Is A Hot Dog A Sandwich? And theyre not done. However, due to aspects such as entertainment value and . Are there men that cook well and deal with kids well? What many of the women are asking for is equity in revenue sharing, as economist David Berri has written about repeatedly at Forbes. So why are we getting paid so little? Basketball. about what they have said to make them seem petty or jealous. From 2014 to 2017, Cambage competed in China and her native Australia. Seriously, not a single person. We feel strongly that if it hadnt been for our consistent advocacy, the WSL would not have made that announcement, Brennan told ESPN. Kelseys been in the WNBA for 5 seasons with a career average of 12.4ppg but she put up an average of 20.2 points/game in the 2022 season. Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray, Twitter Bans Sen. 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In addition to the comments from Plum, A'Ja Wilson and Diana Taurasi recently argued WNBA players should be paid more. Following the success of the 2014 Pride Campaign, the league has continued to reach out to gay fans, promoting stories about their LGBT players, and offering special merchandise for Pride Month and Pride Night games. Plenty of signs indicate that will happen, and it should. Some would say that the WNBA should be able to pay their players more because there are only 12 teams, compared to the NBA with 30 teams. Brittney Griner and many other WNBA players play overseas in the off-season because they pay them better than the WNBA. You get paid 10 times as much, which is about $500k. Sue Bird once said, We dont need anybody to feel bad or have sympathy for us. It is very clear why NBA players make more money than WNBA players they simply generate more revenue. However, WNBA players push for more ESPN and media coverage. It doesnt have to be the same as men at all. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. The more money that women make, the more respect they will get. Meanwhile, High Post Hoops reports that the highest paid player in the WNBA -- Chiney Ogwumike of the Connecticut Sun -- is paid $117,500 this year. Here are three arguments of which you may not have thought. The women of the WNBA are simply seeking the recognition they deserve for their performances. This will never happen simply because the WNBA cant make the money to pay their players just as much money. The success of this campaign resulted in the WNBA being the first pro league to take part in the NYC Pride Parade in 2016. Speci cally, I nd that WNBA rookies are generally overpaid given their on-court production. In other words, if the WNBA doesnt figure this out, players are going to opt out of the league. Basketball is a game of athleticism and skill. This is a Gross difference between NBA organizations. She also said it would be a letdown of all the work the founders of the league put into it if the current players decided to forgo the league for increased earnings.. Ryan Rolls Over on Tucker Over Fox News Content, We Need to Talk About Mark Levin's Interview With Ron DeSantis, MONDAY AT 3PM EASTERN: 'Five O'Clock Somewhere' with Kruiser, VodkaPundit - Replay Available, LOL: White House Official Shares Tweet From Biden Showered With His Daughter, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. In fact, theWNBAs big television contractwas itself a byproduct of the channelreworking its agreement with their male counterpart. 154M. Compared to the average salary of $7 million in the NBA, this seems outrageous. If that is so then why can Russia and Europe and China pay them well? Until they get it, some of the worlds best female basketball players will be walking off of planes and onto courts as they meet the demands of a year-round basketball schedule. This years Womens NCAA Championship managed3.5 million viewers on ESPN this year down 9 percent from 2017. Many. Sue Bird clarified that she doesn't think WNBA players "should get the same money as NBA players" in an interview with Adam Ray on his "About Last Night Podcast." The WNBA legend said people "think we think that when we say things like 'We want equality,'" but that, in actuality, she and her colleagues want "the same . While I empathize with the WNBA players desire for higher wages, if theyre not careful, the NBA will be forced to shutter the already unprofitable WNBA. "And we need more people at our table to fight with us," she told Wealthsimple. Is it possible, however, that this simply shows an inherent sexist bias by consumers against womens basketball? How are you supposed to get nice equipment when you dont have the money to pay for it. Organizing and negotiating prompted that viable business. Unfortunately the blame the patriarchy narrative doesnt hold up when you compare theWNBAto the college game. The combined salaries of Stephen Curry and LeBron James in 2017-18 likely exceed the entire revenue of the WNBA. are vocal in their support of the womens league because of the quality of play and because they understand the hard work these women put into their game. which tips off later this week in Tenerife, with the final on Sept. 30. will be spending a significant chunk of their year overseas playing on professional teams and in leagues in order to supplement their WNBA income. He talks about how womens basketball is his favorite thing to watch because of the way we play the game and work together. This topic is brought up at least every year, and nothing has changed. Instead of grumbling about the salaries male basketball players enjoy, perhaps Aja Wilson should be thankful theirproduct helps bolster her own paycheck. Read about a Freshman's upcoming book (Here), Read about The Pines coming to Bellwood (Here), Read about the NHS Easter egg hunt (Here), Light It Up Blue BluePrints Autism Awareness Initiative. In a perfect world, yes, yes they absolutely should. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I cant even mention 5 players in the WNBA or tell you the winners of the last 3 finals. In essence, the owners arent making money off the league. He attended two games with the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Suns. Athletes have short careers. This year, the WNBA gave companies the opportunity to sponsor a second jersey patch, while offering sponsors the chance to include a logo on the court during games that dont air on ESPN. The move was controversial at the time given all major sport leagues in the U.S. had previously opted to keep jerseys free of advertisements but the NBA followed their lead in 2017. As a result, the WNBA is a little short on cash. The WNBA will suffer if they dont figure out some way to pay players more. INFO What are differences that cause WNBA players to get paid Are. WWE Insider Says Yes, recently made this observation on Twitter about pay in the WNBA, but Yahoo.com reported a few years ago that salaries range from $150,000 to $550,000, there's still a substantial gender wage gap in professional basketball, but given the league's minimum ticket prices, average attendance, and the value of its ESPN television deal it appears revenue was at least $51.5 million in 2017, it has been reported that average salary is about $75,000, The methodology used to measure exploitation in college basketball, wins produced can be measured with the player's box score statistics, It has been reported that more than 60% of the WNBA's players play in a league outside the United States when the WNBA season ends. They make it to the WC and have to split the revenue with the womens soccer team. With a net worth estimated to be somewhere between $5 million and $17 million dollars, Brittney Griner might be the highest paid female basketball ever. The financial disparities between the leagues are undeniable. All rights reserved. Better cooks etc. We over here looking for a [million] but Lord, let me get back in my lane. When she received pushed back on comparing her valueto one of the greatest players of all time, she responded Ohh, its about skill set? It all has . That same year, however, only 2 percent of airtime on the stations flagship show, SportsCenter, was allocated to womens sports. Nows a good time for players to advocate for themselves because the product in the WNBA has never been better. That being said -- in response to Cambages' comment -- the WNBA does appear to have enough money to pay its top players as well as an NBA referee. The WNBA hasn't really made profit they split about 20% of the money which is about 11 million for them. So we need a change, and we need it now. After all, theWNBAis subsidized by the NBA in a variety of ways, including by direct financial support, free publicity, and the fact that manyWNBAfranchises are owned by the citys NBA owner. However, in the 1971-1972 season the year the NBA started drawing the same number of fans that the WNBA attracts today the average salary was $90,000, which would equate to roughly $500,000 today. It is simply because the WNBA is not as good as the NBA and you cant get viewers when there is a better alternative. After they won the World Cup in 2015, it was revealed that the US women's team were paid a . "The International Cricket Council funded all the men's teams to fly business class but, only paid for the women's teams to fly economy class" (Wigmore). , in large part, for the financial security it provides. When it comes to me and my opinions, I strongly believe women should be paid the same amount as men maybe even more. The WNBA has also been eager to experiment with social media and new streaming platforms to connect with fans. WNBA players typically share less than half of the team revenue received by NBA players, according to Ebony. And for the first time, gamers could play with WNBA players in NBA Live 18. The 5th ranked NBA player makes over 42 million. NBA players are taller, more athletic, and simply play the game with more aggression. We are just asking for it to be fair and for us to get the pay we deserve. However, 48 million dollars per year is more than enough for me. . If the WNBA doesnt figure this out, players are going to opt out of the league. Giving the WNBA time on TV means casual fans can see the players doing what they do best stealing the show. You can pay your athletes more if they actually bring in the revenue for you to pay them with. Currently, the NBA pays its players 50 percent of its total revenue. Note: This piece has been updated with a response from the WNBA indicating that the league does share its financials with the players union. As Phoenix Mercurys Brittney Griner wrote on Instagram earlier this year, I do believe we should get paid more in the WNBA before players decide to only play overseas and rest our bodies during the summer.. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Doppler, the mascot of the Seattle Storm, waves a rainbow gay pride flag before the start of a game. Before winning a historic gold medal in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games, the U.S. Womens National Ice Hockey Team was battling off the ice for equal pay. Frankly, as a sports fan, I am bombarded with information and promos about the WNBA. In her defense, Wilson is a 21-year-old athlete who probably hasnt thought a great deal about economics. In the offseason, almost every WNBA member plays overseas, where they can make up to 10 times their normal WNBA salary. , WNBA players make $75,000 a year in the league, with only a few players earning as much as $113,000. She was returning to Russia to fulfill her contractual obligations to her Russian Team. Currently,. It felt like, According to the WNBA, this was most-watched regular season since 2014, with viewership across ESPN networks and NBA TV up by 31 percent. And shes not arguing they deserve NBA-sized salaries. There is no difference between the girls college tournament and the WNBA. But in terms of pay, it definitely is not. Thats why most women play their time in the league rather than right after they play overseas, so its a year-round thing. WNBA players, who continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the league, also have been outspoken about the wage gap between their pay and that of the men's teams. 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