The WNBA: Facts, Fiction, and Shirley Temples

From buzzer beaters to busted myths, this episode of Her Game Her Voice brings the heat. Host Kaari Peterson kicks things off with a Golden State Valkyries update — including key injuries, road trip fatigue, and what’s ahead for the WNBA’s newest franchise.

Then it’s time to mythbust: What does revenue sharing actually look like in the W? Why does revenue sharing matter? Kaari separates fact from fiction, and dives into some of the most persistent misconceptions about the WNBA.

And finally — this week’s award winners:

🏀 Buzzer Beater: Paige Bueckers’ custom Gatorade flavor, inspired by her favorite drink — the Shirley Temple

🏀 Airball: The NCAA March Madness Committee (yes, still)

🏀 Flagrant Foul: WNBA leadership and ownership for dragging their feet on league-wide charter flights

Hit play, and let’s get hoopin'!

“Big stories, little episodes—amplifying the voices shaping the game on and off the court." - Her Game Her Voice Podcast by Kaari Peterson

Transcript

Kaari 0:00

Hey, Hoop Heads. Welcome to another episode of Her Game, Her Voice, the podcast with big stories and little episodes all about women's basketball. I'm your host, Kaari Peterson.

Kaari 0:15

In today's episode, I'll share a few Golden State Valkyries updates, answer a list or question about the WNBA and revenue sharing. Spoiler alert, it's complicated. Then I'll swing into a segment called Fiction vs. Facts, the WNBA edition. And of course, I'll wrap it all up with the awards.

Kaari 0:32

So let's tip it off.

Kaari 0:38

Bad news for Valkyries fans. Superstar Kayla Thornton is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Total heartbreaker. Kayla, we're sending you all the healing vibes.

Kaari 0:50

And Kayla's not the only one sitting out. We've also got Tiffany Hayes, Monique Billings, and Cecilia Zandalasini on the sidelines too. Ouch. It's starting to feel like the injury report has its own starting five.

Kaari 1:04

The Valkyries opened their brutal five-game road trip with a blowout loss to the Connecticut Sun, and I do mean blowout. Nothing clicked for them during that game. It was ugly.

Kaari 1:13

Afterward, Coach Nakase kept it real by saying, Right now, the fight matters more than the score.

Kaari 1:25

Yes, six games in 10 days is savage, but as guard Veronica Burton said, this is the W. Everybody goes through long road trips. We have to step up.

Kaari 1:34

And step up they did. After that Connecticut collapse, the Valkyries rattled off wins against the Dream, Mystics, and Sky before finally falling to the Aces.

Kaari 1:45

Good news. The next three games are back home in the Bay. Time to rest, refocus, and rally. Let's go, Valkyries!

Kaari 1:57

This week's listener question gets into the business side of the league. Tom from Windsor, Canada asks, "What does revenue sharing actually look like in the WNBA?"

Kaari 2:09

It's a term that gets tossed around a lot, especially in conversations about player pay, equity, and how fast the league is growing. So let's break it down. What it is, where things stand today, and what players are pushing for next.

Kaari 2:22

Revenue sharing refers to the percentage of league-generated income, from ticket sales, broadcasting rights, sponsorships, merchandise, and more, that gets distributed to players. That distribution can happen directly, like through salaries and bonuses, or indirectly, through benefits like upgraded travel and better health coverage.

Kaari 2:45

Under the current collective bargaining agreement, players are promised up to 50% revenue sharing, but only if the league met certain revenue growth targets.

Kaari 2:54

But here's the thing. those growth targets haven't been publicly disclosed. There's no transparency around the numbers. So we don't actually know what the league has to hit and whether or not it has.

Kaari 3:05

In the real world, players aren't seeing the full 50%. Most estimates suggest revenue sharing is closer to 20 to 30%.

Kaari 3:13

Players, including big names like Breanna Stewart, Aja Wilson, and Napheesa Collier, have been really outspoken about the need for true 50-50 revenue sharing. similar to what the NBA has. Their argument is this. The WNBA is seeing explosive growth in media attention, game attendance, and corporate partnerships. Players are the product. They're the league. And they deserve a bigger share of what they're building.

