So not only are the players taking home 30% less than their NBA counterparts its 20% of a much smaller pie. 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. 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.. The WNBA has about 570,000 people that are watching the games. The NBA makes a profit. Nothing rude there. Of her teams fight for equal treatment, star forward Hilary Knight said: Were passionately pursuing something for the greater good.. Copyright 2008-2023 BroBible. 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. If you cannot draw the fans and advertising dollars on your own, why would you expect the NBA to be your support bra? And we need more people at our table to fight with us, she told Wealthsimple. While the girls are skilled they are nowhere even close to the guys. The money is there. 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. Where the NBA pays its players between 49-51 percent of the league's revenue, WNBA players take home a maximum of 22.8 percent. There is no difference between the girls college tournament and the WNBA. And that's a 7 percent increase. 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. The maximum veteran salary is $113,500. In the NBA, players take home around 50% of shared revenue and in the WNBA players only take home 20% of shared revenue. NBA players receive 50% of revenue while WNBA players receive 20%. Are there men that cook well and deal with kids well? Of course TV ratings themselves are less important to this topic than dollars attached to theirtelevision contracts, and to theWNBAs credit, ESPN doubled the value of their contract with the league to $25 million a year in 2016. For example, the average salary for a WNBA player is just over $100,000. 1. Your email address will not be published. The ratio of the highest paid WNBA player to the 144th best paid WNBA player is about 3.8. Oh god I hope the WNBA players now push hard for that. They are not going to watch a game where the best team in the league would lose by 30 to the best high school team in the nation. Equal pay is an ongoing gender issue in sports. Because these women deserve more money. From 2014 to 2017, Cambage competed in China and her native Australia. He talks about how womens basketball is his favorite thing to watch because of the way we play the game and work together. Playing overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia can often pay substantially more than playing in the United States. Get it together. The methodology used to measure exploitation in college basketball can help answer that question. The NBA's average attendance is 17,760, the WNBA's 6,535. Join now to unlock comments, browse ad-free, and access exclusive content from your favorite FDRLST writers. Just like how these. Britney Griner at 68 does nothing but rim grazer dunks. WNBA players want what NBA players spent decades trying to obtain. 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. On average, WNBA players make $75,000 a year in the league, with only a few players earning as much as $113,000. Required fields are marked *. Last year, the average WNBA salary was US$71,635, and this year appears to be closer to $75,000. James reportedly walked away with $370,000, while Bird only collected $11,356. This will never happen simply because the WNBA cant make the money to pay their players just as much money. Sue Bird is 59 and 150 pounds and I think we can all agree she doesnt have a 40 vertical. The 5th ranked NBA player makes over 42 million. In the six Olympic Games that have included womens soccer, the U.S. has captured four golds and a silver. As a result, the WNBA is a little short on cash. They should fight for it because theyve earned it. Las Vegas Aces point guard Kelsey Plum wants to change that. Instead of grumbling about the salaries male basketball players enjoy, perhaps Aja Wilson should be thankful theirproduct helps bolster her own paycheck. It is reported she was detained at the airport for possession of Cannabis oil or hashish oil the reports are conflicting. 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. It all has . 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.. In the WNBA the range of salaries is $117K to $215K for the highest-paid players. 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 will never make as much money as the NBA does. 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. Where the NBA pays its players between 49-51 percent of the leagues revenue, WNBA players take home a maximum of 22.8 percent. If you've ever gone to a high school football game, you've probably seen some of the . McCoughtry did return to the WNBA for this season, and so far, she has been amazing. But forcing employers to pay based solely on gender is going to mean that fewer employers will be willing to hire women. 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 . Meanwhile, for the upcoming NBA season, the minimum salary . You get paid 10 times as much, which is about $500k. Meanwhile last yearsWNBAchampionship series averaged 487,000 viewers, with a high of 597,000 forGame 1. As someone who has studied the WNBA for years, only about half of WNBA franchises finish the season in the black, a market segment worth around $830 million, have argued that interest drives coverage, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. However, the WNBA isnt even remotely close to the NBA. Britney Griner was detained in Russia just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In other words they would have to pay to play. Wake up to the day's most important news. 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.. in fact the wnba takes home more money from their revenue than nba players. 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. As The New York Timesreported in 2016,only half ofWNBAteams have managed to become profitable 20 years after the leagues founding. The conversation continued recently when a WNBA player compared the championship bonuses earned by LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm. If that is so then why can Russia and Europe and China pay them well? Cant pay them the same as NBA players, thats just daylight fraud, Nate Jun 3, 2022 at 3:22 pm. He earned 9.9m. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Jean Piere Dec 25, 2022 at 7:09 pm. 2023 Womens Sports Foundation. Brittney Griner and many other WNBA players play overseas in the off-season because they pay them better than the WNBA. By comparison, last years Professional Bowling League averaged650,000 viewers for ESPN. However, WNBA players push for more ESPN and media coverage. There need to be more women and more people of color hired so we can curate our own sports stories. 