March Madness, WNBA Salaries and My Return to the Game

March Madness is here—and so is a major shift in the WNBA.

In this episode of Her Game Her Voice, we break down the chaos of the NCAA Tournament, including how bracket seeding works and why your picks probably won’t survive the first weekend.

Plus, big news from the WNBA: a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is set to transform the league, with massive salary increases, revenue sharing, and long-overdue improvements to player benefits.

But first, a more personal note.

After a month away, I’m back behind the mic following the loss of my dad. This episode begins with a reflection on grief, stepping away from the game, and how basketball has a way of bringing us back when we’re ready.

And of course, this week’s awards:

• 🏀 Buzzer Beater: UCLA dominates and earns a No. 1 seed
• 💨 Airball: Stanford misses the tournament again
• 🚨 Flagrant Foul: A senior night decision that missed the moment

Whether you’re filling out your March Madness bracket, following the future of the WNBA, or just finding your way back to the game—this episode is for you.

📩 Got a question for the show?

Email: host@hergamehervoice.com

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⏱️ Episode Timestamps

00:00 – Intro + Season 2 Kickoff

00:25 – A Personal Loss

01:47 – The Driveway Hoop Story

03:08 – Returning to the Game

03:30 – March Madness Preview

04:20 – WNBA CBA Update (Big News)

05:02 – Salary Increases Explained

05:33 – Revenue Sharing

05:53 – Quality of Life Improvements

06:17 – Compressed Offseason Chaos

07:21 – Why This Deal Is Transformational

08:09 – Listener Question: How Seeding Works

10:13 – Why Your Bracket Gets Busted

10:51 – Buzzer Beater Award (UCLA)

11:55 – Airball Award (Stanford)

13:26 – Flagrant Foul Award (Tennessee)

14:26 – Outro + Where to Follow

“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 0:03

Howdy hoop heads and welcome to season two of Her Game Her Voice, the podcast that gives you big stories about women's basketball in little 15 minutes or less episodes. I'm your host, Kaari Peterson.

Kaari 0:19

It's been a while.

Kaari 0:20

Yep, over a month since yours truly dropped a new episode.

Kaari 0:24

So where have I been?

Kaari 0:26

Well, I've been dealing with a pretty big loss. My dad passed away on February 7th. I was lucky enough to make it back to Michigan before he left this world and was with him when he took his last breath. I ended up spending about three weeks in Michigan with family.

Kaari 0:44

And to put it simply, grief is a bitch.

Kaari 0:48

As much as I love basketball, it was the last thing on my mind for a while. In fact, this might be the longest stretch of my life where I didn't read about basketball, I didn't watch basketball, I didn't really think much about basketball.

Kaari 1:07

Which is kind of fitting because my dad wasn't into team sports.

Kaari 1:12

He was an avid cyclist well into his 80s, and he loved individual pursuits. Cycling, racquetball, things like that. And while my grandparents faithfully attended my basketball games, I don't actually remember my dad ever being at one.

Kaari 1:29

But he did support my love of the game in his own way. And when my brother and I were kids, he installed a hoop in our driveway. Dug the hole, set the pole, mounted the backboard, the whole thing.

Kaari 1:41

My brother and I spent countless hours out there playing ball.

Kaari 1:46

Now that I think about it, I don't remember my dad ever taking a shot. He never played horse with us, he never jumped into a game.

Kaari 1:54

But here's something that surprised me.

Kaari 1:56

My dad did follow this podcast. He didn't exactly listen to the episodes. His hearing was pretty bad. But he read the transcripts.

Kaari 2:08

And now I find myself wishing I'd asked him more about basketball. Why he didn't come to my games. Whether he ever thought about playing with us in the driveway. He was almost 94 years old. And somehow I still thought we'd have more time.

Kaari 2:26

But maybe he didn't realize how much it would have meant to me to have him there. Maybe his work got in the way.

Kaari 2:34

I'll never know. And that part hurts.

Kaari 2:38

But what I'll hold on to is that basketball hoop in our driveway.

Kaari 2:44

Like I said, my dad dug that hole, planted the pole, and built something that never moved. My brother and I slammed into it hundreds of times.

Kaari 2:53

It never wavered.

Kaari 2:55

Kind of like my dad.

Kaari 2:58

Rest in peace, Pops.

