, in large part, for the financial security it provides. Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. They deserve to be paid well. She is the second-highest-paid player on the team just behind Aja Wilson who earns $202,155. It is simply because the WNBA is not as good as the NBA and you cant get viewers when there is a better alternative. On a recent episode of ESPN's "The Jump," ex-NBA player Chauncy Billups and ex-NBA coach Stan Van Gundy said that they believe that WNBA players deserve to be paid more money. That is more than $92 million a year for the rights to televise the USGA's championships, including the men's and women's U.S. Many of the women dont get lucrative endorsements, and getting into broadcasting or some other sports-adjacent field once they retire is not guaranteed. Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. Stats show that in 2018, the top scoring team in the WNBA . Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports. Here are three arguments of which you may not have thought. In a way, this strategy makes perfect sense. And while that's not a dollar amount to sniff at, these women only have so long to earn money off their . Three teams experienced double-digit growth: Attendance was up 17.8 percent for the Los Angeles Sparks, 15.3 percent for the Connecticut Sun and 12.3 percent for the Minnesota Lynx. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. Cant pay them the same as NBA players, thats just daylight fraud, Nate Jun 3, 2022 at 3:22 pm. Kelsey Plum currently makes $200,000/year as a point guard for the Las Vegas Aces. I have limited time and resources. The WNBA according to the league the WNBA has yet to make a profit.. Enough of this feminism and lets look at reality. And for the first time, gamers could play with WNBA players in NBA Live 18. The NBA player whose salary is closest . And shes not arguing they deserve NBA-sized salaries. Its not even because of skill it is simply because none of the girls could get a shot off at will. I don't want to get paid more overseas. Most people will say a lot of our income comes from the number of people we get at our games or maybe even the fact that we cant afford to have our games channelized on national TV. Britney Griner at 68 does nothing but rim grazer dunks. This has ledDavid Berri ofForbesto argue that becauseWNBAsalaries make up less than a quarter of league revenue, as opposed to the NBAs 50 percent split, theWNBAis clearly exploiting their players. NBA players receive 50% of revenue while WNBA players receive 20%. However, the WNBA isnt even remotely close to the NBA. Yet, they still choose to play in the US because . Giving the WNBA time on TV means casual fans can see the players doing what they do best stealing the show. He talks about how womens basketball is his favorite thing to watch because of the way we play the game and work together. 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. Plenty of signs indicate that will happen, and it should. Yet, ESPN is constantly promoting the WNBA, as is their right. The highest-paid NBA players, by comparison, make in excess of $40. When it comes to others opinions, I feel as though we get picked on enough, and not getting paid fairly makes it even worse. And yet, they do it, in large part, for the financial security it provides. But the risk also offered reward: 15 million Americans self-identify as LGBTQ, and they represent a market segment worth around $830 million. We had incredibly thrilling semifinals series that went a full five games apiece. This is a BETA experience. well these wnba players are going on live tv saying they want a pay increase by comparing themselves to the nba salaries. This is a charge they have used on multiple detainees. The financial success of professional athletes has almost nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with the entertainment the public receives from it. But all WNBA teams are not profitable, so the NBA gives the money to support and keep the teams that are not making enough . I have zero doubt that one day she will prove herself worthy as an employee and that over time her compensation will match her production. However, 48 million dollars per year is more than enough for me. Sports are a revenue-driven industry! While the girls are skilled they are nowhere even close to the guys. James reportedly walked away with $370,000, while Bird only collected $11,356. LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in human history, but if his sport of choice generated the public interest the WNBA has, he would not be signing a $154 million dollar contract. Theyre making the most of it while they can. Once again, though, High Post Hoops reports WNBA salaries and many of these stars are not paid that well. However, you cannot have equal pay when you dont make enough money to have the same amount of pay. We need more businesses to sign women and trust them to support their brands. Gender wage disparity arguments are a great way to virtue signal. