WNBA player Caitlin Clark (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

The WNBA is one of the most popular sports leagues, and Caitlin Clark is one of the main reasons why. Some would think the league is now making millions, but according to some sources, that’s far from the truth.

Before the 2024 WNBA season, the league was projected to earn over $240 million after adding rookie sensations like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and others to some of their 12 teams.

However, that wasn’t the case at all. It has since been reported that the league will be losing a total of $50 million, but that isn’t quite the case. This has frustrated some of the league’s NBA investors, and reasonably so.

The NBA reportedly owns around 60 percent of the league, and hundreds of millions have been invested in it since its inaugural season, which began in April 1996, over a quarter century ago.

James Dolan Considered A Hero Of The NBA’s Investors of The WNBA

Many NBA investors claim that they have not received a return after shelling out millions to see a women’s team in their city, and they are pressing Commissioner Adam Silver for answers as to when that money will come in.

 

“There’s a bunch of owners who see Dolan as their hero for pressing Silver on these questions, but Silver is not giving us any answers,” said an unnamed source about New York Knicks owner James Dolan.

The WNBA is set to lose just about $40 million in 2024, better than the reported $50 million projected to sink. This is just a start, as the league is set to make around $2.2 billion over 11 years beginning in 2026.

Some new media contracts, as well as the expansion of the WNBA regular season and playoff formats, will help the league make money. These will undoubtedly increase the revenue stream due to the sell-outs currently being seen for the 2024 WNBA finals.