VA
  • TGT on YouTube
  • About TGT
  • The TGT Team
  • How TGT rates
  • Responsible Gambling Advice
  • Contact Our Team
  • Writers Wanted
  • Content Disclaimer
  • Affiliate Disclosure
Contains commercial content
Billboard Left
Billboard Left
The Grueling Truth - Where Legends Speak / WNBA players want equal pay, do they deserve it?

WNBA players want equal pay, do they deserve it?

Publish Date: 08/07/2022
Fact checked by: Simon Briffa
UNCASVILLE, CT - AUGUST 08: Seattle Storm Guard Sue Bird (10) and the Referee converse over a missed call during the game as the Connecticut Sun host the Seattle Storm on August 08, 2017 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Equal Pay

For years, WNBA players have felt that their salaries are unfair and that they should be paid more in line with their male counterparts in the NBA. Draymond Green, one of those high-paid male players, recently added some fuel to the flame by offering his opinion on the matter (in short, women shouldn’t complain). That was a little over a year ago; he is still right to this day.

It appears that women are in agreement — there is no comparison between WNBA and NBA revenues — but let’s first understand what WNBA players want. Kelsey Plum is a star player in WNBA. According to her, “I’m tired of people thinking (we) players are asking the same amount of money as NBA basketball players… we are asking the same percentage revenue share within our CBA. We receive 20% of the shared revenue in our CBA, while NBA players get around 50%.

What’s Our Take?

It doesn’t matter what; it’s hard to sell a league that cannot turn a profit but survives on handouts provided by the NBA. Higher subsidies from the benefactor mean a bigger cut for players. Is it impossible for the league to operate independently without such rewards? No, it’s really not. The USFL, in comparison, drew over 650k viewers, a game that’s over double what the women’s average game draws, and the USFL is struggling to make it. Until the NBA subsidized the WNBA twenty-five years ago every other attempt at a women’s pro basketball league had failed miserably. Why has it failed? That’s simply because people don’t want to watch women play basketball in the summer, hell nobody wants to watch women pro basketball at any point in the year.

Other than the fact that they both play the same sport, there is little between the NBA and WNBA that is the same.

Number Crunching:

The NBA is 75, and the WNBA is 25 years old, respectively. In building its brand and resolving labor issues, the WNBA is 50 years behind. WNBA players want the same things that NBA players have achieved over decades of negotiations.

The average attendance for the NBA is 17,760, and that of the WNBA is 6,535. The average TV viewership for the 2019 NBA Finals was 17,760, while that of the WNBA Finals was 6,535.

The WNBA has 12 teams, while the NBA has 30.

Some Mathematics:

The average price of a ticket in the NBA is reported to be between $51 and $89, while that of the WNBA is $17.

According to Sports Media Watch, NBA games average 2,000,000 TV viewers per game; WNBA games averaged 246,000 viewers in the 2019 regular season. We’ll not consider the 2020 season impacted due to the pandemic.

The NBA’s annual revenues total $7.92 billion. The WNBA’s are $60 million. This would not cover the combined salaries for NBA players Kevin Love and Damian Lillard. Revenues are not to be confused or misunderstood with profits.

How does it work out?

The WNBA is left short of funds due to all of this. Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, reports that the WNBA lost on average $10 million each year it has been around. This is even though the NBA subsidizes the WNBA out of political correctness. The WNBA is nothing more than a league that is operating with its hands out while losing the NBA millions of dollars per year. The WNBA is welfare as a league; they could never stand alone.

This leads us to this: The average NBA salary is approximately $7.5 million. The league said the average WNBA stipend in 2019 was about $116,000. However, a new collective bargaining arrangement, which runs from 2020-2027, provides a 53% increase in pay, plus maternity leave at full salary, $5,000 for child care, as well as as as as much as $60,000 to adopt, surrogacy, or fertility treatments. The CBA increases base salaries to $130,000, while elite players can make upwards of $500,000. Does that sound like a nad deal when you are working July-October?

