The WNBA’s recent top draft pick, Caitlin Clark, has sparked controversy with her rookie contract, which reportedly offers a salary below $80,000. This has prompted discussions about the disparity between player earnings and the revenue generated by the league. While Clark’s potential to drive jersey sales and revenue for her team is acknowledged, critics like Daily Wire host Matt Walsh have used the situation to question the viability of professional women’s basketball altogether.

Walsh argues that WNBA players are not just underpaid but potentially overpaid, considering the league’s financial struggles. He points out that despite nearly 30 years of existence, the WNBA has never turned a profit, generating significantly less revenue than the NBA. While estimates vary, with some sources suggesting revenue in the $60-200 million range, the NBA’s revenue dwarfs the WNBA’s by a considerable margin, with figures reaching into the billions.

Walsh contends that, based on these economic realities, WNBA players should not be compensated at all. He suggests that even if WNBA rookies were paid on par with NBA rookies, they would still be overpaid given the league’s financial performance. Ultimately, he argues that the WNBA’s inability to turn a profit calls into question the sustainability of its business model and the justification for player salaries.

According to Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, the WNBA’s continued operation relies on financial support from the NBA, which effectively subsidizes the women’s league to ensure its survival. Walsh compares this relationship to charitable giving, where the NBA acts as a benefactor sustaining the financially struggling WNBA. He argues that despite the WNBA’s longstanding financial losses, the NBA’s support enables the women’s league to persist.

Walsh contends that the WNBA’s viewership remains low, with many critics, particularly those on social media, expressing concern about player salaries without actually engaging with the league’s games. He highlights the WNBA’s most-watched regular season in 20 years, which averaged 500,000 viewers per game, comparing it unfavorably to the audience of a canceled CNN show. He suggests that without the NBA’s financial backing, the WNBA would likely fold due to its unsustainable financial model.

In response to calls for WNBA players to receive their “fair share” of profits, Walsh questions the concept, pointing out that the WNBA operates at a loss. He argues that demanding fair compensation for a product with low viewership is illogical, emphasizing that profitability is a prerequisite for fair compensation.