Dave Portnoy, the outspoken founder of Barstool Sports, has entered the fray to defend WNBA players seeking better pay. He didn’t mince words.
In a video posted to X, he took aim at anyone claiming women players don’t deserve increased salaries.
“I don’t know how anybody in the world with a brain… can rationally say women don’t deserve more money at this point,” Portnoy said, calling out what he described as “morons”.
Portnoy highlighted Caitlin Clark‘s rookie salary of $76,000 in 2024, paltry compared to the paychecks of some Barstool personalities, calling the gap “insane.” He added that the reported losses in WNBA finances are muddy at best, noting they’re “a mess, tied in with NBA and purposely murky.”
Midway through the season, WNBA revenue streams are surging. TV ratings are up 23 percent, ticket sales have increased 26 percent, and average attendance has grown by 13 percent.
These metrics, Portnoy argued, don’t align with the narrative that the league lacks resources to raise player pay.
Booming business meets murky ledgers
Despite projections that the WNBA could lose $40 million this year, Portnoy cautioned against taking that at face value. “They’re throwing around this ‘lost 50 million’ number that nobody even knows where it comes from,” he said.
He questioned why the NBA wouldn’t fully disclose league finances if the goal weren’t to suppress pay negotiations.
Portnoy pointed out that franchise valuations are skyrocketing, fueled by a massive media rights agreement worth $2.2 billion spanning deals with Disney, Amazon Prime, and NBCUniversal.
On top of that, the current CBA gives players an optout clause, an indication that the athletes understand their leverage and intend to capitalize on it.
He was enthusiastic about the future, confidently stating that he would buy a hypothetical WNBA franchise, “if somebody told me I could buy a Boston team for $250 million, I would do it without blinking”.
In his eyes, this speaks volumes about the league’s true value and untapped potential.
Portnoy also tackled the argument that the WNBA’s growth is a one-person show revolving around Caitlin Clark.
“Caitlin Clark is the match that lit the fuse,” he said, but emphasized that she represents just the beginning of a broader momentum.
He pointed to other emerging stars like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and JuJu Watkins as further proof the league’s future brightness.
Players deserve more-and the numbers back it up
The WNBA players made their position clear at this year’s All-Star Game when they wore warmup shirts emblazoned with “Pay Us What You Owe Us”.
Their push comes as collective bargaining negotiations progress, and if no agreement is reached by October 31, a lockout could halt the season.
Experts liken the WNBA’s current trajectory to that of a rising tech startup, not yet profitable, but attracting heavy investment and showing exponential growth.
Investors are pouring money into franchises, indicating confidence that long-term returns will materialize once infrastructure is in place.
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