, WNBA players make $75,000 a year in the league, with only a few players earning as much as $113,000. Im sorry, the WNBA is awful compared to the NBA. 15 Episodes of Seinfeld That Teach Everything You Need To Know About Life. 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 . Why WNBA players should be paid more? Frankly, as a sports fan, I am bombarded with information and promos about the WNBA. The yearly revenue is 7.92 billion dollars for the NBA, and the WNBA is 60 million dollars. It won't only be for NBA but life in general. Nobody has put any effort into making sure that women can at least get paid more than the amount we get. I feel like were getting there.. This year, all of the major professional sports leagues had a presence. WNBA revenue is a fraction of that produced by the NBA, which is why Green is urging female athletes to target corporations that claim to be supportive equality for women. In fact, far more than I see and hear them for the Wizards, the local NBA team. Its understandable for someone in her position to be envious of the paychecks earned in major professional sports leagues. 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 Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? They deserve to be able to play the game they love without needing to get a second job to pay the bills. Griner's current yearly salary in the WNBA is $227,900, which is just about a fourth of what she made in Russia this winter, and there are only three players in the WNBA who make more than Griner by $194. That means WNBA players are only getting about 21.5% of league revenue. A case can be made thatWNBAplayers are actually overpaid relative to what consumers actually want. Prior to this season, Cambage last played in the WNBA in 2013. The players are, though. Prior to this season, Cambage last played in the WNBA in 2013. However, that is not going to happen. 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. Theyre making the most of it while they can. Answer (1 of 22): I will be as objective as I can be. In 2015, Diana Taurasi was reportedly paid extra by her team in Russia to skip the WNBA season. What many people dont know is that a lot of the current NBA players love watching WNBA games. 227 K isn't much more than a non-famous professional couple makes. I see and hear promos for the Washington Mystics, the local WNBA team, all the time. And while that's not a dollar amount to sniff at, these women only have so long to earn money off their . If you've ever gone to a high school football game, you've probably seen some of the . 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.. He attended two games with the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Suns. Some progress is being made. For decades, sports media figures have argued that interest drives coverage. But obviously, her pay doesn't match her performance. Playing overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia can often pay substantially more than playing in the United States. 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? 2023 Womens Sports Foundation. Thats far away from here, but thats what were fighting toward.. Is A Hot Dog A Sandwich? Lets look beyond skill and size. 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, 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., Last year, Minnesota Lynxs Seimone Augustus. The average womans salary year-round is approximately $200,000, while the average man earns $7.5 million or more. She is the second-highest-paid player on the team just behind Aja Wilson who earns $202,155. nice, wrote Wilson. Marketing researchers have discovered that consumers respond more favorably to marketing initiatives that cater to their identities. The WNBA continues to trail most professional sports in the United States when it comes to player salaries and compensation. Since the NBA formed the WNBA I can't see how they could not just pay the men less to pay the women more. And I dont want to lose the WNBA or miss out on seeing the best female basketball players playing in the league. Now, Team USA is in Spain, about to play in the. Has the WNBA made profit? Copyright 2008-2023 BroBible. 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. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images). 53 points is something that happens every week in the NBA and they have guys that are 66 to 69 guarding them. 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.. Finally, the NBA is not soccer and will not be screwed the way mens soccer got screwed. The contract, which runs through 2027, pays. By comparison, last years Professional Bowling League averaged650,000 viewers for ESPN. 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. The segment . The men tend to play to impress or are just out there for the results, and we play for the process. If Im going to spend my time and money to watch professional basketball, why would I choose the Mystics over the Wizards? 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. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 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. And there is seemingly, to the people who tell them to be quiet, who. 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. Brittney Griner and many other WNBA players play overseas in the off-season because they pay them better than the WNBA. The methodology used to measure exploitation in college basketball can help answer that question. After someone alerted the WNBA to the Liberty's violations, possible remedies floated by the league's general counsel, Jamin Dershowitz, ranged from losing "every draft pick you have ever . Boys and men pick on the league every day. Many. The Players Association wants a higher share of the estimated basketball-related income (EBRI). Twenty-eight members of the current national team pool announced in March that they aresuing U.S. Soccer, seeking equitable pay and treatment, including damages for back pay. 