On the day the 2024-2025 NBA season opened, WNBA players took their first step to becoming a big-time basketball league like their male counterparts.

As expected, the WNBA players’ union has opted out of its current collective bargaining agreement two years before it expires. The move comes after a year of unprecedented growth, primarily thanks to rookie sensation Caitlin Clark.

Record attendance throughout the league, skyrocketing merchandise sales, a new $2.2 billion television rights deal, increased ratings, and future expansion have added to the league’s bottom line. The players want their cut despite the league expecting to lose an estimated $40 to $50 million this year.

“This is a defining moment not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” union president Nneka Ogwumike said on Monday. “The world has evolved since 2020 and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind. This is a new era and we are ready to lead transformation change.”

The women’s players union is comprised of WNBA players and is governed by an executive committee and player representatives from each WNBA team. Players want to increase their salaries based on the increased revenue the league is generating.  According to ESPN, the current average salary in the WNBA is $147,745 with rookies earning an estimated $76,000 in salary. The maximum WNBA salary is $241,984 for 2024. Each team operates with a hard cap of $1,463,200 for 2024.

Expect the cap to increase, but don’t expect the salaries or other benefits to make a dramatic jump. The first goal is to make the league self-sustaining. The NBA reportedly owns about 60 percent of the WNBA and has carried the league since its inception in 1996. Losing millions each year has been a consistent reality.

Now it’s time for the WNBA to grow up a bit and stop acting like a small-time operation. Salaries aren’t the only thing that needs improving. The attention Ms. Clark brought to the WMBA also exposed its shortcomings from player salaries to pettiness and jealousy to sketchy leadership and shoddy officiating.

The most glaring not-ready for the big-time moment came after Sunday’s championship game when the losing coach essentially accused the officials of cheating.

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was upset after her team shot just eight free throws compared to 25 for New York Liberty, which won the fifth and deciding game, 67-62 in overtime at Barclays Center. Instead of congratulating the victors and taking the high road, she used her post-game press conference to blast the officials, and say “The (expletive) was stolen from us.”

To make matters worse, Ms. Reeve, who coached the Lynx to four championships and is a four-time Coach of the Year, mocked the Liberty’s first championship by saying, “It took them 28 years, congrats to them. We were close to our 5^th.”

The decorated coach seemed irritated by the attention Mr. Clark received after becoming the No.1 overall draft pick of the Indiana Fever.  Before the season began, Ms. Reeve posted a tweet that included:  “The W is more than one player.”

Later Ms. Reeve, who coached the women’s USA Team to the gold medal at Paris, refused to discuss Ms. Clark being left off the squad.

In the face of record-breaking attendance, Ms. Reeve offered a soft compliment of Ms. Clark’s impact during a press conference on Tuesday. “To see it actually translate business-wise across the league whatever the reasons were, I think the movement that we’re in now is exciting,” she said.

Let’s see if Commissioner Cathy Engelbert keeps her job or becomes a better leader. She fueled conspiracy theorists that the fix was in for the Liberty by wearing a tight-fitting dress featuring the New York City skyline to Sunday’s championship game.

Nobody in her office, nobody in her immediate circle, nobody she showed the dress to before wearing it, told her it might not be a good idea to wear the New York skyline to a championship game involving a New York team.

Imagine Roger Goodell showing up at the Super Bowl wearing a sports coach with the Golden Gate Bridge on it or a Sweat Shirt from Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque in Kansas City.

Ms. Engelbert has encouraged some smart moves. Private flights became available to all teams for the first time this season, which contributed to the $40 million in lost revenue. Marquee games involving Mr. Clark were moved to large arenas. To create immediate revenue, the regular season will expand from 40 to 44 games next year, the Finals will be a best-of-seven series instead of a best-of-five, and each team making the playoffs will play at least one game at home. The league is also expanding to Golden State in 2025 and Toronto and Portland the following year.

Opting out of an already obsolete collective bargaining agreement was a no-brainer. Players, owners, and league officials must now put their collective heads together and make the most of this opportunity. Other future stars like UConn’s Paige Bueckers will soon be in the league. It’s time to go from small-time to big-time.