Why Female Athletes Earn Less Than Men Across Most Sports - Forbes For instance, FIFA says the 2018 men's World Cup generated $5.4 billion in revenue. If the WNBA Players Association wants to opt out of its current collective bargaining agreement with the league and renegotiate terms, they have to do so by Oct. 31. What if non-player. First, we should put the gaps into perspective. We had incredibly thrilling semifinals series that went a full five games apiece. The average WNBA player earns an average salary of around $75,000 per year. What many of the women are asking for is equity in revenue sharing, as economist David Berri has written about repeatedly at Forbes. why wnba players should be paid more - mpv.aap.org.pe Iowa's transfer portal options? Van Lith to LSU?: Women's college WNBA's 25th Season: It's Time to Start Paying Attention - Sports As just one brutal example, 2018 league MVP Breanna Stewart ruptured her right Achilles tendon in April 2019 while playing for Dynamo Kursk in the EuroLeague women's championship. While equal pay for equal work has emerged as a rallying cry in the ongoing struggles of women athletes, equity doesn't always, or even often, mean literal equality across all sports. According to a 2012 report in The Lancet, Bangladesh has the most physically active population in the world. So Barbosa will be paid nearly five times what the WNBA MVP earned, and Barbosa won't even play for the Suns. (These numbers include gate receipts but not sponsorship or broadcast-rights money, which account for about half of all USSF revenue but which the federation does not report separately for the MNT and WNT.) "We have to consider why the revenue is different, what bias and discrimination are in play," says Lindsay Kagawa Colas, senior vice president for women's sports at Wasserman, whose clients include a bevy of the WNBA's biggest stars, such as Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore, as well as gymnast Katelyn Ohashi and swimmer Simone Manuel. What Should Be Done About the Gender Pay Gap in Sports? Do you really compare yourself to the NBA?' Playing overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia can often pay substantially more than playing in the United States. Also a six-time All-Star, she had a nearly identical 0.248 win shares per 48 minutes in 2019. "Female players are pretty, if you excuse me saying so," former FIFA president Sepp Blatter opined in 2004. As Gulati put it: "I believed that the MNT's participation and success in their tournament would result in the receipt of substantially more prize money from FIFA than the WNT's participation and success in their tournament. As important as all these changes are, their total cost is about $1 million per WNBA team per year, which means the proportion of league revenues paid to players will rise only from about 20% to approximately 30%. The women of the WNBA are simply seeking the recognition they deserve for their performances. 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. Las Vegas Aces point guard Kelsey Plum wants to change that. Meanwhile, Leandro Barbosa is scheduled to earn $500,000 from the Phoenix Suns in 2017-18. Why do so many WNBA stars play basketball overseas? - AS USA - Diario AS And it's not just the rookies. The highest-paid players in the WNBA make less than 14 percent of that. Diana . They should fight for it because theyve earned it. Instead, she has a very reasonable argument for why the players deserve more: Kelsey Plum was a guest on The Residency Pod where she laid out an obvious and easily fixable discrepancy between the NBA and WNBA. Yet nobody is suggesting that Ogwumike ought to be paid $27 million a year -- not even the WNBA athletes who have been fighting the longest for better wages. But once two sides establish good faith in a negotiation, both can see spending -- or sacrifice -- as an investment. * Mina Kimes talks with two-time World Cup and Olympic soccer champion Julie Foudy for a candid, inside look at the battle over fair pay for female players. Sabreena is an alum of Duke University, where she wrote for the . Has commitment been equal? Let's delve into the reasons. The league average in 2022 is just $102,751 for WNBA players. 1-4 in the 2022 WNBA Draft, the base salary is expected to be $72,141 in year one. However, in the 1971-1972 season the year the NBA started drawing the same number of fans that the WNBA attracts today the average salary was $90,000, which would equate to roughly $500,000 today. "I believed," he said, "the WNT was much more likely to qualify for and succeed in their tournament than the MNT was.". What do WNBA players make overseas? Not as much as you've heard Now, Team USA is in Spain, about to play in the FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup which tips off later this week in Tenerife, with the final on Sept. 30. As Phoenix Mercurys Brittney Griner wrote on Instagram earlier this year, I do believe we should get paid more in the WNBA before players decide to only play overseas and rest our bodies during the summer.. Its so much wear and tear. 