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images). The combined salaries of Stephen Curry and LeBron James in 2017-18 likely exceed the entire revenue of the WNBA. Founded by Billie Jean King. This lack of media coverage has always hampered womens sports. Those numbers are very surprising to hear but that is just the cold hard truth. They have higher travel expenses. The Players Association wants a higher share of the estimated basketball-related income (EBRI). What would Cambage and other WNBA stars be paid this year if the league gave 50% of its revenue to its players? Player's salaries in the NWSL range from about $16,000 to $46,000 annually, according to NPR. Read More . On a recent episode of ESPNs The Jump, ex-NBA player Chauncy Billups and ex-NBA coach Stan Van Gundy said that they believe that WNBA players deserve to be paid more money. Therefore no one watches it, on the other hand, NBA generates more revenue of $7.92 billion per year than the WNBA. Sports have long mirrored society, and the gender pay gap has persisted in athletics just as it has in the professional realm. 53 points is something that happens every week in the NBA and they have guys that are 66 to 69 guarding them. 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, due to aspects such as entertainment value and . 154M. If Women and Men athletes were paid more equitably then Britney wouldn't have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. They go through and make the same sacrifices as men to get what they want. World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic says male tennis players deserve more money because the spectators love them more, and Indian Wells tournament ex-CEO Raymond Moore astutely observed the women's tour rides "on the coat-tails of the men". Berri points out that Major League Baseball players were underpaid until, behind Marvin Miller, they built the strongest union in sports. We are just asking for it to be fair and for us to get the pay we deserve. Women athletes should be paid the same as men athletes. Of course, they won't talk about how the stadiums are empty and nobody cares. There is no difference between the girls college tournament and the WNBA. The WNBA will never take viewers from the NBA either. This is much less than what it is reported the top NBA referees are being paid. Hammon has earned $1 million with the Aces after leaving her past job as a coaching assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, making her the highest paid person in the WNBA league. It is simply because the WNBA is not as good as the NBA and you cant get viewers when there is a better alternative. Every once in a while, you'll get someone who claims WNBA players should be paid like LeBron James and other elite NBA talent. You can make a case that WNBA players could be paid more, but some people are making an argument that they should be paid the same, or at least similarly. Ninety-five percent or higher of sports media content is focused on men, even though women make up 40 percent of all sports participants. WNBA players arent asking to be paid on par with their NBA counterparts. The success of this campaign resulted in the WNBA being the first pro league to take part in the NYC Pride Parade in 2016. The latest example of this economic fallacy emerged when Aja Wilson of theWNBAs Las Vegas Acestook to Twitter to pokeLeBronJamessnew contract with the Las AngelesLakers. The segment came on the heels of the WNBA Players Association telling the league that they are opting out of the current collective bargaining agreement. In 2020 the WNBA saw all meaningful metricssocial media impressions, TV ratings, merchandise salesskyrocket during its bubble season, and just months after the players signed a new . Playing overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia can often pay substantially more than playing in the United States. BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. I can't even fathom why anyone would need to be paid $42 million while other players of the same talent would be paid so much less. However, if NBA wanted to pay WNBA players more wages and salaries . Until then, women basketball players should perhaps look for markets that place greater value on their skill. Equal pay is an ongoing gender issue in sports. In 2017, the team threatened to boycott the 2017 IIHF World Championships if a settlement was not made with USA Hockey for equal treatment to the mens team. In order to make a living playing basketball, most WNBA players compete overseas during the offseason to supplement their WNBA income. According to the High Post Hoops data, Sylvia Fowles, Nneka Ogwumike, Sylar Diggins-Smith, Angel McCoughtry, Diana Taurasi, Dewanna Bonner, Elena Delle Donne, and Chiney Ogwumike are all paid between $111,180 and $117,500. in fact the wnba takes home more money from their revenue than nba players. In 2014, the WNBA launched the first marketing campaign in professional sports to directly appeal to the LGBTQ market. Obviously, the players would want to receive a larger share of league revenue. The most points scored in an NBA game was 100 points and the most scored in a game was 53 points. The Women's National Basketball Association only generates $60 million per year. Bradley Beal, who is also a professional player who currently plays for the Washington Wizards, is always finding ways to support the Washington Mystics. Grls smh, Lucky Jan 30, 2022 at 3:54 pm, basketball girl Feb 11, 2022 at 10:43 am, Hayden Feb 18, 2022 at 1:56 pm, David Feb 23, 2022 at 9:15 am, Lmao everything he said or typed here were cold hard facts. