No Result
View All Result
SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES
  • Login
Thursday, October 23, 2025
TheAdviserMagazine.com
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal
No Result
View All Result
TheAdviserMagazine.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Market Research Economy

Do WNBA Players Really Want to Be Paid What They Are Owed?

by TheAdviserMagazine
3 months ago
in Economy
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Do WNBA Players Really Want to Be Paid What They Are Owed?
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LInkedIn


More than 16,000 people showed up at the WNBA All-Star game July 19, but the big news wasn’t that Team Collier pummeled Team Clark by the grotesque score of 151-131, or even that this was the highest-attended WNBA All-Star game in the league’s history. Instead, the big news was that the players pre-game wore T-shirts with a demand to the league: “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”

Last month, I took issue with claims that WNBA players were underpaid, as I pointed out—using the economic analysis of the Austrian School of economics—that, given the lack of profitability by the league, the notion that the players are experiencing an “economic injustice” is ludicrous. Others, such as sports columnist Skip Bayless have pointed out that the only reason that the WNBA has seen the growth that has brought on the demand for higher pay has been the arrival of Caitlin Clark, something that the rest of the league has been unwilling to admit.

While people speak of the WNBA’s growth in fans and merchandise sales with the arrival of Clark last year, the numbers must be put into perspective. For example, the WNBA recently signed a 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and new rights-holder NBCUniversal. That number could grow to about $3 billion with other media partnerships, such as current deals with ION and CBS.

However, that number must be put into perspective. The NBA recently signed an 11-year, $76 billion deal which means that Disney (ABC and ESPN), Comcast (NBA and Peacock) and Amazon will broadcast NBA games through the 2035-36 season. As one can see, while the WNBA’s deal is impressive from where the league had been, it is less than three percent of the NBA agreement.

At the present time, the average WNBA base salary is $102,249, while the average NBA salary is $11,910,649. In the NBA, the players’ share of the league revenues is between 49 and 51 percent while in the WNBA, the players’ share of the league revenues is 9.3 percent. So, doing some simple math, the WNBA players are demanding the same percentage of revenues as their male counterparts, thus what they are “owed.”

There is a problem with those calculations, however. The most recent count for WNBA revenues is $200 million, while two years ago, revenues for the NBA passed $11 billion. Both leagues have expenses well beyond player salaries, and even with the WNBA’s newfound popularity, the league lost $40 million last year. Economically speaking, the WNBA is not producing wealth but rather destroying it.

This is not an irregular occurrence, but rather a standard feature of the WNBA since its founding in 1997. Had it been an ordinary business, it would have folded years ago, but instead is kept alive in large part because of subsidies from the NBA, which owns 42 percent of the league. Given that this arrangement has lasted for the past 28 years, it is doubtful that the NBA will pull the plug anytime soon. But while the WNBA players are demanding more “revenue sharing,” they ignore the fact that revenues are not what is significant; profits are. Should the players be paid via 50 percent of the revenues, as they are demanding, the league’s losses would grow significantly, enough to scare off potential investors and possibly the NBA itself.

Why is the WNBA losing money while salaries are less than 10 percent of revenues while the NBA is profitable even when half of its revenues are spent on the players? The simple answer is that the NBA has more than $5 billion to pay its other expenses while the WNBA would have only about $100 million for all other expenses if the league’s leadership were to give into the players’ demands.

As I noted in my June article, Nobel-winning economist Claudia Goldin wrote in a New York Times op-ed that “nothing can justify this extraordinary pay gap” between NBA and WNBA players. Her reasoning, however, was not based upon revenues generated but rather upon a formula she created that looks at television viewing audiences for league games in which she claimed would set the “justified” WNBA salary at about “roughly one-quarter to one-third of the average N.B.A. salary to achieve pay equity.”

Goldin was thinking like a feminist academic, not as an economist. Salaries are paid by real funds, not abstract formulas. She, along with many of the league’s players and fans, believes that all that is needed is for the WNBA management to significantly boost salaries and the money needed will “come from somewhere.” Sports analyst and talk show host Pat McAfee reflects that thinking:

“If we’re already losing $40 million, could you not just bump [the players’ salaries] up to at least six figures?” McAfee said. “$70,000 as a paycheck is a very—that’s an embarrassment. Especially for Caitlin Clark and all these people in professional sports.

“With how long the WNBA has been around, to say the $40 million loss is the reason you can’t give them money, that should be pretty easy to make happen. If you just add $30,000 to each one of them, get that up to over $100,000. That’s another like $4.6 million, so you’re $44.6 million this way, there has to be $4 million you can find somewhere in here that you can give up to give the players at least a little more money.”

And yet, as sportswriter Skip Bayless has pointed out, when Caitlin Clark came to the WNBA last year as a near-force of nature that provided a huge boost in fan interest in the league, the response of most of the players bordered on violence, as Clark faced hard fouls, physical attacks, and other signs of disrespect as the players simply could not accept the presence of a white and sexually straight superstar. While the players might be serious basketball players—and the American women’s basketball teams have dominated the recent Olympic Games—they clearly are not serious about accepting what must be done to improve their pay prospects.

As I have written before, the WNBA owes its existence and longevity to the politics of sex and race. Even with the boosted interest in the league following the entrance of Caitlin Clark, the long-term prospects for profitability for the WNBA probably are not good. The fact that the league’s top officials have shown no desire to protect Clark from physical attacks on the court demonstrates that they really are not serious about making the WNBA anything more than what it currently is: a charity that keeps women basketball players in this country employed. In the meantime, economically speaking, should the WNBA player receive their discounted marginal value product to the WNBA, they would find that number to be zero.



