The WNBPA was wise to opt out of CBA after breakthrough season

The announcement came just one day after the New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx to bring the WNBA Championship home to the Big Apple. The Game 5 clincher capped a breakthrough season for the league in fitting fashion.

Ratings for the WNBA Finals were up more than 140 percent from the previous year, according to Yahoo Sports. Earlier in the postseason, hotshot Indiana Fever rookie and No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark drew a record 2.5 million viewers for Game 2 of a first-round matchup with the Connecticut Sun. 

Players have seen an uptick in endorsement deals through the year (perhaps none bigger than Clark's Nike contract). And, looking forward, the WNBA is expanding rapidly with teams from Portland, Toronto and California set to join the league over the next two years.

With this newfound success, it makes sense for the WNBPA to rally for a new contract — one that covers increased player salaries, retirement benefits, pregnancy and family planning benefits, alongside an equity model for superstar players. 

The league already landed a new media deal in July for around $200 million annually with Disney, Amazon Prime, and NBC. Now, the WNBPA wants a CBA to match the league's growing audience.

There should be no reason why Angel Reese has to give an interview in which she reveals that the WNBA "don't pay her bills," especially when Reese's male counterparts are already making millions in salary as rookies.

Asking for a fair wage is, indeed, not too much to ask.