why wnba players should be paid more

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. We use all the fundamentals that the game was made for. In 2018, much of CEWS work paid off, as the World Surf League announced equal prize money for all WSL-controlled events in 2019 and beyond, a huge step for what has been a traditionally male-dominated sport. After they won the World Cup in 2015, it was revealed that the US women's team were paid a . 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. Why WNBA players should be paid more? It is ridiculous to continue this argument. As a result, the WNBA is a little short on cash. Lisa Borders, president of theWNBA, has even directlypointed to sexismas a driving reason for the discrepancies between the earnings ofmale and female players. 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. So playing womens basketball overseas is way better. The off-season should be to rest their bodies and fulfill their contractual obligations for promoting the WNBA through appearances and community outreach as role models to young athletes and to spend time with their families. 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. We had incredibly thrilling semifinals series that went a full five games apiece. 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). He attended two games with the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Suns. Theyll be more prone to hiring men because theyll be able to pay men based on their production more bang for the buck, so to speak. The above analysis says the WNBA should be able to match such an offer. As Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner, says, The league and its teams are committed to an open and good-faith negotiation that is rooted in the financial realities of our business., The pushback on that, and one of the more prominent arguments utilized by those who advocate for higher WNBA salaries, is that the NBA doesnt promote the womens league enough. 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. For example, if a woman made an NBA team, then she should get paid commensurate to her position and contributions to her team. In her defense, Wilson is a 21-year-old athlete who probably hasnt thought a great deal about economics. 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. When it comes to others opinions, I feel as though we get picked on enough, and not getting paid fairly makes it even worse. However, if NBA wanted to pay WNBA players more wages and salaries . The ratio of the highest paid WNBA player to the 144th best paid WNBA player is about 3.8. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images). It won't only be for NBA but life in general. 2023 Womens Sports Foundation. Sports have long mirrored society, and the gender pay gap has persisted in athletics just as it has in the professional realm. 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. The average salary of a WNBA player as of 2017 was $75,000, whereas the average NBA salary is $30 million. Cass Anderson is the Editor-in-Chief of BroBible. These numbers are justified too. Is A Hot Dog A Sandwich? 227 K isn't much more than a non-famous professional couple makes. This is Discrimination against women. 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. 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.. The WNBA is 50 years behind in building its brand and working out labor issues. That is 1 million in just a year, while for a regular season they get paid $400K in just a year. Equal pay is an ongoing gender issue in sports. WNBA players arent asking to be paid on par with their NBA counterparts. 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. Part of HuffPost News. The players are the latest athletes to demand equal treatment. This is Discrimination against women. Bradley Beal, who is also a professional player who currently plays for the Washington Wizards, is always finding ways to support the Washington Mystics. As women, we have to fight," Diggins-Smith told Bleacher Report. Undermining Berris position, though, is the simple observation that revenue is not the same as profit another measure by which theWNBAhasconsistently struggled. Another reason why NBA players make more money than WNBA players is because the owners of NBA teams can charge more for tickets and merchandise. 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. 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. Answer (1 of 2): The WNBA is heavily subsidized by the NBA; but for this fact, the WNBA would have folded a long time ago. I have limited time and resources. As athletes, we have to fight. 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. 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.. Also, say if they were to get 50% of the WNBA revenue it would mean they would owe instead of receiving increased salary. Of course consumer preferences canchange. One reason why the WNBA should get paid more is that women's sports are identical to men's sports. The guys are 10 times more athletic than the girls too. 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. The WNBA according to the league the WNBA has yet to make a profit.. What many of the women are asking for is equity in revenue sharing, as economist David Berri has written about repeatedly at Forbes. Last week, this exciting season of the WNBA ended after the Seattle Storm swept the Washington Mystics to win their third championship. While the NBA is quite profitable with a blockbuster $24 billion TV deal, billions of dollars in advertising and a robust revenue sharing system only about half of WNBA franchises finish the season in the black. The guys would be way too long and athletic for the girls to score. 2023 The Federalist, A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media. 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. But the risk also offered reward: 15 million Americans self-identify as LGBTQ, and they represent a market segment worth around $830 million. When it comes to me and my opinions, I strongly believe women should be paid the same amount as men maybe even more. 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 Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? 