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. And these provisions have tilted strongly, almost exclusively, toward men's sports for decades. If they wanted to, they could cut salaries of the owners most of whom are billionaires and redistribute that money to WNBA players. Jackson met with Engelbert even before her hiring was official and told her the players were concerned about salary and compensation, player experience, and health and wellness. Why do WNBA players earn 7 times less than their counterparts - Medium Is the allocation of the best talent to thinking about ways to grow fan engagement, innovation or player experience happening?". This past March, the USSF even declared it was entitled to treat men better because of biology: "The overall soccer-playing ability required to compete at the senior men's national team level is materially influenced by the level of certain physical attributes, such as speed and strength.". Taurasi ranks third in the league with a $234,936 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. Major sponsors, including Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble, released statements supporting the athletes. The players wanted a viable league where they could build careers, not just part-time jobs. But that gap has virtually disappeared since the women's team won the 2015 World Cup and then maintained its global supremacy: The women's team has brought in $63.4 million since 2016, compared with $66.3 million for the men, according to U.S. Soccer's most recent financial statements. The WNBA is scheduled to play its 24th season this year. Currently, the NBA pays its players 50 percent of its total revenue. Total revenue for the NBA hit $7.4 billion in 2022. Kevin Durant doesnt produce more basketball per hour worked than Breanna Stewart, the Seattle Storm forward who claimed the WNBA MVP award in just her third season. 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. "It's not just FIFA that needs to be clear about the revenue that it's making from the Women's World Cup," says Molly Levinson, spokesperson for the U.S. women's national team. This year, the WNBA gave companies the opportunity to sponsor a second jersey patch, while offering sponsors the chance to include a logo on the court during games that dont air on ESPN. About 70 WNBA players went to compete overseas this offseason, the WNBA said Monday. This season, Davis made $27.1 million. The NBA commissioner complained publicly that the WNBA was losing more than $10 million a year, but that number said more about how the women's game was still small scale than about any significant damage to the bottom line of NBA teams. Why WNBA players are not paid as much as NBA players? FIFA's own audience reports, however, show the value of women's soccer already rising rapidly. Steph Curry's salary ($40 million) is more than three times as much as what every player in the WNBA earned in 2019 combined ($12.5 million). Reward is not a function of inputs such as work or effort; it is a function of the outputs, the product. And for the first time, gamers could play with WNBA players in NBA Live 18. The women's national team filed a wage discrimination act against US Soccer, and in turn received a significant raise, increased game bonuses, improved per diem stipends, better travel benefits,. According to the WNBA, this was most-watched regular season since 2014, with viewership across ESPN networks and NBA TV up by 31 percent. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The biggest lesson: Today's athletes are asking for something even bigger than the strict definition of "pay equity." Beyond anticipating the savings from that huge gulf, Gulati had a second simple reason for paying men and women differently: U.S. Soccer replicates the compensation practices of FIFA, the organization that is by far the biggest driver of unequal pay in global soccer. , in large part, for the financial security it provides. Much more than ever before, the women who become professionals are now building the public support, partnerships and organizations they need to get paid what they are fully worth. Only 14 players in the league make $200,000 or more, according to Spotrac data. She believes the athletes deserve more money. Consider a comparison: Anthony Davis was the No. According to Summit Hoops, Fowles was paid $109,000 for all she did in 2017. In 2014, ESPN paid the WNBA $17 million for broadcast rights. While the men are getting about half of the total money they help the NBA earn, the women are getting less than a fourth. At the same time, there's very little downside if a player happens to go bust, because even top rookies earn only about $50,000 a year. Salary issues in professional sports is not a new phenomenon. As an example, the Global Sports Salary Survey (GSSS), produced by the U.K.-based research firm Sporting Intelligence, counted 137,021 men who played professional soccer in the world in 2017 and just 1,287 women -- a ratio of 106 to 1. The WNBA continues to trail most professional sports in the United States when it comes to player salaries and compensation. And the highest paid players in the WNBA this season will earn an annual salary of $234,936, according to HerHoopStats. 