The WNBA, Women’s Sports, and Money
Money and sports go together like fries and ketchup. Or fries and mayo, if you’re so inclined. Pro sports in the United States is an annual multi-billion dollar industry. Frankly, it’s gotten pretty gosh darn absurd when you think about it. But we’re not going to stop watching, so here we are.
One of the biggest points of contention is the massive gap between what female athletes get paid compared to what male athletes get paid. This is particularly apparent when the NBA and WNBA are compared. While the gap is unfair, there is an unfortunate and obvious reason for it that should be impossible to ignore.
Big Money!
While it wasn’t always as big a deal as it is today, the NBA is now one of the most popular sports leagues in the world. It boasts an impressive level of international attention. Basketball is huge in North America, of course, but also in Europe and China.
This has translated into big, big money. During the 2021/22 season, the NBA raked in a reported US $10 billion which is, by any definition, an insane amount of money. These numbers include approximately $1.6 billion in sponsorship deals and $2.2 billion from arena operations.
Again, international markets play a big part in this. China alone generated approximately $500 million in profit in 2022 for the NBA. The value of the 30 teams combined in the NBA was estimated to be approximately $86 billion. That is money on another level.
Player salaries are higher than ever, as well. Steph Curry will lead the league in the 2023/24 season with a $52 million salary. But that’s a reflection of the money being made by the Golden State Warriors, the most valuable team in the NBA at $7.56 billion.
Big Money Gap!
The financial situation in the WNBA is a lot different. Projections for 2023 showed that the women’s basketball league was estimated to bring in up to $200 million in league and team revenue. That’s a far cry from the numbers the NBA is doing, though men do have a head start of a few decades.
If you think the gulf between the overall league numbers is huge, then player salaries will blow your mind. The highest-paid players in the WNBA all make a maximum salary of $234,936.00. Keep in mind the 2023/24 NBA league minimum salary for a new player is $1,119,563.00.
It’s really hard to ignore the difference in those numbers. Imagine being a long-time veteran of the WNBA and seeing some young gun straight out of college make more than five times what you do in the NBA. That might be a bitter pill to swallow.
At this point, it’s also worth mentioning that the WNBA actually has good basketball. It’s not the same game as the men’s but it’s fun to watch. The issue here isn’t necessarily quality. Honestly, the bigger issue seems to be quantity and how much basketball is played.
Very Different Numbers
The NBA season has 30 teams playing 2,460 games, which doesn’t include the playoffs. In the 2023/24 season, the WNBA’s 12 teams will play a total of 480 games. That’s actually an increase to 40 games per team from 36 games per team. It’s hard to generate similar ticket sales without the same number of games to buy tickets to.
On top of that, the WNBA doesn’t have the corporate sponsorship, merchandise sales, or international support of the NBA. Simply put, the WNBA does not make anywhere near as much money as its counterpart. The league has pretty much lost money every year it’s been around.
Yes, it would be great if WNBA players were paid as much as NBA players. They are incredibly talented and skilled. But the WNBA just doesn’t make the money necessary to pay their players those kinds of numbers. They are paying their players relative to what the league makes. Supposedly.
Viewership numbers, revenue, and popularity for the WNBA have been going up but salaries haven’t. The next opportunity for the players union to opt out of the current CBA and renegotiate is in 2025. Even if that happens, no one in the WNBA is making Steph Curry money.
