Former ESPN President Calls Out Complaining WNBA Owners Amid Player Pay Debate

Former ESPN President John Skipper made his thoughts on the WNBA pay debate clear.

Jul 19, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team Clark guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Team Collier guard Kelsey Plum (10) before the 2025 WNBA All Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The debate around WNBA player pay has raged since All-Star weekend. That is in large part due to the statement made by players with their "Pay Us What You Owe Us" shirts.

Of course, said shirts were a public negotiating tactic as the players and the league continue to go back and forth in attempting to come to an agreement on a new CBA. This has led to no shortage of opinions from pundits and fans alike, with the topic quickly becoming debate fodder.

The latest voice to weigh in is former ESPN President John Skipper. Skipper addressed the issue during a segment on Pable Torre's The Sporting Class series.

"It's the expectations of the players, with the short-sightedness of the establishment," Skipper stated—not mincing words in responding to the idea of a work stoppage.

"People are paying lots of money for valuations. And that's how the WNBA owners are going to eventually make money. So they're sitting there complaining about 'I lost 11 million dollars last year,' Boo-hoo," he added.

"There's not any poor guys that own teams, first of all. They are already getting 400, 500, 600 million dollar valuations. So they can lose 11 million dollars a year the way Mark Cuban did for a long time and still be in a revenue producing business. And that is buying your team, holding it and selling it for a huge multiple," Skipper concluded.

“I don’t have any concern for the billionaires who own teams and are losing pocket change on a WNBA team” - John Skipper

Things got just a bit heated as @DavidPSamson and @JohnSkipper broke down the great WNBA salary debate.@remymartinUS pic.twitter.com/oIxeoX9wFF

— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) August 1, 2025

WNBA Player Pay Debate Rages On

Skipper's stance was partly in response to reports that the WNBA continues to lose money. However, one missing bit of context there is that the new media rights deal the league executed has not gone into effect yet, and with that comes a big influx of cash.

Not to mention the point that was made about franchise value. WNBA team valuations have gone up significantly in recent times, which is likely a catalyst beyond adding more expansion franchises.

Removing the noise, the sticking point in negotiations will come down to player salary and revenue sharing. Caitlin Clark put it as simply as possible during All-Star media availability.

"We should be paid more, and hopefully that's the case moving forward, as the league continues to grow. That's something that's probably the most important thing that we're in the room advocating about," Clark said.

Caitlin Clark breaks WNBA CBA negotiations down to the simplest form pic.twitter.com/fbzG9Kfc0d

— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) July 19, 2025

After all, the bottomline is the bottomline. But until an agreement is reached between the players and the WNBA, opinions on player pay will continue to be shared.