The problem with the WNBA is that it doesn’t generate enough interest or revenue to support a pay structure comparable to the men’s league. Because the men’s league casts a huge shadow, the WNBA runs its season from July through October. For the average sports fan, the league is almost irrelevant. Diana Taurasi is known as the “Michael Jordan” of the WNBA. Have you heard of her name? If you did, it was from watching the UCONN women play in the NCAA Tournament, not because you saw her in the WNBA.

No one wants to admit that certain sports are better for women than for men. Women’s tennis is just as popular, if not more, than the men’s game. And women’s gymnastics is more popular than the male sport. According to NCAA, the average college basketball attendance was 1,625 Division I women and 5,650 Division I men.

What about other sports?

LPGA golfers also face this challenge. The PGA Tour and LPGA Tour prize cash are vastly different. The LPGA Tour doesn’t generate the same revenue or interest as the men’s game. Quick, name five LPGA players. Although it might not be fair, it is a fact.

It’s not helped that women’s sport came late to the game. Although it seems absurd now, 50 years ago, women’s high-school sports were virtually nonexistent. Before 1972, the Olympics did not allow women to run more than 800m. The 1,500-meter run was introduced to the program. Meanwhile, men competed in longer distances, including the steeplechase, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and marathon. The Olympics did not create a marathon for women until 1984.

It took decades to overcome this backward thinking, and women’s sports have been playing catch up ever since. The WNBA is in this situation in its quest for a better identity and a higher salary on the American sports scene. The problem is that the WNBA will never be a league that can stand independently; why is that so bad? The NBA stays woke and loses ten million annually supporting this league. I have no issue with the NBA doing this, it’s their money, not mine, and I think these highly talented women making money to play Pro basketball is awesome, but please don’t try to make me feel bad for not watching it. Watching is my choice, just like it’s the NBA’s job to keep the league afloat with their money. I just want every woman playing in the WNBA to shut up about more pay! If you want more pay, play better, so people want to watch.