Kaari 3:40

And without meaningful revenue sharing, players have historically been forced to play overseas to earn a living, which comes with physical risks. Remember when Breanna Stewart tore her Achilles playing in Russia?

Kaari 3:53

So here are the key takeaways. That 50-50 revenue split you hear about in the NBA? Well, WNBA players want it too. The 50-50 split is what they agreed to with owners in the 2020 CBA. But because of some shady hocus pocus with the numbers, the players aren't getting the percentage they agreed to.

Kaari 4:14

So expect revenue sharing and transparency around it to be front and center during CBA negotiations this year. Thanks for the question, Tom.

Kaari 4:24

If you've got a question you'd like answered on a future episode, you can email me at hergamehervoice at gmail.com or message me through your favorite social media channel. I'd love to hear from you.

Kaari 4:39

I titled this next segment, "More About the WNBA Pay Gap — This One's for the Haters," o"r Fiction vs. Facts, the WNBA Edition."

Kaari 4:50

Did you catch the short video I made about the WNBA pay gap back in episode 9? Well, the comments section got really interesting. Not in a good way.

Kaari 5:00

I got comments like, "The NBA has been bankrolling the WNBA for years. Why should players get more money?" And, "They need to stop whining and just play ball."

Kaari 5:13

I don't know if those people really sounded like that. That's my dramatic interpretation.

Kaari 5:18

But yeah, real original.

Kaari 5:20

If you've ever worn WNBA swag like a Golden State Valkyries shirt in public, you've probably heard some version of these takes too. So guess what? I've got you covered. I'm going to arm you with facts. Quick, powerful counterpoints that you can fire back the next time some guy at a party says, "the WNBA just isn't working."

Kaari 5:42

Fiction number one. "The WNBA's had plenty of time to turn a profit. It's just not happening."

Kaari 5:48

Fact, the NBA didn't turn a profit until the 1980s. That's nearly 40 years in, 4-0. The WNBA is only in its 28th season, and already it's smashing records in viewership, attendance, and corporate investment.

Kaari 6:07

If early NBA losses were seen as smart long-term investments, why are early WNBA losses seen as failure?

Kaari 6:18

Wait, did you hear that?

Kaari 6:20

That's not my smoke alarm.

Kaari 6:21

That's my handy-dandy double standard alert.

Kaari 6:25

Fiction number two. "The league is dying. There's no point in paying players more money."

Kaari 6:31

Fact. The WNBA is booming. In the last two seasons alone, they've had the highest average attendance in 26 years. There's been over 100 nationally televised games, had multi-million dollar sponsorships from companies like Google, Nike, and Pepsi, and expansion teams like the Golden State Valkyries.

Kaari 6:50

This is not a dying league. It's an undervalued asset with serious momentum.

Kaari 6:58

Fiction number three. "WNBA players want NBA salaries. It's ridiculous."

Kaari 7:05

Fact. WNBA players are not asking for NBA salaries. They're asking for equal revenue sharing, a 50-50 split of league revenue, the same split that NBA players get. This isn't about dollar amounts. It's about fair percentages. Players want a piece of what they help build. It's basic.

Kaari 7:24

Fiction number four. "But the WNBA is losing money."

Kaari 7:29

Fact. According to who? The league doesn't release full financials, so these losses are speculative at best. And besides, profitability isn't the only measure of value. I live in Silicon Valley. Startups lose millions for years and still land billion-dollar valuations. Growth trajectory, market potential, and cultural relevance matter. The W has all three.

Kaari 7:55

Here's the bottom line: The WNBA isn't failing. It's being built.

Kaari 8:03

And if people had used this "don't pay them, they're not profitable logic" with the NBA in 1965, there'd be no NBA as we know it today.

Kaari 8:14

So the next time someone gives you grief about the W, you've got the ammo. Stand tall, fire back, and keep wearing your WNBA swag loud and proud.

Kaari 8:28

And now it's time for the awards section of our program.