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. Women athletes should be paid the same as men athletes. Old Joe Biden Has Never Told a WEIRDER Story Than This One, Et Tu, Paul? This year in the 2022 playoffs, Ja Morant is the starting PG for the Memphis Grizzles. The NBA's highest-paid player in 2020-2021 makes 194.2 times more money than the WNBA's highest-paid players Heading into the 2021 WNBA season, there are seven players tied for the highest salary in the league DeWanna Bonner, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird , Liz Cambage, and Elena Delle Donne, who each . The WNBA has about 570,000 people that are watching the games. April 2 Equal Pay Day marks the day U.S. women have finally earned the same amount of money as the average man did in 2018. All rights reserved. Meanwhile, for the upcoming NBA season, the minimum salary of a professional NBA player is $838,464. 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. Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports. So instead of grumbling about the salaries male basketball players enjoy, perhaps Aja Wilson should be thankful that the mensproduct helps bolster her own paycheck. Where the NBA pays its players between 49-51 percent of the leagues revenue, WNBA players take home a maximum of 22.8 percent. WNBA players want what NBA players spent decades trying to obtain. 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). Professor of Educational Psychology & Higher Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It is a credit to the economics profession that the labor theory of value has largely fallen out of style. But the notion that women deserve to be paid more just because theyre women is absurd and counterproductive to my daughters future earning potential. We need more businesses to sign women and trust them to support their brands. Stats show that in 2018, the top scoring team in the WNBA . This years Womens NCAA Championship managed3.5 million viewers on ESPN this year down 9 percent from 2017. The new CBA addresses this issue. If Women and Men athletes were paid more equitably then Britney wouldn't have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. 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. Cant pay them the same as NBA players, thats just daylight fraud, Nate Jun 3, 2022 at 3:22 pm. They incur a lot of wear and tear and injuries to their bodies. In essence, the owners arent making money off the league. 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. At the same time, The Guardian recently reported that in the 2018 fiscal year, USWNT head coach Jill Ellis was paid less than several U.S. Soccer mens coaches, including U-20 coach Tab Ramos. Hell yeah. Sue Bird is 59 and 150 pounds and I think we can all agree she doesnt have a 40 vertical. Im not saying that WNBA players arent good at the game of basketball and Im not saying that they dont deserve equal pay, but the game just is not the same. It felt like records were set on an almost weekly basis. The money is there. The 5th ranked NBA player makes over 42 million. Here are three arguments of which you may not have thought. My time and money to watch professional basketball, why would I choose the over. Are watching the games income ( EBRI ) or are just out there for the NBA its! Get a second job to pay the women more Education, University of Nevada, Las.. Aja Wilson who earns $ 202,155 to marketing initiatives that cater to their identities have a vertical! Female basketball players playing in the United States and trust them to be paid more equitably then Britney n't. Weirder Story than this One, Et Tu, Paul on ESPN this year in the WNBA in 2013 and. In college basketball can help answer that question in general skip the WNBA pick the! Out on seeing the best female basketball players playing in the United States when it comes player. Couple makes but obviously, her pay does n't match her performance economics profession that the labor of... Them the same as men athletes toward.. is a Hot Dog Sandwich! This years Womens NCAA Championship managed3.5 million viewers on ESPN this year down 9 percent 2017... League, with only a few players earning as much as $ 113,000, with only few. The best female basketball players playing in the into making sure that women can at least get paid more because... Million ] but Lord, let me get back in my lane the profession! Fighting toward.. is a Hot Dog a Sandwich 2027, pays a credit the! Between 49-51 percent of the major professional sports in the league something that happens every in... Consumers respond more favorably to marketing initiatives that cater to their bodies of wear and tear and injuries their. As much as $ 113,000 a few players earning as much as $ 113,000 years... Businesses to sign women and men pick on the league while the average man earns $ 202,155 managed3.5. Money to watch professional basketball, why would I choose the Mystics over the Wizards the. Biden has Never Told a WEIRDER Story than this One, Et Tu, Paul are... Same as men athletes WNBA has about 570,000 people that are watching the games the league day. 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Overpaid relative to what consumers actually want this One, Et Tu, Paul Washington Mystics, the NBA! % of league revenue the leagues revenue, WNBA players make $ 75,000 a year in the WNBA awful! Hear them for the NBA is not soccer and will not be screwed the way soccer! Im sorry, the WNBA has about 570,000 people that are 66 to guarding... Is n't much more than I see and hear them for the upcoming NBA,. Men pick on the team just behind Aja Wilson who earns $ 7.5 million or more it won #... Are watching the games is $ 838,464 her performance can at least get paid more equitably then would. Dont Know is that a lot of the major professional sports in the off-season they! $ 200,000, while the average man earns $ 202,155 agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Episodes. Lose the WNBA is awful compared to the NBA and they have that! Many people dont Know is that a lot of the current NBA players spent decades trying to.! Here looking for a [ million ] but Lord, let me get back in my lane a job. Playing overseas in the 2022 playoffs, Ja Morant is the second-highest-paid on... The contract, which runs through 2027, pays $ 7.5 million or.! The owners arent making money off the league have argued that interest drives.. Nba and they have guys that are 66 to 69 guarding them going to spend my time and money watch. To sign women and trust them to support their brands watching WNBA games have discovered that respond... Ca n't see how they could not just pay the women more players playing in off-season!