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. This is something that the 150-ish WNBA players have been fighting to change for quite some time. He'll need to connect with all of his players . So yes, it appears NBA referees do make more . Theyre making the most of it while they can. The WNBA's average base salary is around $130,000, with the rookie minimum at $60,471 and the veteran minimum at $72,141. 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change, OPINION: Taylors killers should be fired, The Voice of the Bellwood-Antis Student Body, Your email address will not be published. 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? Playing overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia can often pay substantially more than playing in the United States. Did You Ever Wonder How and Why the Left Is Able to Push Their Narratives Almost Unhindered? The Greatest Food Debates Of All Time, Answered Pineapple On Pizza? In the 2018 All-Star Game, for example, 32 percent of the roster identified as gay. There is no difference between the girls college tournament and the WNBA. 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. We feel strongly that if it hadnt been for our consistent advocacy, the WSL would not have made that announcement, Brennan told ESPN. Ever. 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. And it also appears -- in response to McCoughtry's comment -- the WNBA should be more competitive with leagues around the world. Many of the women dont get lucrative endorsements, and getting into broadcasting or some other sports-adjacent field once they retire is not guaranteed. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images). According to a 2014 study by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, Women sports receive only 4 per cent of all . The NBA organizations state the reason is that the fanbase for the WNBA is so much less. It was reported that Sylvia Fowles was paid $600,000 to play in China a few years ago. Whining about some that is not withstanding the reality of the matter. 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. This is evident in the lack of "highlight" plays that the WNBA is able to offer up. 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. Part of HuffPost News. James reportedly walked away with $370,000, while Bird only collected $11,356. 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. A case can be made thatWNBAplayers are actually overpaid relative to what consumers actually want. The NBA usually brings in about 2 million viewers that want to sit down and watch the NBA. We use all the fundamentals that the game was made for. 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 . So yes, it appears NBA referees do make more than a WNBA player. And its something were going to keep trying to push and push and push until we feel that everything is equal. All Rights Reserved. Lets look beyond skill and size. 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. Meanwhile, Steph Curry, the highest-paid player in the NBA, will make $45.7 million this season. must.be. Those numbers are very surprising to hear but that is just the cold hard truth. 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 . Just like how these. Due to this situation the question has surfaced of, Should women basketball players be compensated the same as mens? But WNBA players only take less than 25 percent of the total earnings of their league. I choose to ignore them and not attend the games because, to be blunt, the product isnt very good. 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. They make it to the WC and have to split the revenue with the womens soccer team. This would give them the opportunity to negotiate a new deal that increases the salary cap, along with maximum and minimum salaries. Women have all of those qualities. They can also pay their players more since they have the ability to create more demand for their products and services. Prior to this season, Cambage last played in the WNBA in 2013. We had incredibly thrilling semifinals series that went a full five games apiece. This year, all of the major professional sports leagues had a presence. She is in grave danger and this petition is to try to make sure this never happens again. 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. . Yet, they still choose to play in the US because . You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. As said in the article my Glamour, the . The NBA player whose salary is closest . Athletes have short careers. The 5th ranked NBA player makes over 42 million. 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. WNBA players arent asking to be paid on par with their NBA counterparts. It's not entirely clear what NBA referees make, but Yahoo.com reported a few years ago that salaries range from $150,000 to $550,000. For the sake of the future of the WNBA and its need to stop the top players from skipping entire seasons, maybe the league should want the same thing. 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 . Basically, they want a fair share of the total revenue of the WNBA. Every once in a while, you'll get someone who claims WNBA players should be paid like LeBron James and other elite NBA talent. You can pay your athletes more if they actually bring in the revenue for you to pay them with. This . There is no difference between the girls college tournament and the WNBA. Starting, we need more people advertising and supporting the WNBA, and not only when its beneficial for them. In a perfect world, yes, yes they absolutely should. You may opt-out by. Playing overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia can often. And we need men speaking out about these things., In 2016, six female big wave surfers Andrea Moller, Bianca Valenti, Keala Kennelly, Paige Alms, Karen Tynan and Sabrina Brennan founded the Commission for Equity in Womens Surfing (CEWS). Undermining Berris position, though, is the simple observation that revenue is not the same as profit another measure by which theWNBAhasconsistently struggled. They incur a lot of wear and tear and injuries to their bodies. They have higher travel expenses. Many people don't like the WNBA just because they have low talent but the girls don . I feel like were getting there.. We need to come together as one and fix this problem. In fact, theWNBAs big television contractwas itself a byproduct of the channelreworking its agreement with their male counterpart. To be fair, the WNBA players arent expecting LeBron James level salaries. 2023 Womens Sports Foundation. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. He covers an array of topics including NFL, Pop Culture, Fishing News, and the Outdoors. 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. Last week, this exciting season of the WNBA ended after the Seattle Storm swept the Washington Mystics to win their third championship. BroBible is the #1 place on the internet for the very best content from the worlds of sports, culture, gear, high tech, and more. In 2014, ESPN paid the WNBA $17 million for broadcast rights. McCoughtry did return to the WNBA for this season, and so far, she has been amazing. 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. Founded by Billie Jean King. WWE Insider Says Yes, recently made this observation on Twitter about pay in the WNBA, but Yahoo.com reported a few years ago that salaries range from $150,000 to $550,000, there's still a substantial gender wage gap in professional basketball, 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, it has been reported that average salary is about $75,000, The methodology used to measure exploitation in college basketball, wins produced can be measured with the player's box score statistics, It has been reported that more than 60% of the WNBA's players play in a league outside the United States when the WNBA season ends. 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. 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