Women’s sports are lucrative, but when will pay catch up with performance?

It’s no longer news that women’s sports is becoming an increasingly lucrative industry. 

There is more investment, better coverage, and bigger audiences than ever before. As a result, players' unions across the board are pushing for higher pay, as well as improved benefits and working conditions. 

Following the WNBA’s newest collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed in March, players now have access to paid maternity leave, childcare support, and monthly housing stipends. The salary cap for the 2026 season is $7 million US, almost five times more than the $1.5 million cap in 2025. 

The NWSL’s CBA, which runs through 2030, includes salary cap increases up to $5.1 million, along with paid pregnancy and parental leave.

Meanwhile, the PWHL guarantees minimum base salaries for all players, monthly housing stipends, and no maximum salaries for players. Each team must meet an average annual salary number.

When the league’s players’ association released its salaries, however, many were quick to point out the disparity between the league’s top earners compared to the highest paid players in the NHL. 

For instance, Montreal Victoire star Marie-Philip Poulin's salary was $110,216 during the 2025-26 season. Auston Matthews, conversely, is entering the third of a four-year, $53 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

But it’s important to point out that the PWHL doesn’t have a major U.S. TV deal. The league has expanded quickly — up to 12 teams — with the hope of securing that deal, and eventually, turning a profit. 

NHL owners share billions from the TV deals they signed with ESPN, TNT and Rogers. The revenue from those contracts are put into the league’s Hockey Related Revenue (HRR), which the players and owners divide