National Women's Soccer League veteran Midge Purce has openly praised the unshakeable player solidarity that led to the WNBA's new seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement that runs through 2032, saying she was "envious." This comes after the WNBA and the WNBPA signed the new CBA deal, taking effect from this season.

Appearing on the latest episode of the Portfolio Players podcast of Front Office Sports, the two-time NWSL champion bared her soul regarding the deep contrasts between the two sports' domestic player unions following the official ratification of the WNBA's deal on May 22, 2026.

"I was envious, but not for the reason you think," Purce said. "I was so happy and proud that they accomplished their goal and they stuck to their guns. I actually wish that in my sport, we were more unified in saying, "We're not going to do this. We don't need to play. We have leverage."

Purce said that the WNBA players are united when it comes to standing up against what they don't want. She wished that NWSL players were also this unified to take a stand for themselves.

"There's a choice. Every no is a yes, every yes is a no," She further elaborated. "And I think our league and the players in my league could really learn from just acknowledging that we don't there's nothing that we actually have to do."

WNBA players' unity was evident back in July, 2025, when they wore "Pay us what you owe us" T-shirts during the warm-up for the 2025 All-Star Game.

Toronto Tempo veteran Brittney Sykes, who then played for the Washington Mystics, was also seen holding a sign that read, "Pay the players."

But what all does the WNBA provide to its players via the new CBA deal?

Unpacking the Real Financial Metrics of the WNBA's New CBA Deal

The deal that the WNBA and the WNBPA signed has upgraded the perks for the WNBA players by a huge margin.

First, the salary cap has risen from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7.0 Million in 2026.

Also, the Year-One Maximum contract has increased to $1.4 million, and the average salaries now exceed $583,000.

Moreover, the cap figure has the potential to increase to $10 million, depending on future revenue.

Along with that, housing will now be provided for the first three years of the CBA deal for all the players. But not only that, players who are retired will also get benefits from this new CBA.

Retired athletes will receive automatic bonuses of $30,000 for five to seven years of experience, $50,000 for eight to eleven years, and a permanent $100,000 for twelve or more years. MVPs are eligible for the $100,000 payout regardless of tenure.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Koushik Biswas