pay will follow.
Until then, slogans like “Pay us what you owe us” are just noise. Because in the real world, pay isn’t owed — it’s earned.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
