The fight for a fairer future in the WNBA has reached a pivotal moment. This time, it’s not just players sounding the alarm. Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III has stepped into the conversation, calling on Caitlin Clark fans to stand behind WNBA players’ growing demand for improved revenue sharing.
How Is Robert Griffin III Making the Case for WNBA Revenue Fairness?
Griffin’s comments arrive amid one of the most critical labor standoffs in league history. The players’ union has already opted out of the current CBA and is pushing for a dramatic shift in how the league compensates its talent.
In a pointed social media post, Griffin delivered a full-throated defense of WNBA players’ case for better pay. His statement directly contrasted the WNBA’s revenue share model with that of the major men’s leagues.
“WNBA players should get paid more money, because they earned it,” Griffin said. He pointed to surging indicators like “TV viewership, ticket sales, merchandising, popularity, and competitiveness” as clear proof that the players have more than justified their demand for a greater share.
The numbers tell a stark story. Currently, WNBA players take home only around 9-10% of league revenue. By contrast, athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL split nearly 50% of revenue with owners under their respective CBAs. “That’s not what they are asking for,” Griffin added, countering the common misinterpretation that WNBA players want NBA-level salaries.
Caitlin Clark and WNBA players should get paid more because they have EARNED it.
People who say the WNBA’s popularity is only because of Caitlin Clark should be championing the cause for the players to get a better revenue split % so Clark can make more than $78k from the WNBA. pic.twitter.com/PaaSZ48hXj
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 21, 2025
“So, to all those who are screaming, WNBA players don’t deserve to get paid same as NBA players. That’s not what they are asking for. WNBA players only asking to be respected, with the same revenue split as the NBA and NFL players get, from the money that they help generate and with a new 2.2 billion TV rights deal, with Disney, NBCU and Amazon, kicking in next year, the WNBA for the first time in its history.”
Griffin also made a direct appeal to Caitlin Clark fans, many of whom have taken a passionate interest in WNBA coverage since the Fever star entered the league.
“If you say the WNBA’s popularity is only because of Caitlin Clark, then you should be championing the cause for all the players,” he said. “If you want Caitlin Clark to get paid the money you feel she is owed in doing so.”
That final appeal touches on one of the league’s growing contradictions. Even its most visible stars are still earning modest salaries by professional sports standards.
Clark, the top overall pick in the 2024 draft, signed a four-year, $338,056 contract with the Indiana Fever, averaging just over $84,000 per season. In 2025, she will earn a base salary of just $78,066, numbers that have sparked intense debate given her impact on league attendance and viewership.
She’s far from alone in this situation. The WNBA’s supermax salary is under $250,000 per year, while All-Star MVPs receive a bonus of only $5,150. As Griffin emphasized, the push isn’t for NBA-level money, but for parity in how league revenues are shared with those generating them.
Why Is the WNBA’s Pay Debate Escalating With Griffin Joining the Chorus?
Griffin’s message lands at a moment of immense transition. The WNBA is witnessing record-breaking viewership and is preparing to enter a new $2.2 billion media rights agreement with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon next year, the richest broadcast deal in its history.
Meanwhile, players are pressing for a transformational CBA that delivers improved working conditions, increased compensation, and long-term structural change.
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game spotlighted these tensions. More than 40 players attended a historic sit-down with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in Indianapolis just days before the game. Despite the turnout, no meaningful progress was made. On game night, stars from both teams wore shirts that read “Pay Us What You Owe Us,” underscoring their collective frustration.
Griffin’s video not only lends outside validation to their demands but also shifts the conversation. If fans are truly invested, especially those drawn by Clark’s presence, the time to act is now.
