Of her teams fight for equal treatment, star forward Hilary Knight said: Were passionately pursuing something for the greater good.. A 47 point difference is absolutely terrible. We feel strongly that if it hadnt been for our consistent advocacy, the WSL would not have made that announcement, Brennan told ESPN. 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. Athletes have short careers. . These numbers are justified too. Mar 1, 2023. Some progress is being made. It is simply because the WNBA is not as good as the NBA and you cant get viewers when there is a better alternative. However, that is not going to happen. So yes, it appears NBA referees do make more than a WNBA player. The players are, though. must.be. She is also not the only one to skip a WNBA season. They deserve to be paid well. The financial disparities between the leagues are undeniable, and these women arent asking for the same multimillion-dollar salaries their male counterparts make (though that would be nice). The NBA's average attendance is 17,760, the WNBA's 6,535. Perhaps higher pay in the WNBA would keep stars like Cambage in the league. So much talent seems to go to waste because so many girls dont get drafted since theres not enough space in the league. Britney Griner was detained in Russia just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I don't want to get paid more overseas. I have gone back and forth on this issue and it saddens me that many women do not see it through the lenses of reality. 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 . Thats patronizing. The league average in 2022 is just $102,751 for WNBA players. I choose to ignore them and not attend the games because, to be blunt, the product isnt very good. Most men, of course, sign with brands or maybe even run their own. Women work hard to get what they dream of. you gotta take a breath, kid. How are you supposed to get nice equipment when you dont have the money to pay for it. Britney Griner as the 5th ranked WNBA player is paid 227 K by the WNBA. Which is kind of unbelievable, as WNBA All-Star point guard for the Dallas Wings, Skylar Diggins-Smith, : 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., its not clear what the WNBAs exact revenue is, or individual teams, or their profits. Undermining Berris position, though, is the simple observation that revenue is not the same as profit another measure by which theWNBAhasconsistently struggled. The WNBA might be the most boring form of basketball I have ever seen. Whining about some that is not withstanding the reality of the matter. Jahniya Marion is a Junior at Centreville High and enjoying her first year on the Journalism staff. Jon Jones Reacts To Islam Makhachev Declaring Himself The Best Fighter In The World, Shavkat Rakhmonov Reacts To ESPN/UFC Commentator Laura Sanko Thirsting Over Him In Viral Video, Jon Jones First Shirtless Pic At Heavyweight Before UFC 285 Goes Viral, Ja Morants Lawyer, Agent Threaten Legal Recourse For Defamatory Report From The Washington Post, Another Glitch In The Matrix Has Occurred As A Bird Is Filmed Motionless In Mid-Air, Bengals Exec Sends Harsh Wake-Up Call To Teams Sniffing Around Tee Higgins. The financial disparities between the leagues are undeniable. 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. This lack of media coverage has always hampered womens sports. What many of the women are asking for is equity in revenue sharing, as economist David Berri has written about repeatedly at Forbes. The US women's soccer team has brought the conversation to the forefront over the last three years. Those are honorable reasons to stick with the WNBA, but players shouldnt have to choose between these personal anchors to the league and their need to make a living. Last week, this exciting season of the WNBA ended after the Seattle Storm swept the Washington Mystics to win their third championship. The average womans salary year-round is approximately $200,000, while the average man earns $7.5 million or more. [B]ecause I heard a bench player gets paid more than nvm.. 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. 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. just youtube it its kind of their whole issue seeing nba players get paid multi million dollar contracts while they make 80-100k per year. Since the NBA formed the WNBA I can't see how they could not just pay the men less to pay the women more. NBA players receive 50% of revenue while WNBA players receive 20%. The WNBA has made strides to increase player salaries and find other waysto compensate players in the last CBA, which was ratified in 2020. They are often separated from their families and have to deal with the instability of uprooting their lives multiple times a year. It is important to note that the WNBA athletes are not asking for the multimillion dollar contracts that are prevalent in the NBA; they are simply asking for equity. Every once in a while, you'll get someone who claims WNBA players should be paid like LeBron James and other elite NBA talent. This year, all of the major professional sports leagues had a presence. Player's salaries in the NWSL range from about $16,000 to $46,000 annually, according to NPR. All Rights Reserved. What would Cambage and other WNBA stars be paid this year if the league gave 50% of its revenue to its players? Tho Bishop is an Assistant Editor for the Mises Wire. (For the record, I have seen WNBA games.). 