Dawn Staley Urges NCAA to Renegotiate ESPN Deal Amid Soaring Popularity of Women’s Basketball
Dawn Staley, the legendary coach who redefined the standard for women’s basketball salaries by earning the same as South Carolina’s men’s coach, is now calling on the NCAA to do the same for women’s sports on the national stage.
During a recent book event in Columbia, Staley addressed a crowd and called for the NCAA and ESPN to revisit the eight-year media rights deal signed in January 2024. Her message was direct:
“We should get more money from ESPN,” Staley said. “We’re in a television deal. When we signed the deal three or four years ago, we weren’t where we are today. Let’s go back to the table and let’s talk about where we are today. Let’s negotiate in good faith.”
The current contract pays the NCAA about $115 million annually to broadcast 40 championship events. Of that total, $65 million per year is now allocated to women’s basketball tournament participants, thanks in part to Staley’s prior advocacy.
But as women’s college basketball continues to break records—even without Caitlin Clark—the numbers suggest the deal undervalues the sport. The 2025 national title game between South Carolina and UConn averaged 8.5 million viewers, a strong figure, yet significantly below the men’s game. However, the discrepancy in viewership doesn’t justify the massive gap in media rights value.
For comparison, CBS and TNT shell out $1.1 billion annually for the men’s NCAA Tournament. That’s nearly 1,700% more than what women’s basketball currently receives, despite the women’s final drawing only 212% fewer viewers than the men’s game.
“I want ESPN to step up to the plate,” Staley added. “Give us a little bit more, from [college] to the WNBA.”
Staley’s comments echo growing sentiment across the sport. Just days after the WNBA struck a new media rights deal projected at $200 million annually, Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller criticized the agreement, calling it a “lowball” offer and urging league officials to demand more.
“We need tough and fair negotiators and visionaries,” Miller said at a Phoenix All-Star Weekend press conference. “We need a bully behind the table who’s willing to say we’ll break up the pieces and go from there.”
Miller believes the WNBA’s true value is worth at least $100 million more than the reported figures. League commissioner Cathy Engelbert projected an additional $60 million in media rights revenue could be added as soon as next year, with ESPN among several broadcast partners.
Meanwhile, regular season women’s college basketball has also seen major growth. Networks like Fox, NBC, and ESPN have drawn significant viewership, though revenue from these conference-level deals rarely separates football from other sports. Staley believes women’s basketball deserves a bigger cut—and the viewership trends back her up.
As the college sports media landscape evolves, Dawn Staley’s call for renegotiation is gaining traction—not just as a demand for fairness, but as a business argument backed by numbers.
With viewership surging and cultural relevance growing, Staley isn’t just making noise—she’s making a case for real value in women’s sports.