Kaari 3:03

So yeah, it's been a heavy few weeks.

Kaari 3:07

But one thing I know is that sports have this way of pulling us back into the present. They give us something to cheer for, something to argue about, something to care about when the rest of life feels a little upside down.

Kaari 3:21

And right now, the basketball world is entering its most chaotic, glorious time of the year. March madness, baby!

Kaari 3:31

So today's episode is going to get us back into the swing of things.

Kaari 3:36

We'll talk about the madness of the NCAA tournament. I'll give a quick update on where things stand with the WNBA's CBA negotiations. We've got a listener question about how tournament brackets are actually put together. And of course, we'll wrap things up with the awards section.

Kaari 3:56

Oh, and one more thing. March also means that I've been doing this podcast for a full year. So this episode, number 20, is the first episode of season two.

Kaari 4:09

Thank you from the bottom of my basketball heart for listening and supporting this podcast.

Kaari 4:15

Now let's tip it off.

Kaari 4:20

And now a quick update on the CBA. Big news out of New York City this morning. The WNBA collective bargaining negotiations have finally wrapped. After more than 17 months of negotiations and over 100 hours of marathon sessions just last week, the league and the players union have reached a tentative verbal agreement on a new CBA.

Kaari 4:44

This means that a deal is in place and the 2026 season is on track to start on time. Now it still needs to be formally approved, but the hardest part is done. And this deal is being described as transformational. So let's talk about what actually changed.

Kaari 5:02

First, salaries are increasing big time. The salary cap is jumping from $1.5 million to $7 million. Average salaries go up from about $120K to around $600K. The supermax salary jumps to about $1.4 million, and even minimum salaries are expected to exceed $300,000. This is a gigantic shift in how WMBA players are paid.

Kaari 5:32

Second, there's real revenue sharing. Players are set to receive close to 20% of league revenue over the life of the deal. And remember, this was a central issue. The players have been pushing for a system that ties their pay to the league's growth. This gets them much closer to that.

Kaari 5:53

Third, quality of life improvements. We're talking housing, retirement benefits, parental leave, all improving. You may remember that we've covered this before on her game Her Voice, the fact that for WNBA players, these things aren't extras or nice to haves. They are foundational to what it means to play in this league.

Kaari 6:17

Now here's where it gets interesting. Even with a deal in place, the WNBA is heading into what might be the most compressed off-season in league history. Training camp is still expected to open April 19th, and the 2026 season tips off on May 8th. Between now and May 8th, a lot has to happen and quickly.

Kaari 7:09

This means that teams may have just days, not weeks, to make roster decisions that usually shape entire seasons.

Kaari 7:17

What could possibly go wrong?

Kaari 7:21

Let's zoom out for a second. This deal doesn't just avoid a strike. It doesn't just save the season. It resets the business of the WNBA.

Kaari 7:31

For the first time, player pay is meaningfully tied to the league's growth at a moment when that growth is very real. And honestly, this is what those marathon negotiation sessions were all about. Not just getting a deal done, but getting the right deal done.

Kaari 7:51

Because the players weren't just negotiating for this season, they were negotiating for what they want the WNBA to look like in the future.

Kaari 7:59

Congrats to the league and the players for finally hammering out a deal that is a big win for players.

Kaari 8:09

And now it's time for our listener question. This one comes from Matt in Canton, Ohio.

Kaari 8:16

Matt, your timing is extraordinary. You asked, how does the NCAA actually decide who gets which seed in March Madness?

Kaari 8:26

So let's break it down because seeding is the backbone of the entire bracket system.

Kaari 8:33

So first of all, what is a seed and why should you care?

Kaari 8:39

Think of seeding as the NCAA's way of organizing chaos. It's how they try, and I said try, to make the tournament fair, competitive, and yes, dramatic. In simple terms, seeding is ranking teams, then placing them in the bracket so the best teams don't knock each other out too early.

Kaari 9:03

That's why you'll see things like a one plays a 16 and a two plays a 15, and so on.

Kaari 9:11

The idea is that the strongest teams on paper get a smoother path early, so the biggest matchups will happen later in the tournament.

Kaari 9:22

And fun fact, this whole idea of seeding comes from tennis. Like planting seeds in a garden, you're spreading the best teams across the bracket, not clumping them together.