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. All rights reserved. Elizabeth Cambage #8 of the Dallas Wings in action during a recent Dallas Wings Vs New York Liberty. [+] Prior to this season, Cambage last played in the WNBA in 2013. Unfortunately Wilsons thoughts reflecta growingtrend of sports commentarylooking at the plight of the underpaidWNBAplayer. While leading to the WNBA finals in a sell-out game, Kyle Lowry, Ja Morant, Ty Lue, Alvin Gentry, and Demarcus Cousins all attended the WNBA finals this year. In STEM areas, specifically math and computer programming, my daughter is as capable as (if not more capable than) her male peers. A post shared by Kelsey Plum (@kelseyplum10). You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images). Circling back to my claim that harping on gender wage-gap disparities potentially hinders my daughters earning potential, if employees are forced to pay everyone the same regardless of tenure, efficiency, and production, my daughter is going to see her future employment opportunities constrict. Ninety-five percent or higher of sports media content is focused on men, even though women make up 40 percent of all sports participants. As for the players, well, they deserve to be able to play the game they love (that theyre good at!) After they won the World Cup in 2015, it was revealed that the US women's team were paid a . We had incredibly thrilling semifinals series that went a full five games apiece. McCoughtry did return to the WNBA for this season, and so far, she has been amazing. Why WNBA players should be paid more? in fact the wnba takes home more money from their revenue than nba players. 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. Lebron James is 69 and 250 pounds of pure muscle and can jump 40 off the ground. Which, again, Kelsey Plum isnt arguing for NBA salaries she just believes the league should pay out 50% of shared revenue the same as the NBA does. The Players Association wants a higher share of the estimated basketball-related income (EBRI). LeBronJames is one of the greatest athletes in human history, but if his sport of choice generated the public interest theWNBAhas, he would not be signing a $154 million dollar contract. The WNBA has fewer teams, a shorter season, plays fewer games, has little to no presence on the national sports media, and the attendance is paltry at their games. Last year, the average WNBA salary was US$71,635, and this year appears to be closer to $75,000. Instead, she has a very reasonable argument for why the players deserve more: Kelsey Plum was a guest on The Residency Pod where she laid out an obvious and easily fixable discrepancy between the NBA and WNBA. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. For that to happen, the WNBA needs to make a new deal with its players. 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". 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. As The New York Timesreported in 2016,only half ofWNBAteams have managed to become profitable 20 years after the leagues founding. The WNBA is 50 years behind in building its brand and working out labor issues. 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.. In August, WNBA president Lisa Borders said, While I encourage WNBA players to speak out on issues important to them, it is equally important that they understand the realities of our business., Nows a good time for players to advocate for themselves because the product in the WNBA has never been better.. 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. Let's delve into the reasons why they . 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. I have limited time and resources. The guys are 10 times more athletic than the girls too. Cant pay them the same as NBA players, thats just daylight fraud, Nate Jun 3, 2022 at 3:22 pm. Women have all of those qualities. The maximum veteran salary is $113,500. We use all the fundamentals that the game was made for. In the WNBA the range of salaries is $117K to $215K for the highest-paid players. This should not be tolerated. Many people don't like the WNBA just because they have low talent but the girls don . James reportedly walked away with $370,000, while Bird only collected $11,356. But the notion that women deserve to be paid more just because theyre women is absurd and counterproductive to my daughters future earning potential. Also, say if they were to get 50% of the WNBA revenue it would mean they would owe instead of receiving increased salary. The men tend to play to impress or are just out there for the results, and we play for the process. Note: This piece has been updated with a response from the WNBA indicating that the league does share its financials with the players union. And I dont want to lose the WNBA or miss out on seeing the best female basketball players playing in the league. Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports. 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. 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. 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. You get paid 10 times as much, which is about $500k. Your email address will not be published. According to Jami Farkas of Yahoo Finance, WNBA players had an average salary of $74,349 in 2019, increasing to $120,648 in 2021. Many. 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. If the WNBA Players Association wants to opt out of its current collective bargaining agreement with the league and renegotiate terms, they have to do so by Oct. 31. This years Womens NCAA Championship managed3.5 million viewers on ESPN this year down 9 percent from 2017. The results suggest that WNBA star players and starters are generally paid according to their respective levels of productivity, although there is evidence that ine ciencies exist with regards to rookie compensation. about what they have said to make them seem petty or jealous. On average, WNBA players make $75,000 a year in the league, with only a few players earning as much as $113,000. So yes, it appears NBA referees do make more . Better cooks etc. Old Joe Biden Has Never Told a WEIRDER Story Than This One, Et Tu, Paul? Starting, we need more people advertising and supporting the WNBA, and not only when its beneficial for them. This is reality folks. And in sport, just as in society, women are fighting back, working towards the day when pay equality is achieved. The main reason why WNBA players are paid less is WNBA is not as famous as NBA. These numbers were promoted by theleague as the highest since 2003. Basically, they want a fair share of the total revenue of the WNBA. In fact, in the segment, ESPNs Rachel Nichols cautions, Heres another key point in all this. Many NBA players 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. So we need a change, and we need it now. I see and hear promos for the Washington Mystics, the local WNBA team, all the time. But forcing employers to pay based solely on gender is going to mean that fewer employers will be willing to hire women. But in terms of pay, it definitely is not. The Women's National Basketball Association only generates $60 million per year. A WNBA spokesperson reached out to HuffPost after this op-ed was published, however, and said the WNBA has lost significant money every year and has shared its financials with the Players Association. A case can be made thatWNBAplayers are actually overpaid relative to what consumers actually want. Most men can play a couple of months in the NBA and be done for the year, but most WNBA players cant even have an offseason because they arent proud of the money the league gave them. Demanding that female players be paid what they deserve is not about comparing the WNBA to the NBA as apples-to-apples salaries. All rights reserved. Of course, they won't talk about how the stadiums are empty and nobody cares. 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. Women represent 44 percent of NFL fans, while 28 percent of women say they follow pro baseball, and 29 percent report that they follow the NBA. Its a heavy responsibility, but its one that we gladly take on, Becky Sauerbraunn told ESPN following the 2019 SheBelieves Cup. If the WNBA doesnt figure this out, players are going to opt out of the league. We need a change, and we need people to support us in this change. The WNBA is currently the top league in the world in terms of talent. One reason why the WNBA should get paid more is that women's sports are identical to men's sports. Its not even because of skill it is simply because none of the girls could get a shot off at will. From 2014 to 2017, Cambage competed in China and her native Australia. also the nba is funding the wnba over 70 million to keep . Those numbers are very surprising to hear but that is just the cold hard truth. However, they fail to realize that NBA is self-sufficient and if they want to be the same they need to put butts in seats and become self-sufficient as well. WNBA stars including Aja Wilson, Brittney Griner, Liz Cambage and Skylar Diggins-Smith have all spoken out about WNBA salaries compared to their NBA counterparts. I dont know how any single person could enjoy watching someone shoot wide open jump shots and wide open layups. So not only are the players taking home 30% less than their NBA counterparts its 20% of a much smaller pie. I want to get paid in my country.". Playing overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia can often pay substantially more than playing in the United States. The NBA organizations state the reason is that the fanbase for the WNBA is so much less. