What Happens When Players Become the Product

The WNBA has never been bigger or more divided.

Let’s start with the wins in 2025:

But behind the headlines, a bigger problem remains.

The off-court battle

While players give everything on the court, they’re still left fighting for fair pay off it. Right now, WNBA players earn about 9.3% of league revenue - a far cry from the 49-51.2% NBA players take home.

Even the highest earners top out at $269K, while an average NBA player makes around $11.8M.

Simply put, WNBA players'ask is not complicated:

With the Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire on October 31, 2025, talks have stalled. Lockout fears are rising. “The WNBA is truly a winning proposition, a good investment with real ROI, something many in the league office think players don’t understand," says union president Nneka Ogwumike.

To see why this is such a big deal, you have to look back at how far the league has come.

From underdog to prime time

The problem goes way back to when the WNBA was founded in 1996. Crowds were small, TV coverage was scarce, and money was tight. But then things started to change as more fans tuned in. By 2010, the WNBA was thriving; by 2021, it was full throttle.

Check out here:

And that's not all!

In July 2024, the WNBA locked in an 11-year media rights deal worth about $2.2B with Disney, Amazon Prime, NBCUniversal, and more.

Then, on September 30, 2025, the league added another 11-year deal with Versant to air games on USA Network. Even with more visibility, players’ pay hasn’t caught up. So, why the gap?

The money mystery: profits or losses?

The league says they are still operating at a loss, citing the roughly $50M projected loss in 2024.

But the story might not be so simple:

The league hasn’t confirmed these numbers. And that's why players want full transparency of revenue. 

As Napheesa Collier puts it: “We have the best league in the world...But we have the worst leadership in the world…the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders.”

And that frustration fueled action during the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, Collier and other players wore T-shirts reading: “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” ” It was a bold demand for transparency in a league that deserves it. Because without it:

So, how do other major leagues ensure transparency and fair player compensation?

That’s how growth grows. Imagine if the WNBA did too. The result?

What’s at stake

If the WNBA matched the NBA’s revenue split, players’ average pay would rise to $595K, totaling $100M annually.

That’s just the beginning.

By 2028, the league will have 16 teams, each paying a $250M entry fee. With this growth in mind, the next CBA can’t be just promises; it needs real action:

With these steps, the WNBA won’t just break records on the court; it will set a global example for gender equity.

While WNBA players are still fighting for fair pay, one NBA superstar created very high demand for tickets with a single move, all through social media.

LeBron James has NBA fans losing their minds.

Well, October 6, 2025: LeBron posts a cryptic video on X: "The decision of all decisions. October 7th… #TheSecondDecision."

In the clip, LeBron walks onto a basketball court, toward a chair… and sits down, mirroring his 2010 “Decision” special when he announced moving to the Miami Heat.

So naturally, everyone assumed something BIG was coming:

Then came the reveal on the 7th of Oct.

LeBron James’ “Second Decision” turned out to be a collab with Hennessy V.S.O.P. He even mimicked his 2010 speech: “This fall, I’m taking my talents to Hennessy V.S.O.P.” 

Fans went wild, memes flooded social media, and critics called it “the cringiest, corniest thing” of LeBron’s career, per The Athletic’s Dan Shanoff.

But why reveal it so soon? He could have kept fans guessing for days, building even more suspense, but instead, the timing was calculated:

And it worked.

LeBron James turned hype into $$$

The result?

This result was obvious, given the legacy he’s built, just look at his achievements:

But what’s even more fascinating is that at 40 years old and entering his 23rd season, LeBron still knows how to make the world stop and spend.

Yet with great marketing power comes even greater risk.

The backlash

Marketing-wise, it was brilliant. Culturally, it backfired. Fans criticized it as one fan tweeted, “My 3-month-old son just said I want to be a LeAlcoholic like LeBron. Look what you’ve done to the youth!” 

And critics agreed.

USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes said LeBron “burned through some of the goodwill he had worked to build,” calling it a stunt that “weaponized his looming retirement for capitalism.”

The Washington Post’s Candace Buckner wrote, “Shame on us for believing this billionaire-for-hire had real news to share.” But that’s not all!

Also, the ticket for the Lakers’ finale vs. the Jazz fell to $330 as the hype cooled. But one Lakers fan wasn’t letting it slide and decided to sue.

Andrew Garcia spent $432.83 a ticket for the March 31, 2026, game, thinking he’d see LeBron announce his retirement. When it turned out to be just a Hennessy ad, he felt cheated. Garcia filed a claims lawsuit, accusing LeBron of fraud, deception, and misrepresentation, and wants $865.66 back. “I wouldn’t have purchased it if he wasn’t going to retire,” he said.

But this isn’t just an aftereffect.

LeBron has hinted he likely won’t play in the 2028 LA Olympics, but now, if he actually announces retirement, fans may not take it seriously. Because when every tease could be a marketing stunt, even real “big news” loses impact.

This leads to a broader shift in how athletes control their narratives.

Athletes are becoming the media

In the past, sports news was media-driven. For instance, Michael Jordan’s 2003 retirement was covered by ESPN; he had little control or profit. Today, LeBron bypassed the media, teasing his announcement on social media before anyone else.

It now seems that athletes are the media, the channel, and the story.

The takeaway: attention is the new currency, but it’s fragile, expensive, and worth guarding. 

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