Kaari 8:34

This week's buzzer beater award goes to Gatorade and WNBA rookie phenom Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings.

Kaari 8:41

You've heard of limited edition Gatorade, but have you ever heard of Shirley Temple Gatorade? Yeah, it's a thing.

Kaari 8:47

After a recent home win over the Golden State Valkyries, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, a known Shirley Temple fan, got surprised with their very own Gatorade flavor inspired by the classic drink.

Kaari 9:01

Never had a Shirley Temple mocktail before? Here's the recipe so you can make one at home:

Kaari 9:07

Start with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, add a splash of grenadine and a maraschino cherry garnish, and you've got a Shirley Temple.

Kaari 9:15

Bueckers has never been shy about her love for the fizzy red mocktail. She's even tweeted things like, "I know a Shirley Temple hates to see me coming."

Kaari 9:23

Gatorade, who first partnered with Paige back in 2021, whipped up a special batch just for her. And her verdict? Quote, "it's pretty fire."

Kaari 9:34

Honestly, I love this sort of thing. Creative, fun, and actually athlete-specific.

Kaari 9:40

And that's why Gatorade and Paige Bueckers win this week's Buzzer Beater Award.

Kaari 9:49

This week's Airball Award goes to the NCAA March Madness Committee.

Kaari 9:56

Yes, for this Airball Award, I had to step away from the WNBA and over to college basketball. Why? Because the committee is lame.

Kaari 10:04

They met in person a couple weeks ago to discuss potentially expanding the tournament field. And after all that, they came out with absolutely nothing. No decision, just a vague, "talks are "ongoing.

Kaari 10:19

Mm-hmm.

Kaari 10:19

Translation, "we know this is a bad idea, but we're trying to find a way to make it sound good."

Kaari 10:26

Look, I've done my research. I can't find a single sound argument for expanding the field that isn't rooted in making the NCAA and participating schools more money. Not better basketball, not more competitive matchups, just more dollar signs.

Kaari 10:44

The truth is, the current March Madness setup works. It's chaotic, dramatic, beautifully brutal, the best of college sports. Expanding it risks watering all that down.

Kaari 10:55

So unless the committee comes back with a miracle justification, which, let's be real, they won't, this one is a classic missed shot.

Kaari 11:04

And that's why the Airball Award goes to the NCAA March Badness Committee.

Kaari 11:11

And now it's time for the Flagrant Foul Award. This week's Flagrant Foul Award goes to the W's leadership group and owners, for not making charter flights a permanent thing for players.

Kaari 11:25

For over 26 years, WNBA players flew commercially. We're talking arriving in cities for away games at 5 in the morning, missed connections, sleeping upright, and getting mobbed by fans in airports.

Kaari 11:39

Imagine asking NBA players to deal with that. It would be unacceptable.

Kaari 11:46

There goes my double standard alarm again.

Kaari 11:48

In 2024, after relentless pressure, the league finally launched a full charter program, thanks to $75 million in outside investments.

Kaari 12:00

But here's the catch. It's not permanent.

Kaari 12:03

Charter flights aren't guaranteed in the next CBA. That means players could lose them if funding shifts or ownership pushes back. Charter flights for players should not be framed as a luxury. And until it becomes a permanent part of the CBA, the league's leadership and owners can proudly display their flagrant foul award.

Kaari 12:23

I'm Kaari Peterson, and you've been listening to Her Game, Her Voice. If you'd like to hear more episodes of Her Game, Her Voice, please follow the p odcast.

Kaari 12:37

Following the podcast is easy. Just go to the Her Game, Her Voice show page on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Tap on the plus sign or click on follow.

Kaari 12:48

And now you won't miss an episode.

Kaari 12:50

And while you're on the show page, I would be grateful if you would take a few seconds to give Her Game, Her Voice a great rating and or review.

Kaari 12:58

And even better, please share an episode with a friend.

Kaari 13:01

Her Game, Her Voice can also be found on Substack, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

Kaari 13:07

Thanks again for listening and happy hooping!