Managing Director Allan Ingraham was featured in a recent article in The Boston Globe providing economic analysis of WNBA player compensation and demonstrating that players are significantly underpaid relative to the league’s current market value.

Through an economist’s lens, Allan examined WNBA salaries three ways—based on the media rights deal, team valuations, and revenue split. Each analysis revealed that players were being paid far less than fair market value. The average WNBA salary last season was $107,000, but Allan’s analysis shows it should be no less than $750,000.

“In the last five years, we’ve seen exponential growth in the value of the WNBA,” Allan explained. “There’s been exponentially more interest. There’s been more fans, there’s been more revenues, and… that growth occurred largely under one CBA that didn’t necessarily anticipate the growth.”

Allan noted that WNBA team valuations have soared to a combined $3.6 billion, and expansion franchises are now valued at $250 million. He emphasized that while jointly negotiating media rights deals with the NBA has provided benefits, it has also undervalued player salaries. Looking ahead, Allan stressed the importance of future agreements that can anticipate continued growth.

“A correction likely needs to be made. And then going forward, one of the things that [we] will be looking for is how subsequent CBAs try to anticipate the future growth in league revenues under future CBAs.”

Read Allan’s full analysis in The Boston Globe here (subscription required).