Billboard Left
Billboard Left
Read Also
Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89)
Many of us dream of celebrity sports fame, but only cruel individuals ...
Elmer Ray: The Humble Man of Hastings
"Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for ...
BetMGM Promo
Top 100 remaining 2021 NFL free agents after Day 1
This is the most up-to-date list of available NFL free agents following ...
Ranking the top 200 players in the NFL ahead of the 2021 season
This list isn’t based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. ...
Top 100 NFL free agents entering the 2021 offseason
Below is a list of the top 100 free agents available this ...
Lady Tyger’s Tale: How Marian Trimiar Mauled the Boxing Establishment of the 1970s and 80s
To Feed the Ambition in Your Heart is Like Carrying a Tiger ...
The Forgotten Canadian Champion (And Maybe It’s Deserved): Billy Hawkins
As Mike Goodpaster and I prepare our popular Old-Time Boxing Show podcast, ...
The Army Boxer Who Knocked-Down Muhammad Ali (1960)
I had wanted to write a boxing story about Junebug Hudson for ...
Sportsbook of the month
PointsBet - Get your Bonus Bet now! Get your Bonus Bet now!
Top Brands
Top Bonuses
Stake.us
Stake.us
Stake.us Review
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Review
4.6/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Review
4.5/5
Golden Hearts Games
Golden Hearts Games
Golden Hearts Games Review
4.5/5
Pulsz.com
Pulsz.com
Pulsz.com Review
4.5/5
Stake.us
Stake.us Bonus
5% Rakeback
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Bonus
30 SCs on 1st Purchase + 4.5 SCs FREE
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Bonus
Get up to GC 360,000 + Free FC1,000
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Golden Hearts Games
Golden Hearts Games Bonus
Get $5 extra in FREE play
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Pulsz.com
Pulsz.com Bonus
5,000 Gold Coins + 2.3 Sweepstakes Coins
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Latest News
Drew Allar taking over as the signal caller at Penn State
Happy Valley Is Witnessing A Change As Sean ...
The State of Indiana’s Top 20 Basketball players of all time
This list will comprise anybody born in Indiana ...
Lopez vs. Conlan & Lara vs. Wood 2: Featherweight Festivities 
  The Mexican invasion commences this Saturday in ...
Betting Tips
05/27/2023 - 8:30 pm
Kaseya Arena
Tip:
Celtics to Cover
Celtics -3
FanDuel
05/25/2023 - 8:30 pm
TD Garden
Tip:
Miami to Cover
7.50
FanDuel
05/16/2023 - 8:30 pm
Ball Arena
Tip:
Nuggets to Cover
-5.50
FanDuel
Our Latest YouTube Videos
Video: Boxing History 101: Randall
Boxing History 101: Randall "Tex" Cobb the Man who shut up Howard Cosell
Video: 1919 Cincinnati Reds: True Champions
1919 Cincinnati Reds: True Champions
Video: Boxing History 101: Abe Attell A Complex Champion
Boxing History 101: Abe Attell A Complex Champion
Sportsbook of the month
PointsBet - Get your Bonus Bet now! Get your Bonus Bet now!
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....
Top Online Casinos
Top Casinos Bonuses
Stake.us
Stake.us
Stake.us Review
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Review
4.6/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Review
4.5/5
Golden Hearts Games
Golden Hearts Games
Golden Hearts Games Review
4.5/5
Pulsz.com
Pulsz.com
Pulsz.com Review
4.5/5
Stake.us
Stake.us Bonus
5% Rakeback
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Bonus
30 SCs on 1st Purchase + 4.5 SCs FREE
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Bonus
Get up to GC 360,000 + Free FC1,000
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Golden Hearts Games
Golden Hearts Games Bonus
Get $5 extra in FREE play
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Pulsz.com
Pulsz.com Bonus
5,000 Gold Coins + 2.3 Sweepstakes Coins
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Top Betting Sites
Top Betting Bonuses
FanDuel
FanDuel
FanDuel Review
4.8/5
PointsBet
PointsBet
PointsBet Review
4.6/5
Bet365
Bet365
Bet365 Review
4.5/5
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com Review
4.5/5
Unibet
Unibet
Unibet Review
4.5/5
FanDuel
FanDuel Bonus
Get up to $1,000 back in bonus bets
T&Cs apply
4.8/5
PointsBet
PointsBet Bonus
5 x $50Bet Credits
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Bet365
Bet365 Bonus
Bet $1 & Get $200 in Bonus Bets
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Bet $1 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets at bet365. Deposit required. Bonus Bets winnings are added to Bonus Bets balance. Bonus Bet wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com Bonus
100% up to $500
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Unibet
Unibet Bonus
100% up to $100
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Our Team
Mike GoodpasterAuthor IconJosh SchwartzSamuel TeetsSimon Briffa
+8
Mike Goodpaster
Mike Goodpaster
Chief Editor
Author Icon
Christopher Carlson
Content Writer
Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
Editor
Samuel Teets
Samuel Teets
US Sports Veteran
Simon Briffa
Simon Briffa
Sports Editor
Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis
Editor
Chris Benedict
Chris Benedict
Editor
Author Icon
Malik Zorrok
Author
Author Icon
Daniel Kornhauser
Author
John Raspanti
John Raspanti
Author
Author Icon
Buddy Gibbs
Author
Brian Coburn
Brian Coburn
Author
Peter Bonahoom
Peter Bonahoom
Author
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....

If you enjoy hearing from the legends of pro sports, then be sure to tune into “The Grueling Truth” sports shows, “Where the legends speak”

Contact us: contact@thegruelingtruth.com

Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.

21+NCPG
Move to Top
Close
Stake.us Exclusive Bonus
5% Rakeback
Promo Code
Copy
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 18+
Payment Methods
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Ethereum
Dogecoin
Highlights
  • Exclusive promo code: TGTSOCIAL
  • Play Plinko, Hilo, Crash and more!
  • Get Stake Cash bonuses every day!
Stake Originals
Dice
Crash
Plinko
Mines
×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Visit Site