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images). Ahead of the 2017 IIHF World Championships, after a yearlong battle, USA Hockey conceded to many of the players demands. By comparison, last years Professional Bowling League averaged650,000 viewers for ESPN. 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? In other words they would have to pay to play. Basketball is a game of athleticism and skill. 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 . NBA players are taller, more athletic, and simply play the game with more aggression. Its been brought to public attention that the girls basketball teams at the final four have lower grade weight rooms and have been mistreated in their bubble. And no one wants to see the WNBA die, least of all the players. All rights reserved. With top players earning more than $1 million nearly quadruple what they can make as a base salary in the WNBA Griner, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Jonquel Jones have been . And average pay in these leagues is at least three times the average pay in the WNBA. Thats why most women play their time in the league rather than right after they play overseas, so its a year-round thing. The WNBAs growing popularity has made pay equity a hot topic in the sport, and over the course of this season, several players have drawn attention to the issue. The NBA doesn't even do that much compared to other jobs and sports. She was returning to Russia to fulfill her contractual obligations to her Russian Team. Jahniya Marion is a Junior at Centreville High and enjoying her first year on the Journalism staff. Lebron James is 69 and 250 pounds of pure muscle and can jump 40 off the ground. If women are paid the same they will be treated the same. They should fight for it because theyve earned it. Lets look beyond skill and size. Sue Bird once said, We dont need anybody to feel bad or have sympathy for us. I know Mom just handed you a perfectly rectangular 14-by-8-by-5-inch box covered in brightly colored wrapping paper. It was, like, if you were a top player, no matter what you did, you were just going to make this one sum of money. 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. On average, WNBA players make $75,000 a year in the league, with only a few players earning as much as $113,000. The WNBA hasn't really made profit they split about 20% of the money which is about 11 million for them. While all four of the major Grand Slam tennis tournaments have awarded men and women equal prize money since 2007 when Wimbledon finally evened its pay gap, the games biggest female stars have not held back when it comes to speaking out about equal pay. Last year, Minnesota Lynxs Seimone Augustus told The Undefeated that the reasons players continue in the league is for history and for the future. The Long Fight for Pay Equality in Sports. She is also not the only one to skip a WNBA season. The average viewers on television was 171,000 in 2017 (2018 does appear to be higher averaging 266,300 viewers) WNBA plays 34 games in regular season. Prior to this season, Cambage last played in the WNBA in 2013. From 2014 to 2017, Cambage competed in China and her native Australia. That it might possibly contain some, oh I don't . 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. As The New York Timesreported in 2016,only half ofWNBAteams have managed to become profitable 20 years after the leagues founding. Snyder's success will hinge on getting through to them at a level that Lloyd Pierce never could and Nate McMillan managed for only a limited time. This year, all of the major professional sports leagues had a presence. A post shared by Kelsey Plum (@kelseyplum10). And Britney Griner, in an interview with Landon Buford, echoed the sentiment . Still, some believe there's no other way to explain the disparity than sexism. The league has more gay players and fans, percentage-wise, than any other major professional sport. The new CBA addresses this issue. We play as a team and, most importantly, we play off each other. For example some people think that women aren't good enough to get paid more because men are faster, stronger, and more athletic (www.cnn.com.girls basketball). The Boston Celtics player says men need to do more to support WNBA players in their fight for equal pay. What a laugh. This should not be tolerated. And I know you know what that box could have inside. The NBA organizations