Source link

Tags: owedPaidplayersWNBA
ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

Remittix Confirms Solana and Ethereum Integration for Upcoming Wallet Beta, Presale Skyrockets Toward $17M

Next Post

PayPal: Wie PayPal World die Aktie beflügeln könnte!

Related Posts

edit post
Reward and Retribution Is the New U.S. Policy for Latin America

Reward and Retribution Is the New U.S. Policy for Latin America

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 23, 2025
0

During the press conference after the meeting with Zelensky, a reporter asked Trump how he would proceed with Venezuela, since...

edit post
Here’s which sectors are showing bifurcation

Here’s which sectors are showing bifurcation

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 23, 2025
0

Jasondoiy | E+ | Getty ImagesAmid recession fears, a government shutdown and tariff uncertainty, consumers are increasingly diverging in their...

edit post
Don’t Mistake a Miracle for Its Cause

Don’t Mistake a Miracle for Its Cause

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 23, 2025
0

In times of crisis, we consider what can be done to return to a path of prosperity and wealth. However,...

edit post
Post-Pandemic Inflation In Canada | Armstrong Economics

Post-Pandemic Inflation In Canada | Armstrong Economics

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 23, 2025
0

Inflation in Canada rose to 2.4% this September, as reported by Statistics Canada. Excluding gas, the rate sits at 2.6%....

edit post
Market Talk – October 22, 2025

Market Talk – October 22, 2025

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 22, 2025
0

ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a negative day today: • NIKKEI 225 decreased 8.27 points or -0.02% to...

edit post
Dem Gerontocrats Try To Crush Graham Platner in Maine Senate Race

Dem Gerontocrats Try To Crush Graham Platner in Maine Senate Race

by TheAdviserMagazine
October 22, 2025
0

The D.C. consensus is becoming clear, the gerontocrats, led by Chuck Schumer, are on the verge of crushing the pesky...

Next Post
edit post
PayPal: Wie PayPal World die Aktie beflügeln könnte!

PayPal: Wie PayPal World die Aktie beflügeln könnte!

edit post
How advisors can work with disabled clients

How advisors can work with disabled clients

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
edit post
77-year-old popular furniture retailer closes store locations

77-year-old popular furniture retailer closes store locations

October 18, 2025
edit post
Pennsylvania House of Representatives Rejects Update to Child Custody Laws

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Rejects Update to Child Custody Laws

October 7, 2025
edit post
What to Do When a Loved One Dies in North Carolina

What to Do When a Loved One Dies in North Carolina

October 8, 2025
edit post
Probate vs. Non-Probate Assets: What’s the Difference?

Probate vs. Non-Probate Assets: What’s the Difference?

October 17, 2025
edit post
California Attorney Pleads Guilty For Role In 2M Ponzi Scheme

California Attorney Pleads Guilty For Role In $912M Ponzi Scheme

October 15, 2025
edit post
Baby Boomers Are Flocking to This Florida Town — but Not for the Weather

Baby Boomers Are Flocking to This Florida Town — but Not for the Weather

October 9, 2025
edit post
Stock news for investors: Iamgold expands, Teck advances merger talks, and Wealthsimple hits 0B milestone

Stock news for investors: Iamgold expands, Teck advances merger talks, and Wealthsimple hits $100B milestone

0
edit post
Chicken Fried Rice ( Family Dinner Idea)

Chicken Fried Rice ($10 Family Dinner Idea)

0
edit post
Introducing Build Mode: TechCrunch’s new podcast for founders 

Introducing Build Mode: TechCrunch’s new podcast for founders 

0
edit post
Transform Your Organization With Strategic Operating Model Change

Transform Your Organization With Strategic Operating Model Change

0
edit post
How advisors are using AI without explicit SEC guidance

How advisors are using AI without explicit SEC guidance

0
edit post
How Some Retirees Are Finding Happiness Again After Age 60

How Some Retirees Are Finding Happiness Again After Age 60

0
edit post
How advisors are using AI without explicit SEC guidance

How advisors are using AI without explicit SEC guidance

October 23, 2025
edit post
How Some Retirees Are Finding Happiness Again After Age 60

How Some Retirees Are Finding Happiness Again After Age 60

October 23, 2025
edit post
Chicken Fried Rice ( Family Dinner Idea)

Chicken Fried Rice ($10 Family Dinner Idea)

October 23, 2025
edit post
Tesla’s weak earnings show how the ‘Musk Magic’ Premium is inflating its share price

Tesla’s weak earnings show how the ‘Musk Magic’ Premium is inflating its share price

October 23, 2025
edit post
‘Cash, precious metals, crypto’ is new norm for peak stock market risk

‘Cash, precious metals, crypto’ is new norm for peak stock market risk

October 23, 2025
edit post
Introducing Build Mode: TechCrunch’s new podcast for founders 

Introducing Build Mode: TechCrunch’s new podcast for founders 

October 23, 2025
The Adviser Magazine

The first and only national digital and print magazine that connects individuals, families, and businesses to Fee-Only financial advisers, accountants, attorneys and college guidance counselors.

CATEGORIES

  • 401k Plans
  • Business
  • College
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Economy
  • Estate Plans
  • Financial Planning
  • Investing
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Legal
  • Market Analysis
  • Markets
  • Medicare
  • Money
  • Personal Finance
  • Social Security
  • Startups
  • Stock Market
  • Trading

LATEST UPDATES

  • How advisors are using AI without explicit SEC guidance
  • How Some Retirees Are Finding Happiness Again After Age 60
  • Chicken Fried Rice ($10 Family Dinner Idea)
  • Our Great Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use, Legal Notices & Disclosures
  • Contact us
  • About Us

© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
See articles for original source and related links to external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal

© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
See articles for original source and related links to external sites.