Napheesa Collier suffered a repeat of 2024. Collier was snubbed of the MVP by the same person for the consecutive time (A’ja Wilson) and had her title hopes crushed by some questionable officiating. Some argue she had a worse season than Caitlin Clark, not by numbers or achievements, but by the sheer toll of these monumental losses. Regardless, the Lynx forward is bowing out of the season with a bang, revealing some controversial comments of Cathy Engelbert regarding Clark and her impact on the league.

While revealing a conversation with the commissioner, Collier said, “I also asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin, Angel, and Paige, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for the first four years. Her response was, Caitlin should be grateful. She makes 16 million off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”

Are we hearing that right? There is a term coined entirely for the growth she has brought to the WNBA: The Caitlin Clark Effect. Clark has played only 13 games in 2025 and still managed to feature in the top 4 most-watched games. That includes its most-watched WNBA game ever on May 17, when Clark and the Fever defeated Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky 93-58, which peaked at 3.1 million viewers and averaged 2.7 million viewers. 

In an economic sense, Ryan Brewer, a finance professor at Indiana University Columbus and a valuation specialist, determined that Clark’s presence was responsible for 26.5% of the WNBA’s revenue. That is Michael Jordan-level motion from Clark. The numbers are right there, and there is no point in denying that Caitlin Clark deserves much more than what her rookie contract is paying ($84,514 per year). And we thought Engelbert knew this.

“Caitlin brought tens of millions of new viewers into the W. And there’s no denying that impact. Not just in the WNBA, but the world of sports.” She said in May, “She’s the most popular athlete in America.”However, what she says publicly and privately might be different.  (There is another star mark to this, as there hasn’t been a reply from Engelbert to Collier’s statement, and her statements remain alleged.) Clark even had offers of a much bigger payday.

“We offered Clark $15M,”  Big3 Voice Tattoo David Gonzalez said. “It started at 5, but the official final offer was fifteen for ten weeks.” While these claims were disputed later on, even conservative estimates of $1 million from Front Office Sports are miles from the WNBA paycheck. But Clark declined it for a reason. Like Engelbert allegedly pointed out, the off-court opportunities when Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, or Angel Reese play in the WNBA are much higher than in any other league.  

But it is only a comparative advantage and not an absolute one. If all three decided to solely play in Europe or in Unrivaled, a percentage of sponsorships will follow. This should be a symbiotic relationship, and the league isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. That not only applies to Clark but for the likes of Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese,  and other rookies who are elevating the WNBA. 

Whistles, TV Money, and a Leadership Showdown

The fans definitely saw something like this coming after Cheryl Reeve’s 2-minute outburst. “I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating. It’s bad for the game.” Reeve said. And as the Vice President of the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association, Collier is in the perfect position to advocate for the players. “It’s clear there’s no intention of accepting there’s a problem,” Collier said of the league’s officiating. While the referee fury is common, what Collier revealed next enraged the players and the fans even more. 

“In that same conversation, she told me players should be ‘on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal I got them,’” Collier said, “We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now we have the worst leadership in the world.”

The WNBA announced a new 11-year media rights package, worth an average of $200 million a year, with Disney, NBC, and Amazon in July 2024. The WNBA and Scripps reached a multi-year agreement to continue airing WNBA regular season games on Friday nights on ION earlier this year. Only hours ago, they have also struck an 11-year deal with USA Network to air 50 games a season, including the playoffs and WNBA Finals in select years. 

All this comes into place in 2026 onwards, but why are broadcasters rushing to the WNBA? It is because of the increased popularity and consumer interest in the league. The league is made with two building blocks: the fans and the players. If what Collier is saying is true, Engelbert had already lost the players behind the scenes. Now that she has put it out in the open, the fans who were in doubt will embrace the anti-Engelbert train with Collier.