state the reason is that the fanbase for the WNBA is so much less. While the men are getting about half of the total money they help the NBA earn, the women are getting less than a fourth. It is very clear why NBA players make more money than WNBA players they simply generate more revenue. After winning in Indian Wells at the weekend, Djokovic said: "We have much more. That is 1 million in just a year, while for a regular season they get paid $400K in just a year. If Women and Men athletes were paid more equitably then Britney wouldn't . Although that's true, there's still a substantial gender wage gap in professional basketball, even after you adjust for the revenue difference. This should not be tolerated. The US women's soccer team has brought the conversation to the forefront over the last three years. Jessica Luther is a freelance journalist, an author and a co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down.. However, that is not going to happen. The team went on to earn the gold at the world championships, then captured its first Olympic gold in 20 years by defeating Team Canada in PyeongChang. And no one wants to see the WNBA die, least of all the players., The WNBA will suffer if they dont figure out some way to pay players more. The NBA makes a profit. WNBA Vs NBA Justeen Cooley Justeen Cooley Mrs.Gil English 9 January 6, 2017 WNBA Vs NBA Understanding how and why the NBA gets paid so much. INFO What are differences that cause WNBA players to get paid Are. 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. In fact, theWNBAs big television contractwas itself a byproduct of the channelreworking its agreement with their male counterpart. Liz Cambage, WNBA player for the Las Vegas Aces, spoke on how her head coach, Becky Hammon, is making 4 times her salary. I feel like were getting there.. It seems, though, that women have to do way more endorsements and more advertising than men, and we have to be more than basketball players. Is it possible, however, that this simply shows an inherent sexist bias by consumers against womens basketball? It is reported she was detained at the airport for possession of Cannabis oil or hashish oil the reports are conflicting. 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. Prior to that he served as Deputy Communications Director for the House Financial Services Committee under Rep. Spencer Bachus and Rep. Jeb Hensarling. This is Discrimination against women. Please everyone support our women athletes. According to a 2014 study by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, Women sports receive only 4 per cent of all . In addition, let's say all players in the WNBA -- regardless of productivity -- are guaranteed at least the league minimum; with whatever revenue that remains split among the players in terms of their positive contribution to team wins. So not only are the players taking home 30% less than their NBA counterparts its 20% of a much smaller pie. In 2014, ESPN paid the WNBA $17 million for broadcast rights. 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. 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. Which is kind of unbelievable, as WNBA All-Star point guard for the Dallas Wings, Skylar Diggins-Smith, put it recently: Before we even talk about base salary or anything like that, we dont even get paid the same percentage of the revenue that we bring in., Unfortunately, its not clear what the WNBAs exact revenue is, or individual teams, or their profits. Sue Bird is arguably the best player in the WNBA and Lebron James is the best player in the NBA so lets compare the two. For example, if a woman made an NBA team, then she should get paid commensurate to her position and contributions to her team. She told the reporter that she wants there to be something for future generations to aspire to. If the WNBA doesnt figure this out, players are going to opt out of the league. This years Womens NCAA Championship managed3.5 million viewers on ESPN this year down 9 percent from 2017. Organizing and negotiating prompted that viable business. Opinion: Race should not be considered in college admissions, Get a boost from the positives on climate change, OPINION: Stop corporate greed to end climate change, OPINION: Taylors killers should be fired, The Voice of the Bellwood-Antis Student Body, Your email address will not be published. We need a change, and we need people to support us in this change. Required fields are marked *. And yes, clearly the WNBA does not have enough revenue for its top players to be paid like similar top players in the NBA. Nobody has put any effort into making sure that women can at least get paid more than the amount we get. Basketball. Has the WNBA made profit? With this deadline looming, the players would be wise to take advantage of this opportunity and compel the league to come to the table with an offer commensurate to their worth. And access to comments for just $ 4/month to make a living playing,! 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