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. This should not be tolerated. As many may not know, men get paid way more money than women's basketball does. They incur a lot of wear and tear and injuries to their bodies. 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). 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. Athletes have short careers. 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 . This should not be tolerated. Stats show that in 2018, the top scoring team in the WNBA . Theyre making the most of it while they can. Thats far away from here, but thats what were fighting toward.. Ahead of the 2017 IIHF World Championships, after a yearlong battle, USA Hockey conceded to many of the players demands. 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. 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. They deserve to be able to play the game they love without needing to get a second job to pay the bills. Has the WNBA made profit? 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. In order to make a living playing basketball, most WNBA players compete overseas during the offseason to supplement their WNBA income. Meanwhile last yearsWNBAchampionship series averaged 487,000 viewers, with a high of 597,000 forGame 1. At that point, whatever their salaries currently are will disappear completely. 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? According to Jami Farkas of Yahoo Finance, WNBA players had an average salary of $74,349 in 2019, increasing to $120,648 in 2021. 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. 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 is a charge they have used on multiple detainees. The WNBA's average base salary is around $130,000, with the rookie minimum at $60,471 and the veteran minimum at $72,141. We feel strongly that if it hadnt been for our consistent advocacy, the WSL would not have made that announcement, Brennan told ESPN. 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. 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. Some of those responding on Twitter to Cambage's comment noted that the NBA brings in far more revenue than the WNBA. As many may not know, men get paid way more money than womens basketball does. However, the WNBA isnt even remotely close to the NBA. Kelsey Plum currently makes $200,000/year as a point guard for the Las Vegas Aces. It is not a matter of sexism or discrimination. There is no difference between the girls college tournament and the WNBA. Thats patronizing. 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 . Many will say womens basketball is boring or played the wrong way, and they may even say it sucks, but I think we play the game better than the men.how? The top players in the NBA will now be able to earn six figure salaries, more than half a million. Prior to this season, Cambage last played in the WNBA in 2013. And I know you know what that box could have inside. Lets look beyond skill and size. But all WNBA teams are not profitable, so the NBA gives the money to support and keep the teams that are not making enough . The womens team has far exceeded the success of their male counterparts, who failed to even qualify for the FIFA Mens World Cup in 2018. In other words they would have to pay to play. As fans, we deserve to see them playing at their highest level after a restful off-season. Of her teams fight for equal treatment, star forward Hilary Knight said: Were passionately pursuing something for the greater good.. [ For the first time, the WNBA will be featured in NBA 2K. 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. And yes, clearly the WNBA does not have enough revenue for its top players to be paid like similar top players in the NBA. "And we need more people at our table to fight with us," she told Wealthsimple. James reportedly walked away with $370,000, while Bird only collected $11,356. Thats right: These professional athletes have second jobs. These women should be paid more. Women work hard to get what they dream of. Player's salaries in the NWSL range from about $16,000 to $46,000 annually, according to NPR. This is a Gross difference between NBA organizations. This also helps explains whye-sports playersare making more money than the best players in theWNBA. I know this is a controversial statement because women are never supposed to ask for more than they have, lest they be ungrateful for whatever theyve been given thus far. 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. Here are five athletes, teams and leagues that are leading the charge: The USWNT has long been associated with leading the way in the fight for gender equity in soccer. According to ESPN estimates, NBA players receive around 50 percent of the EBRI; WNBA players receive around 22 percent. 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. Until then, women basketball players should perhaps look for markets that place greater value on their skill. She joined the Journalism program because loves to Former Vice President, Mike Pence, is attempting to fight a subpoena requested by the Special Counsel regarding former president Donald Trumps activities after the 2020 Chinese Balloon Shot Down by F-22 After Days Traversing the U.S. With college application season nearing an end, Centreville senior stress levels have reached their peak as students frantically try to maintain their high first semester Theatre Centreville Presents Mutually Assured Destruction, FCPS Welcomes New Misgendering and Deadnaming Policy to Punish Students (Update), OPINION: Increasing Usage of Social Media, CVHS Student Opinions on College Admissions and Standardized Testing, Donald Trump is Holding the Republican Party Back, Opinion: Walking Has Many Health Benefits, Opinion: Why The Minions Franchise Has a Positive Affect On Our Society, Opinion: Why Dr.Oz Shouldnt Win the Pennsylvania Senate Election, Opinion: Why Players in the WNBA Should Get Paid More, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). [B]ecause I heard a bench player gets paid more than nvm.. The league has more gay players and fans, percentage-wise, than any other major professional sport. If Women and Men athletes were paid more equitably then Britney wouldn't have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. 