It's time for fair pay at the WNBA

The petition to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Commissioner Cathy Engelbert reads:

The WNBA has experienced tremendous interest and growth in recent years, garnering a new $2.2 billion media deal and raking in expansion fees of $250 million. But the flood of money coming into the WNBA is not making its way into players' pockets. As fans, women, and advocates, we are calling on you to negotiate in good faith with the WNBPA and pay players their fair share of all revenues!

Right now, the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) are in collective bargaining agreement negotiations, and there is disagreement over salary structure and revenue sharing. The league favors a fixed percentage, whereas the players reasonably want their salaries to grow with the business.

For comparison, National Basketball Association (NBA) salaries are also collectively bargained, and they are structured so that the league shares half of its revenue with its players; the WNBA only shares 9.3% of its revenue with its players.

The average base salary of a WNBA player, a woman, is $102,249. For an NBA player, a man, it's more than $13 million. Closing the pay gap won't happen overnight, but as the WNBA explodes in popularity, securing endorsements, team expansions, and other profitable deals, we can and must ensure that women players are compensated fairly for their labor. 

Tell the WNBA: Your business is booming thanks to your players' labor. Negotiate in good faith, and pay them fairly!