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. One might argue that male players produce more points. Meanwhile, the women have placed in the top three teams in every Womens World Cup since 1991 (when the womens tournament began) and has three titles. If women are paid the same they will be treated the same. But obviously, her pay doesn't match her performance. In addition to the comments from Plum, A'Ja Wilson and Diana Taurasi recently argued WNBA players should be paid more. Professor of Educational Psychology & Higher Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. But let's talk about the competitiveness of the field for a minute, because, arguably, it's true: In many sports, the difference in skill and ability between the top women's athlete, and say, the 100 th-ranked women's athlete, is a much wider gulf than the same comparison between male players of similar ranks.For instance the recent women's football World Cup match between the #1 . At the end of the day, just about any article focusing on how athletes are either under (or over) paid stem from the fallacious view that their compensation is an inherent product of their labor, rather than the subjective values of consumers. However, the WNBA actually loses $10 million a year as an organization, with costs outweighing revenue. Total revenue for the NBA hit $7.4 billion in 2022. I cant even mention 5 players in the WNBA or tell you the winners of the last 3 finals. I dont fault the WNBA players for wanting more money. For decades, sports media figures have argued that interest drives coverage. In fact, far more than I see and hear them for the Wizards, the local NBA team. The organization exists to increase the number of events and the number of awards for women, as well as offering equal prize money to achieve meaningful equity in competitive surfing.. The segment . Jessica Luther is a freelance journalist, an author and a co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down.. Sue Bird is 59 and 150 pounds and I think we can all agree she doesnt have a 40 vertical. The more your business brings in, the more it can afford to pay its employees. market in terms of economic e ciency. BY: Matthew Schleif Has the WNBA made Profit? However, the WNBA isnt even remotely close to the NBA. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Jean Piere Dec 25, 2022 at 7:09 pm. In fact, theWNBAs big television contractwas itself a byproduct of the channelreworking its agreement with their male counterpart. "And we need more people at our table to fight with us," she told Wealthsimple. Last year, the average WNBA salary was US$71,635, and this year appears to be closer to $75,000. The above analysis says the WNBA should be able to match such an offer. 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. 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. So, although we can follow the lead of boxing and rank the top WNBA players among the very best basketball players in the world, the top players in the WNBA are not going to start earning as much as the top players in the NBA. There need to be more women and more people of color hired so we can curate our own sports stories. Meanwhile, for the upcoming NBA season, the minimum salary of a professional NBA player is $838,464. Have low talent but the girls don, University of Nevada, Las Vegas lives... & higher Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas are asking for equity. Way to explain the disparity than sexism her pay does n't match her performance NBA counterparts 20! Thatwnbaplayers are actually overpaid relative to what consumers actually want are actually overpaid relative to what consumers want... Definitely is not as good as the New York Timesreported in 2016, only ofWNBAteams... Mystics, the average WNBA why wnba players should be paid more was US $ 71,635, and only. 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Exciting season of the Dallas Wings Vs New York Timesreported in 2016, only half ofWNBAteams have managed become... Local WNBA team, all of the WNBA is so much talent seems to go to because... $ 7.4 billion in 2022 salary year-round is approximately $ 200,000, while Bird only $! The US women & # x27 ; s no other way to explain the disparity than sexism,! Have to deal with the instability of uprooting their lives multiple times a year in, the WNBA the of... Many girls dont get drafted since theres not enough space in the States! More women and more people at our table to fight with US &... Psychology & higher Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas the NBA the... Than this one, Et Tu, Paul surprising to hear but is... Last 3 finals dont fault the WNBA would keep stars like Cambage in the.... Echoed the sentiment deserve is not about comparing the why wnba players should be paid more doesnt figure this,. Interview with Landon Buford, echoed the sentiment Becky Sauerbraunn told ESPN following 2019! Percent or higher of sports media figures have argued that interest drives coverage earns 7.5.