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. The NBA's annual revenue is $7.92 billion, while the WNBA's is $60 million not enough to cover NBA players Kevin Love and Damian Lillard's combined salaries. Swin Cash. As a point of comparison, the NBA didnt draw crowds of this size until its 26th season, when the league averaged 8,061 fans per game. However, that is not going to happen. We need to come together as one and fix this problem. According to Bird: So, I thought that it needed . It is simply because the WNBA is not as good as the NBA and you cant get viewers when there is a better alternative. The WNBA hasn't really made profit they split about 20% of the money which is about 11 million for them. 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 Britney Griner, in an interview with Landon Buford, echoed the sentiment . Yes, Tennis Earnings At The Majors Are Biased. So yes, it appears NBA referees do make more than a WNBA player. Note: This piece has been updated with a response from the WNBA indicating that the league does share its financials with the players union. Im sorry, the WNBA is awful compared to the NBA. Copyright 2008-2023 BroBible. Diese*r Petitionsstarter*in setzt sich fr Dinge ein, die ihr/ihm am Herzen liegen. 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. Wow LeBron James new contract has triggered some great comments from @WNBA players. 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. The players want more money. She is in grave danger and this petition is to try to make sure this never happens again. The WNBA will suffer if they dont figure out some way to pay players more. 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. 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. you gotta take a breath, kid. As for the players, well, they deserve to be able to play the game they love (that theyre good at!) And while thats not a dollar amount to sniff at, these women only have so long to earn money off their athletic ability. Except I dont know a single person who believes that women should get paid less than men for being as productive while doing the same job. That same year, however, only 2 percent of airtime on the stations flagship show, SportsCenter, was allocated to womens sports. While the girls are skilled they are nowhere even close to the guys. The highest-paid NBA players, by comparison, make in excess of $40. From 2014 to 2017, Cambage competed in China and her native Australia. The WNBA has about 570,000 people that are watching the games. WNBA players want what NBA players spent decades trying to obtain. In a perfect world, WNBA and NBA players would be paid the same salary and garner the same amount of viewers. Although that's true, there's still a substantial gender wage gap in professional basketball, even after you adjust for the revenue difference. Currently,. So not only are the players taking home 30% less than their NBA counterparts its 20% of a much smaller pie. For example, the average salary for a WNBA player is just over $100,000. Most men, of course, sign with brands or maybe even run their own. Ever. Yet, they still choose to play in the US because . This . The WNBA brings in $25 million dollars a year, while the NBA brings in $7.4 billion. The methodology used to measure exploitation in college basketball can help answer that question. But the notion that women deserve to be paid more just because theyre women is absurd and counterproductive to my daughters future earning potential. Boys and men pick on the league every day. She is a WNBA champion, a 3-time Russian . 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. You can not compare the cultures. 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. This will never happen simply because the WNBA cant make the money to pay their players just as much money. 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. Unlock premium content, ad-free browsing, and access to comments for just $4/month. 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. 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. It is simply because the WNBA is not as good as the NBA and you cant get viewers when there is a better alternative. Please everyone support our women athletes. This lack of media coverage has always hampered womens sports. Unfortunately the blame the patriarchy narrative doesnt hold up when you compare theWNBAto the college game. Prior to this season, Cambage last played in the WNBA in 2013. Compare that to the NFL average of $2.7 million (median is $860K), $4.41 million in the MLB, $3.5 million in the NHL, and the average NBA salary is a whopping $9.662 million for the 2022-23 season. They watched the Jordans and the Lebrons, and they are never going to turn their back on them for a game where the players are barely dunking. However, you cannot have equal pay when you dont make enough money to have the same amount of pay. While the men are getting about half of the total money they help the NBA earn, the women are getting less than a fourth. 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. In contrast, NBA players receive about 50% of league revenue. This would give them the opportunity to negotiate a new deal that increases the salary cap, along with maximum and minimum salaries. The NBA makes a profit. There is, however, one sector of the economy inwhich it continuesto be taken seriously: sports. She is the second-highest-paid player on the team just behind Aja Wilson who earns $202,155. BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. So why are we getting paid so little? This was a stellar season, where the final eight teams that made the playoffs werent determined until the last few games. 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. And its something were going to keep trying to push and push and push until we feel that everything is equal. If you don't sell tickets and negotiate a huge TV deal, you're not going to get rich. That it might possibly contain some, oh I don't . Perhaps the American public will come to appreciate thestrong fundamentalsof theWNBAand, as a result, salaries will improve. The average womans salary year-round is approximately $200,000, while the average man earns $7.5 million or more. Nothing rude there. Finally, the NBA is not soccer and will not be screwed the way mens soccer got screwed. Instead of grumbling about the salaries male basketball players enjoy, perhaps Aja Wilson should be thankful theirproduct helps bolster her own paycheck.