Kaari 9:35

Oh, okay.

Kaari 9:36

So what does the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee actually look at?

Kaari 9:41

Well, they're evaluating things like wins and losses, strength of schedule, aka, what other teams did you play during the regular season, big wins against top teams, and overall performance across the season.

Kaari 9:57

Then they rank everyone and plant them, see what I did there, into the bracket from one to 16. And it's important to remember that seeding is about expectation, not destiny.

Kaari 10:12

And this is where it gets fun for all of us filling out our brackets.

Kaari 10:16

Because every March, some of those carefully planted seeds don't grow. Some of them get absolutely steamrolled.

Kaari 10:26

So, in essence, seeding sets the stage. But the madness of March is what flips the script and ruins your bracket before the weekend is over.

Kaari 10:36

Thanks for the question, Matt.

Kaari 10:38

If you have a question for me, send it to host at her gamehervoice.com.

Kaari 10:46

And now it's time for the awards.

Kaari 10:51

First up, the Buzzer Beater Award.

Kaari 10:54

This week's Buzzer Beater Award goes to Coach Cori Close and the UCLA Bruins. The Bruins capped off a dominant Big Ten tournament run with a huge win over Iowa. Final score 96 to 45.

Kaari 11:10

This secured back-to-back conference tournament titles for the Bruins.

Kaari 11:14

That victory also extended their conference winning streak to 24 games and locked in a number one seed for the NCAA tournament's Sacramento region.

Kaari 11:26

If you haven't watched UCLA play yet, now is the time. This is a true team first squad, balanced, unselfish, and deep. From Lauren Betts to Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jacques, Charlisse Leger-Walker, the talent just keeps coming. Starters, bench, they've got it all.

Kaari 11:47

Congrats to the Bruins and good luck in the tournament. I'll be rooting for you.

Kaari 11:54

And now the Airball Award.

Kaari 11:58

This week's Airball Award goes to my beloved Stanford Women's Basketball.

Kaari 12:04

Wait, what?

Kaari 12:05

And believe me, this one hurts. You all know that I am fiercely loyal when it comes to the Cardinal, but I have to call it like I see it.

Kaari 12:14

For the second year in a row, we, yes, we, are on the outside of the NCAA tournament looking in.

Kaari 12:23

And the tough part is this wasn't supposed to happen.

Kaari 12:27

Earlier this season, analysts placed Stanford comfortably in the big dance. A seven or eight seed, not too shabby. But then injuries hit, road losses piled up, and just like that, we went from in to on the bubble.

Kaari 12:43

And if you're on the bubble, you're living dangerously.

Kaari 12:46

Then came the ACC tournament. A hard-fought game against Miami goes into overtime. And then we lost. And that loss was it. That was the moment. That was the airball.

Kaari 13:01

No NCAA bid again. We were so close and just couldn't finish.

Kaari 13:07

Side note, Stanford did get an invite to the WBIT. So don't worry. I'll still be watching, still cheering, and still emotionally invested like it's March Madness.

Kaari 13:18

Because once you love a team and a program the way I love Stanford, there is no turning it off.

Kaari 13:25

And finally, the flagrant foul award.

Kaari 13:30

This week's award goes to Coach Kim Caldwell of Tennessee.

Kaari 13:34

On senior night, fifth-year senior Kaiya Wynne, who stayed through coaching changes, injuries, and everything, wasn't honored until there were just 15 seconds left in the game. 15 seconds.

Kaari 13:47

So Kaiya chose not to check in. And later she resigned from the team.

Kaari 13:53

Now leaving before March Madness, that's complicated, and I have thoughts about that.

Kaari 13:58

But here's what's not complicated. Kaiya deserved better.

Kaari 14:02

As Ros Gold Onwude said, this was a moment where the human side of coaching got lost.

Kaari 14:09

Because senior night isn't about strategy — it's about people.

Kaari 14:14

And 15 seconds is not recognition. It's an afterthought.

Kaari 14:19

Congratulations on your flagrant foul award, Coach Caldwell.

Kaari 14:26

I'm Kaari Peterson, and you've been listening to Her Game Her Voice.

Kaari 14:30

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Kaari 14:31

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Kaari 14:36

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Kaari 14:38

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Kaari 14:43

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Kaari 14:48

Thanks for listening and happy hoopin'.