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. Im asking these American companies to step up so yall dont have to go play in these other countries.. The U.S. womens national soccer team has been fighting for equal pay since 2016, and spring training for Major League Baseball is delayed due to issues surrounding the collective bargaining agreement between players and owners. OPINION: WNBA players deserve fairer pay | Opinion | dailynebraskan.com Fantasy women's basketball: Will the addition of Candace Parker shake up fantasy values on the Aces? That's the chain reaction of network externalities. The contract, which runs through 2027, pays players an average of $130,000, with the top stars able to earn more than $500,000 through salary, marketing agreements, an in-season tournament and bonuses. Sign up for notifications from Insider! The reason Griner is in Russia in the first place was because she plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League. In July 2019, the WNBA hired Cathy Engelbert, former CEO of the consulting firm Deloitte -- and a basketball walk-on who became a captain under Muffet McGraw at Lehigh in the 1980s -- as commissioner. Refresh the page, check Medium 's. But the NBAs politically correct heart has room to grow a few sizes. The WNBA has made strides to increase player salaries and find other ways to compensate players in the last CBA, which was ratified in 2020. So, if the output of basketball is points, then the pay disparity between male and female players begins to make more sense. Teams will provide housing with two bedrooms for athletes with children, individual hotel rooms on the road and flight upgrades. It happened again three days later, after a ticker tape parade through New York's Canyon of Heroes honored the four-time Cup winners. And it can take decades for leagues and franchises to develop faith and establish their footing. Over the past two years, U.S. Soccer has spent half its budget (which was $131.8 million in 2019) on management expenses and youth programs and devoted less than 30% to athlete pay and benefits. "Their attendance is. Last week, this exciting season of the WNBA ended after the Seattle Storm swept the Washington Mystics to win their third championship. Successful sports build enough familiarity and loyalty that their followers spread, find one another and reach a critical mass that, like a chain reaction in a nuclear power plant, creates a new energy that feeds on itself over time. Last year, Delanie Gourley, a star pitcher in National Pro Fastpitch softball, disclosed that she makes less than a Yankees bat boy. And shes not alone playing in European and Asian leagues in the offseason is extremely common among WNBA players. That's the other kind of equity: ownership. In October 2018, the G League announced it would provide new contracts worth $125,000 for elite prospects -- which meant it would pay some 18-year-old men more than any woman had ever earned from the WNBA in a year. In 2021, Tacoma and Louisville are scheduled to open the first soccer-specific stadiums with National Women's Soccer League clubs as their highest-level tenants. Reach them at sydneymiller@dailynebraskan.com. At the end of the day, people will still complain that the WNBA is boring, less competitive and that theres no dunking. "The good news is that folks outside the federation, from sponsors to broadcasters to partners, are incredibly bullish on the U.S. women's national team and on women's football," Levinson says. Major League Baseball is a $10 billion-in-revenue giant while the NPF players make an average of $5,000 to $6,000 because of the league's low revenue. Eagles trade up, pick Georgia DT Jalen Carter in NFL draft Cordeiro resigned three days later, and the federation switched lawyers within a week. At peak popularity, marketability and leverage, they are also seeking more equitable spending on coaching. Charles Barkley appeared on The Bird and Taurasi Show during the 2023 womens national title game on Sunday and didnt hold back his thoughts on what WNBA players go through in comparison to other sports leagues. But the incredible rise in living standards which we have seen since the Industrial Revolution has not been the result of working harder. After all, sponsors want exposure for their brand. I'm not going to call out some of the bad NBA players we got in commercials but y'all know who they are." In 2023, the highest average WNBA salary is held by Aces guard Jackie Young as she . Last year, the average WNBA salary was US$71,635, and this year appears to be closer to $75,000. But on a fundamental economic level, it is wrong, and the disparities we see between athletes salaries illustrate why. UFC Star Hannah Goldys Latest Bathing Suit Photo Goes Viral, Antonio Browns AFL Team In Chaos Amid Suspensions, Reports Of Players Not Being Paid, Former Teammate Appears To Confirm Rumors About LeBrons Meme-Worthy Pregame Ritual, It Took Trevor Bauer Just 3 Starts To Tick Off One Of His Japanese Teammates, Country Star Lainey Wilsons Latest Tour Outfit Goes Viral, Fans Had Some Wildly Differing Reactions To Emma Watson Launching Her Own Gin Brand, Hungry Museum Visitor Eats Viral Modern Art Piece That Once Sold For $120K, Mark Wahlberg Addresses Rumors Of An Entourage Reboot And How Hed Feel About It, Charge Up Your Summer With 5-hour ENERGY For A Chance To Win An Electric ATV, Get These Ultra-Tough GORUCK Backpacks At Huckberry Before Theyre Gone, Catch These Movies FREE On Plex This May Before Theyre Gone, BKFC 41 Live Stream How To Watch On FITE TV. Check out the clip of Bird's and Ray's conversation below: Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. The State . This was a stellar season, where the final eight teams that made the playoffs werent determined until the last few games. So did Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber. 