B%*(C)H Betta Have My Money
Pay Me What You Owe Me
WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indy was a vibe. And I wasn’t even there.
Online even felt like a party and thanks to the Studbudz we got to see all (sorta) of it.
The game seems like an afterthought just because the fanfare was so fun. But my favorite part of the game was seeing one of my favorites— Kelsey Plum— playing against her former teammate and another fav of mine— A’ja Wilson— in a BRUTAL foul situation.
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Thoughts and prayers on a quick recovery.
Not A Laughing Matter
What isn’t funny is the reminder of the vast pay inequity faced by WNBA players especially in comparison to other (men) sports.
With the new, and growing, eyes on the W, the players used this moment to really bring that discussion to the forefront, wearing shirts that stated the obvious saying we should pay them what they are owed.
Ya Heard!
But for real, pay them and pay them now.
And not that those new “fans’ of WNBA would be reading my stuff anyway but if this does make it over there to those Joe Rogan types here is the important part to remember before you cry about costs and blah blah blah.
No one is asking for the same AMOUNT of money NBA gets. No one. Not Caitlin, not Angel, not Paige, not Stewie, not A’ja, not Skylar, etc…NO ONE.
Don’t take my word for it—Kelsey said it too.
They are smart people.
What they want is their fair share and what is owed.
Splitting Up The Pie
The WNBA structure is a little weird when compared to other professional sports. In other leagues, players receive a tick below 50% of the revenue that is then split to set pay.
It only seems logical that WNBA structures their pay in a similar fashion, right?
WRONG. Not in the league that is mostly Black women THE most hated group in these “United” States.
WNBA players get 9.3% of revenue to then be distributed.
Nine point three.
Seems a little sus.
As the women fight for their new collective bargaining contract and try to raise that number, it is smart to look at the context and not just do knee-jerk reactions to mis-information and misconceptions.
Again keep this in mind—
NBA players in aggregate receive between 49% and 51% of basketball-related income, NFL players get 48% of all revenue and NHL players get 50% of revenue.
Why are the women getting 9?
A Little History
Quite a few sports personalities I like and respect have chimed in to say the women have an argument BUT, and there always is a but, the WNBA hasn’t turned a profit so how do you ask for a raise at a company that is losing money?
Easy— do what the NBA players did.
The NBA didn’t turn a profit for its first 40 years in existence. Did the players play for pennies? Was Michael Jordan playing overseas to cover rent? No.
The WNBA isn’t yet 40. It was started in MY LIFETIME. I remember reading about it being an idea.
And in spite of all of that…they are about to make bank. The league is at least.
Money comes from the tv deals and marketing.
Well… the current WNBA model has a tv deal of about 45 million per year.
45 million isn’t nothing…but again…9.3%.
Starting next year tho—- They are going from 45 per year to around 200 million after a deal with Mickey Mouse and friends.
Mickey is about to make it rain…why can’t the players get a little bit of that?
The current salary cap— to split between all the players each team— is about 1.5 million dollars. Total.
This is based on the small percentage of money coming in. The kind people at Sports Illustrated did the math and came to this conclusion on a revenue share of even 40%-
For those unaware, Jaden McDaniels in an NBA player. And the fact that you didn’t know and he gets $24.3 million a year while Caitlin Clark who you do know gets $70,000 is kind of the point.
Everyone Watches Women’s Sports
The eyes are there now. The interest is there.
In the Bay Area a new team came online in 2024 and the cost was $50 million dollars.
Fast forward to today…a year in and the valuation is $500 million dollars.
The interest is there.. the money is there.
You heard Rihanna.
Pay me what you owe me.