For now, the WNBA doesn’t compare to the NBA, but is the league even getting a good chance to succeed, let alone pay their players more?
Most assume the gender income gap between the NBA and WNBA is about money and not gender. After all, the WNBA median salary of about $71,000 is indeed way lower than the NBA’s median salary of $6.4 million.
While that may be true, considering the history of unfair wages to women in this nation, it’s worth taking a closer look at the gap that separates the male and female pro basketball players in this country.
Here’s the real deal: No, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the WNBA pales in comparison in revenue, making a mere $60 million in comparison to the NBA’s $7.4 billion last season. But despite the numbers, there are indeed some key differences that make this issue more complex than you’d think.
With a looming Collective Bargaining Agreement Nov. 1 opt-out date for both players and the league, some ugly facts have been brought to light.
First, the fact that WNBA players can make 23 percent of their league revenue, compared to NBA players’ 50 percent, is pretty bad, and likely going to change.
What’s worse is the sad truth that WNBA players see no money from the sales of their jerseys, whereas men in the NBA get paid for their jersey sales.
While it’s fair to say players in a league that has less demand and less revenue shouldn’t get paid the same, it’s unfair for owners to make money off their names (quite literally off their backs) and their personal brands as pro basketball players without paying out a dime.
While All-Star point guard Skylar Diggins made headlines comparing the minimal attention the WNBA gets to the type of attention LeBron James receives, she also had some insightful, less-publicized points that bring up a huge issue: Are we even giving the WNBA a chance to entertain at its fullest capacity?
After all, teams overseas are paying far more than the WNBA is. The WNBA’s “offseason” is hardly that, as the league runs from May through early September from opening tip through the Finals — hardly an appealing season slot.
In addition, Diggins wisely points out that the league has women up to 6’8” flying in tiny commercial coach airline seats overnight for back-to-back sets.
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So in the dog days of basketball, WNBA players are trotted out in obscure arenas and cities around the country for less money than they make overseas on little to no rest. This couldn’t sound more like a poorly run business.
In fact, a large amount of WNBA teams do not make money every season. Well, neither do some NBA teams, but not most of them.
No one is asking for a handout either. The fact is that there is indeed be a market for women’s basketball, and not just with women audiences.
The oft-forgotten truth is that basketball is not classified as a contact sport. This truth isn’t just in theory: NBA legends like Steve Nash, Kevin Durant, Muggsy Bogues and Allen Iverson have proven that an undersized or skinny player can thrive in any basketball environment with crafty play and extremely precise skill.
The NBA recently cut the shot clock down to 14 seconds following offensive rebounds to allow for faster flow, more 3-pointers, driven up scores, and most importantly, stat-padding. Would looking at WNBA rules critically make for more exciting outcomes? Probably.
If there was enough demand to watch men jump on trampoline rigged courts to do super dunks, it’s a crime to say women who are legit pro athletes can’t get the spotlight to perform in a more entertaining way and get paid.
Basketball is growing as a sport, and like with any other sport, the allure is watching humans accomplish physical feats the rest of us simply can’t do. If the WNBA wants to take that leap forward in it’s upcoming 23rd season, both the players and the league will have to work to make sure players are paid for their world-class athleticism and continue to take steps to make sure they’re putting out the most entertaining product possible.