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. Earlier studies from 1990 to 2015 drew similar conclusions, whether looking at daily highlights or Olympic coverage, conveyed through print or images, on television or in newspapers or magazines: Men's sports got more coverage -- and more exciting coverage. As former WNBA President Laurel Richie noted in 2014, For us its a celebration of diversity and inclusion and recognition of an audience that has been with us very passionately.. Part of HuffPost News. Show Her The Money: Why Female Athletes Deserve Higher Pay - Forbes Finally, sports need media to reach their full potential. NOW WATCH: 11 barbers who do more than just a standard cut, Visit Insider's homepage for more stories, Sue Bird said her legacy is 'already written' and described her last 2 WNBA championships as bonuses because she's playing 'on borrowed time', How the masterminds behind the WNBA's bubble successfully avoided an outbreak in the heart of a COVID-19 hotspot, Russell Wilson said he felt 'like Sue Bird in the clutch' after a brilliant performance, and the WNBA legend explained why that's important, WNBA Finals MVP Breanna Stewart crashed Sue Bird's press conference in a hilarious, booze-filled, post-championship exchange, 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. Cindy Parlow Cone, then U.S. Soccer's vice president, condemned the USSF's legal arguments. But WNBA players only take less than 25 percent of the total earnings of their league. Many of the women dont get lucrative endorsements, and getting into broadcasting or some other sports-adjacent field once they retire is not guaranteed. As Berri puts it: "Men love investing in men's sports.". Nancy Lough does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Athletes were traveling by cramped coach flights, sometimes by bus, and staying in shared hotel rooms and dormitory-style housing. Of 199 countries for which the World Bank has GDP data for, in 2012 Bangladesh ranked 175th. A post shared by Kelsey Plum (@kelseyplum10). "FIFA wants to develop a specific commercial strategy for women's football in order to attract additional funds that can be attributed directly to the women's game. On the other hand, sports news and highlight segments have historically focused overwhelmingly on men. Where is the fair days wage for the fair days work? "However, it is not reasonable or fiscally sound for U.S. Soccer to make up the gap. The answer is that reward is not necessarily proportional to effort. TV viewership tells a similar story. The WNBAs growing popularity has made pay equity a hot topic in the sport, and over the course of this season, several players have drawn attention to the issue. Until they get it, some of the worlds best female basketball players will be walking off of planes and onto courts as they meet the demands of a year-round basketball schedule. Most major sites have now joined ESPN, which launched espnW in 2010, in allocating space to women's sports across multiple dedicated pages, particularly for basketball and soccer. Indeed, in the developed world, we work much less than our ancestors did, and we do it for a far higher standard of living. . It could have been the moment for USSF officials to declare victory and get out of that war, to find some way to share with the athletes the public triumphs and financial gains of American soccer. The success of this campaign resulted in the WNBA being the first pro league to take part in the NYC Pride Parade in 2016. (Including the very greatest: From 1997 to 2000, the Houston Comets won four straight WNBA championships with a core of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson, all top-shelf Hall of Famers. When Carlos Cordeiro, then president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, began speaking in front of City Hall, shouts drowned him out: At that time, U.S. Soccer was already battling the women's national team in court, after all 28 members sued their national federation in March 2019 for "purposeful gender discrimination." They want a piece of the action. This is something that the 150-ish WNBA players have been fighting to change for quite some time. The squads face different adversaries, at different levels of competition, on different schedules, including World Cup cycles in different years. Demanding that female players be paid what they deserve is not about comparing the WNBA to the NBA as apples-to-apples salaries. 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 then it's like a 15-year-old boy," she added. John Phelan is an economist at the Center of the American Experiment and fellow of The Cobden Centre. From the highest-paid athletes to the newest rookies, professional male athletes are still making significantly more money than women. But the league has agreed to prepare and promote players for coaching and other jobs in the offseason. Meanwhile, WNBA revenues were probably around $70 million, estimates David Berri, a professor of economics at Southern Utah University and author of numerous studies about women's sports. This was a stellar season, where the final eight teams that made the playoffs werent determined until the last few games. , WNBA players make $75,000 a year in the league, with only a few players earning as much as $113,000. They could make the WNBA season longer than 36 games, which might allow for more time for fans to become invested in teams. which tips off later this week in Tenerife, with the final on Sept. 30. will be spending a significant chunk of their year overseas playing on professional teams and in leagues in order to supplement their WNBA income.

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