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 . This is reality folks. And for the first time, gamers could play with WNBA players in NBA Live 18. Over in the WNBA, total revenue hit $60 million in 2022. As said in the article my Glamour, the . If we also assume that what players have done so far (prior to Friday's games) allows us to forecast each player's final production of wins in 2018 (wins produced can be measured with the player's box score statistics), then here are the fifteen most valuable players in the WNBA (in terms of their forecasted season wins production and the estimate of their salary if the WNBA was paying players like the NBA): It certainly appears that if the WNBA paid like the NBA, the top WNBA players would be paid better than what we think the top NBA referees are receiving. Like Russia. The top players in the NBA will now be able to earn six figure salaries, more than half a million. Why WNBA players should be paid more? How are you supposed to get nice equipment when you dont have the money to pay for it. Better cooks etc. If Im going to spend my time and money to watch professional basketball, why would I choose the Mystics over the Wizards? We had incredibly thrilling semifinals series that went a full five games apiece. Seriously, not a single person. 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. They have security concerns because of their fame. And while thats not a dollar amount to sniff at, these women only have so long to earn money off their athletic ability. 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. The more money that women make, the more respect they will get. She believes the athletes deserve more money. Thats far away from here, but thats what were fighting toward.. "There need to be more women . It is a credit to the economics profession that the labor theory of value has largely fallen out of style. In contrast, NBA players receive about 50% of league revenue. Yet, they still choose to play in the US because . In the offseason, almost every WNBA member plays overseas, where they can make up to 10 times their normal WNBA salary. Thats why most women play their time in the league rather than right after they play overseas, so its a year-round thing. 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. Lisa Borders, president of theWNBA, has even directlypointed to sexismas a driving reason for the discrepancies between the earnings ofmale and female players. And yet, they do it, in large part, for the financial security it provides. The WNBA is 50 years behind in building its brand and working out labor issues. All rights reserved. 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. must.be. She told the reporter that she wants there to be something for future generations to aspire to. Please everyone support our women athletes. I have limited time and resources. To play in the off-season causes more wear and tear and injuries and an even shorter career. I do believe that WNBA players are highly skilled, but against Lebron James they are basically kindergarteners playing seniors in high school. 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. 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 don't know exactly how much revenue the WNBA brings in, but given the league's minimum ticket prices, average attendance, and the value of its ESPN television deal it appears revenue was at least $51.5 million in 2017. Last week, this exciting season of the WNBA ended after the Seattle Storm swept the Washington Mystics to win their third championship. However, you cannot have equal pay when you dont make enough money to have the same amount of pay. I fault the narrative claiming that one group deserves as much money as another group solely because of gender the narrative that the utopic desire for gender equality trumps market forces. Athletes have short careers. The league average in 2022 is just $102,751 for WNBA players. This is something that the 150-ish WNBA players have been fighting to change for quite some time. . The Long Fight for Pay Equality in Sports. The yearly revenue is 7.92 billion dollars for the NBA, and the WNBA is 60 million dollars. 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. I dont fault the WNBA players for wanting more money. Many. Tho Bishop is an Assistant Editor for the Mises Wire. Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray, Twitter Bans Sen. 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Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. We need more businesses to sign women and trust them to support their brands. That's not a lot, and it's certainly less than even the lowest-paid players in Major League Soccer . In 2014, ESPN paid the WNBA $17 million for broadcast rights. 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. She is a WNBA champion, a 3-time Russian . [ For the first time, the WNBA will be featured in NBA 2K. In order to make a living playing basketball, most WNBA players compete overseas during the offseason to supplement their WNBA income. Sue Bird once said, We dont need anybody to feel bad or have sympathy for us. Here are three arguments of which you may not have thought. The contract, which runs through 2027, pays. Last week, this exciting season of the WNBA ended after the Seattle Storm swept the Washington Mystics to win their third championship. I dont know how any single person could enjoy watching someone shoot wide open jump shots and wide open layups. 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. 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. Boys and men pick on the league every day. Hell yeah. 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. Yet much progress has been made on this front, and the league has found particularly innovative ways to promote its players, grow its fan base and tap into new revenue streams. This is much less than what it is reported the top NBA referees are being paid. This was a stellar season, where the final eight teams that made the playoffs werent determined until the last few games. 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, for the upcoming NBA season, the minimum salary of a professional NBA player is $838,464. Although that's true, there's still a substantial gender wage gap in professional basketball, even after you adjust for the revenue difference. WNBA players want their equal pay, but no one wants to watch their games. 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. Last year, total attendance for the WNBAs 12 teams reached 1,574,078, with an average attendance of 7,716 fans a new high for the 21-year-old league. 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