The WNBA's new TV deal pays $281M/yr. The old one paid $43M. Same league. 6.5x more money. Here's what changed, what it means for players, and why the Fever are now worth $560 million. Link in the comments.
#TheCapSheet#WNBA
WNBA TV deal: $281M/yr. Total salary cap per roster: $7M. Max player salary: $1.4M. Clark made $85K in 2024 while helping build a $2.2B rights package. New CBA raised salaries 5x. The gap is smaller. It's still a gap. Link in comments.
#TheCapSheet#WNBA
Indiana Fever: $560M. NY Liberty: $600M. Average WNBA franchise up 183% in one year. Home attendance went from 4,000 to 17,000 per game. This is what demand does to asset values. Link in the comments section. #TheCapSheet#WNBA
WNBA viewership by year: 2023 — 462K avg. 2024 — 1.3M avg (3x jump). 2026 — individual games hitting 2.5M+. Every Fever game is now on national TV. First in league history. Networks don't do favors. Link in comments.
#TheCapSheet#WNBA
The WNBA's new TV deal pays $281M/yr. The old one paid $43M. That 6.5x jump is the story. But the real question is whether the players will ever catch up to the revenue they are generating. Full breakdown in today's newsletter. Link in the comments.
#TheCapSheet#WNBA
The WNBA's new TV deal pays $281M/yr. The old one paid $43M. Same league. 6.5x more money. Here's what changed, what it means for players, and why the Fever are now worth $560 million. Link in the comments.
#TheCapSheet#WNBA
FIFA made $3.92 billion on 2026 World Cup broadcast rights. A 30-second Fox ad costs up to $300K. Hydration breaks in the US alone could generate $250M in ad revenue. Player welfare and protecting a billion-dollar ad stream are the same decision.
#TheCapSheet#WorldCup2026
Caitlin Clark's 2024 WNBA salary: $85,000. Her jersey rank that year: #2 in all sports, behind only Steph Curry. WNBA merch jumped 236%. The new CBA raised max salary to $1.4M. The league caught up slowly.
https://t.co/VG2gHKQZdt
#TheCapSheet#WNBA
The WNBA's new TV deal: $3.1 billion. 7 partners. 11 years. The entire league was valued at under $200M five years ago. The media deal alone is now worth more than the whole league used to be.
https://t.co/DuOfCOb1sc
#TheCapSheet#WNBA
Everyone covers World Cup prize money. Almost nobody covers the $355M FIFA pays clubs. It compensates clubs for releasing players, ~$5,000 per player per day. In 2026, $100M covers qualifying too.
https://t.co/s2sF5ktETi
#WorldCup2026#SportsBusiness
A center back went to the 2022 World Cup worth ~$19M and left worth ~$98M. Joško Gvardiol anchored Croatia to 3rd. Man City then paid a record defender fee. The stage makes the price.
https://t.co/N0Drndxp57
#WorldCup2026#SportsBusiness
The bigger World Cup is a bigger gamble for players. 48 teams, 104 matches, 8 games for a finalist. More exposure, more value, more risk. FIFPRO: 55% of pros blame congestion for an injury.
https://t.co/7q87C12roz
#WorldCup2026#SportsBusiness
Every team at the 2026 World Cup is guaranteed $10.5M before kickoff. $1.5M prep + $9M minimum prize. Pool: $655M, up 50% from Qatar. Champion takes $50M. For some federations, that's a full year's budget.
https://t.co/rxs0VDAhrd
#WorldCup2026#SportsBusiness
A World Cup can turn a $10M player into a $121M one in six months. Enzo Fernández is the proof. New piece: why the 2026 World Cup is the biggest scouting event on earth, and what it means for players.
https://t.co/T2xpD7O18e
#WorldCup2026#SportsBusiness#WorldCup
In summer 2022, Benfica signed Enzo Fernández for ~$10M. 6 months and one World Cup later: Chelsea paid $121M. New longform on how the World Cup reprices players, and what the 48-team 2026 edition changes.
https://t.co/UtWeHF6gXq
#WorldCup2026#SportsBusiness
FIFA is paying clubs $355M at the 2026 World Cup, for players they can't use while they're gone. The Club Benefits Programme: ~$5,000 per player, per day. Up ~70%. $250M finals. $100M qualifying.
https://t.co/HQvzvycaE0
#WorldCup2026#SportsBusiness