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 . If WNBA players demand a higher salary that would match the NBA, the league. And Britney Griner, in an interview with Landon Buford, echoed the sentiment . 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. Here are three arguments of which you may not have thought. also the nba is funding the wnba over 70 million to keep . The above analysis says the WNBA should be able to match such an offer. 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The top players in the NBA will now be able to earn six figure salaries, more than half a million. It is very clear why NBA players make more money than WNBA players they simply generate more revenue. 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. Undermining Berris position, though, is the simple observation that revenue is not the same as profit another measure by which theWNBAhasconsistently struggled. As said in the article my Glamour, the . But in terms of pay, it definitely is not. 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. They shouldnt have to work so hard for so little. If Im going to spend my time and money to watch professional basketball, why would I choose the Mystics over the Wizards? 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. Obviously, the players would want to receive a larger share of league revenue. 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. Old Joe Biden Has Never Told a WEIRDER Story Than This One, Et Tu, Paul? Over in the WNBA, total revenue hit $60 million in 2022. The yearly revenue is 7.92 billion dollars for the NBA, and the WNBA is 60 million dollars. 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 . 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. 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. Average attendance per game was 7,716 in 2017. 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. The U.S. women's soccer team has filed a gender discrimination lawsuit. 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. I have limited time and resources. Last year, the average WNBA salary was US$71,635, and this year appears to be closer to $75,000. In a perfect world, yes, yes they absolutely should. She was returning to Russia to fulfill her contractual obligations to her Russian Team. 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). Because these women deserve more money. Of course, a bump to 50 percent of WNBA league revenue isnt realistic, because theres a difference between revenue and profit. WNBA players want what NBA players spent decades trying to obtain. Britney Griner as the 5th ranked WNBA player is paid 227 K by the WNBA. So even relative to other non-major professional leagues, theWNBAstruggles for relevance. WNBA players arent asking to be paid on par with their NBA counterparts. The WNBA will suffer if they dont figure out some way to pay players more. 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. 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. In fact, far more than I see and hear them for the Wizards, the local NBA team. Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images). Please everyone support our women athletes. Unfortunately Wilsons thoughts reflecta growingtrend of sports commentarylooking at the plight of the underpaidWNBAplayer. 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 . Are there men that cook well and deal with kids well? Djokovic, also top ranked, won one Grand Slam, seven titles and the year-end ATP championships. So we need a change, and we need it now. 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. Demanding that female players be paid what they deserve is not about comparing the WNBA to the NBA as apples-to-apples salaries. In the past, some top male players including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have claimed men should earn more as they attract more people. 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. Its not even because of skill it is simply because none of the girls could get a shot off at will. Meanwhile, Steph Curry, the highest-paid player in the NBA, will make $45.7 million this season. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. If you cannot draw the fans and advertising dollars on your own, why would you expect the NBA to be your support bra? Playing overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia can often pay substantially more than playing in the United States. 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. So yes, it appears NBA referees do make more . And there is seemingly no end to the people who tell them to be quiet, who disparage their talent and work and even lie about what they have said to make them seem petty or jealous. Last year, Minnesota Lynxs Seimone Augustus told The Undefeated that the reasons players continue in the league is for history and for the future. However, the WNBA actually loses $10 million a year as an organization, with costs outweighing revenue. Lebron James is 69 and 250 pounds of pure muscle and can jump 40 off the ground. In her defense, Wilson is a 21-year-old athlete who probably hasnt thought a great deal about economics. This will never happen simply because the WNBA cant make the money to pay their players just as much money. In the offseason, almost every WNBA member plays overseas, where they can make up to 10 times their normal WNBA salary. Clearly, the WNBA still needs to work on establishing its long-term viability, and some might argue that the players shouldnt request raises until the league has become more financially stable. 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 WNBA hasn't really made profit they split about 20% of the money which is about 11 million for them. 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. Sue Bird once said, We dont need anybody to feel bad or have sympathy for us. A 47 point difference is absolutely terrible. 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. This should not be tolerated. But even with all this growth, theres one enduring challenge: media exposure. The WNBA does not have the amount of television contract and sponsorship money to warrant paying players more, having a longer season, and/or make other investments to the league. According to Bird: So, I thought that it needed . All rights reserved. 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