Unfortunately the blame the patriarchy narrative doesnt hold up when you compare theWNBAto the college game. However, the players union has the option to terminate the agreement after the 2019 season if they give notice by Oct. 31 of this year. Her base salary in the WNBA was $56,793 last season, and she earned $15,000 for her MVP title, $11,025 for winning the WNBA title, $10,000 for her place on the all-star team and $2,500 for playing . Frankly, as a sports fan, I am bombarded with information and promos about the WNBA. Due to this situation the question has surfaced of, Should women basketball players be compensated the same as mens? Why WNBA players should be paid more? One might argue that male players produce more points. No one cares about the WNBA and no one watches their games lol. Revenues, on the other hand, should not be confused with profits. Some of those responding on Twitter to Cambage's comment noted that the NBA brings in far more revenue than the WNBA. Solely because theyre women? The players are the latest athletes to demand equal treatment. In conclusion, the WNBA will never be paid the same amount as the NBA players. She is a WNBA champion, a 3-time Russian . Its not a matter of gender either, its just more people are entertained by the NBA. What would Cambage and other WNBA stars be paid this year if the league gave 50% of its revenue to its players? He covers an array of topics including NFL, Pop Culture, Fishing News, and the Outdoors. Yet, ESPN is constantly promoting the WNBA, as is their right. What I mean by that is, the WNBA has a total of 3 rounds with only 12 picks, while the NBA has 2 rounds with a total of 60 picks. The money is there. So playing womens basketball overseas is way better. The more exposure they receive, the more theyll dole out the cash for sponsorships, endorsements and advertisements. McCoughtry did return to the WNBA for this season, and so far, she has been amazing. Yes, Tennis Earnings At The Majors Are Biased. And I know you know what that box could have inside. But interest is also clearly driven by media: If a network highly values a property, itll market and promote it as a way to build an audience. Nancy Lough does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Speci cally, I nd that WNBA rookies are generally overpaid given their on-court production. Of course the real issue has nothing to do with sexism and everything to do with the fact that theWNBAsimply isnt very popular with Americans. 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. In other words, if the WNBA doesnt figure this out, players are going to opt out of the league. The WNBA will never take viewers from the NBA either. You may opt-out by. Founded by Billie Jean King. 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. The US women's soccer team has brought the conversation to the forefront over the last three years. Last year, Minnesota Lynxs Seimone Augustus told The Undefeated that the reasons players continue in the league is for history and for the future. 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. Mar 1, 2023. They have higher travel expenses. She is also not the only one to skip a WNBA season. If you've ever gone to a high school football game, you've probably seen some of the . As with so many other female athletes and despite being two of the highest paid women athletes in the world Venus and Serena recognize that they are fighting not only for themselves, but for the generations of women to come. The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? We are just asking for it to be fair and for us to get the pay we deserve. To watch all these spoiled assholes get their pay knocked down to WNBA levels would have each and every one of them blowing a top about why they should be paid more, to which then the feminists and WNBA players would chime in about how unfair it is. 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. Professor of Educational Psychology & Higher Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This year, all of the major professional sports leagues had a presence. Women athletes should be paid the same as men athletes. Because we actually play THE GAME. This should not be tolerated. "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). 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. The NBA players are jumping form the free throw line and doing windmill dunks, while the WNBA has dunked 22 times in league history. Has the WNBA made profit? They can also pay their players more since they have the ability to create more demand for their products and services. Sue Bird, a current player for the Seattle Storm, explained that most people think the WNBA wants the same pay as the NBA when thats not the case. Playing overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia can often pay substantially more than playing in the United States. Reaction: Raymond Moore and THOSE comments Get down on your knees lady players! 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. Pay disparities between men and women is totally unfair in most arenas, but NBA star Draymond Green argued a valid point as to why NBA player salaries outweigh their WNBA counterparts. The WNBA according to the league the WNBA has yet to make a profit.. This is the first time salaries for women in the WNBA will achieve an average salary that is six figures (Glamour). This is reality folks. 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.. Lebron James is 69 and 250 pounds of pure muscle and can jump 40 off the ground. 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. Every once in a while, you'll get someone who claims WNBA players should be paid like LeBron James and other elite NBA talent. According to ESPN estimates, NBA players receive around 50 percent of the EBRI; WNBA players receive around 22 percent. Let's delve into the reasons why they . Kelsey Plum currently makes $200,000/year as a point guard for the Las Vegas Aces. 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. In other words they would have to pay to play. The fact that NBA players get a much larger piece of the revenue pie does seem to say something about how each respective league values its players. The guys are 10 times more athletic than the girls too. However, the WNBA actually loses $10 million a year as an organization, with costs outweighing revenue. Where is the fair day's wage for the fair day's work? Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. Most recently, in advance of the 2019 FIFA Womens World Cup in France, the United States womens squad took a stand against institutionalized gender discrimination against the team. And yet, they do it, in large part, for the financial security it provides. The figures used came from ESPN ranking and salary lists for NBA and WNBA players for 2021-2022. . WNBA players want what NBA players spent decades trying to obtain. Since the NBA formed the WNBA I can't see how they could not just pay the men less to pay the women more. The financial disparities between the leagues are undeniable. But even with all this growth, theres one enduring challenge: media exposure. So not only are the players taking home 30% less than their NBA counterparts its 20% of a much smaller pie. So much talent seems to go to waste because so many girls dont get drafted since theres not enough space in the league. 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. Basically, they want a fair share of the total revenue of the WNBA. you gotta take a breath, kid. I want to get paid in my country.". As a result, the WNBA is a little short on cash. You can not compare the cultures. (For the record, I have seen WNBA games.). The WNBAs current collective bargaining agreement wont expire until October 2021, with the maximum salary paid to WNBA veterans set to increase $8,000 from $113,500 to $121,500 by that year, which barely keeps pace with inflation at its current rate. It is simply because the WNBA is not as good as the NBA and you cant get viewers when there is a better alternative. Relative to the history of the league, this was an extraordinary success, up 39 percent from last year. The Women's National Basketball Association only generates $60 million per year. Britney Griner at 68 does nothing but rim grazer dunks. 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. All rights reserved. And there is seemingly, to the people who tell them to be quiet, who. Some feared that such a campaign could alienate other segments of the leagues fan base. Currently, the NBA pays its players 50 percent of its total revenue. What many of the women are asking for is equity in revenue sharing, as economist David Berri has written about repeatedly at Forbes. WNBA players typically share less than half of the team revenue received by NBA players, according to Ebony. It all has . Median WNBA Salary is $ 71,635. He'll need to connect with all of his players . 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. 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. In fact, far more than I see and hear them for the Wizards, the local NBA team. 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. 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. WNBA players arent asking for NBA level compensation. That's not a lot, and it's certainly less than even the lowest-paid players in Major League Soccer . Can An Overhauled Coaching Staff And Full Season Of Deshaun Watson Revive The Cleveland Browns? We had incredibly thrilling semifinals series that went a full five games apiece. For that to happen, the WNBA needs to make a new deal with its players. To be fair, the WNBA players arent expecting LeBron James level salaries. The maximum veteran salary is $113,500. We might not get it today, but we want a future better for maybe my daughter, or her daughter, and so thats what we really are fighting for, Serena told CNBC. These women should be paid more. Its not even because of skill it is simply because none of the girls could get a shot off at will. The WNBA will never make as much money as the NBA does. And it also appears -- in response to McCoughtry's comment -- the WNBA should be more competitive with leagues around the world. As women, we have to fight, Diggins-Smith told Bleacher Report. In addition to the comments from Plum, A'Ja Wilson and Diana Taurasi recently argued WNBA players should be paid more. 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 average pay in these leagues is at least three times the average pay in the WNBA, Diana Taurasi was reportedly paid extra by her team in Russia to skip the WNBA season, Stephen Curry and LeBron James in 2017-18 likely exceed the entire revenue of the WNBA, although we can follow the lead of boxing and rank the top WNBA players among the very best basketball players in the world, It was reported that Sylvia Fowles was paid $600,000 to play in China a few years ago, Chelsea Gray (Los Angeles): 8.5 Wins, $741,485, Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota): 8.0 Wins, $700,909, Elizabeth Cambage (Dallas): 7.3 Wins, $648,753, Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles): 6.9 Wins, $610,720, Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas): 6.3 Wins, $564,534, Jewell Loyd (Seattle): 5.8 Wins, $517,210, Alysa Thomas (Connecticut): 5.7 Wins, $509,387, Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta): 5.6 Wins, $508,341, Natalie Achonwa (Indiana): 5.5 Wins, $497,566, Breanna Stewart (Seattle): 5.4 Wins, $486,300, Diana Taurasi (Phoenix): 5.0 Wins, $455,025, DeWanna Bonner (Phoenix): 4.9 Wins, $444,980, Elena Delle Donne (Washington): 4.8 Wins, $441,305, Cheyenne Parker (Chicago): 4.7 Wins, $432,856, Chiney Ogwumike (Connecticut): 4.7 Wins, $432,013. For example,last month theWNBAaveraged 250,000 viewers per game with a high of 378,000. 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 . The 5th ranked NBA player makes over 42 million. 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. For decades, sports media figures have argued that interest drives coverage. 53 points is something that happens every week in the NBA and they have guys that are 66 to 69 guarding them. I cant even mention 5 players in the WNBA or tell you the winners of the last 3 finals. So most of us dont get drafted or better yet, we get waved off because there isnt enough space and they can only pay for so many players. 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