WNBA vs. NBA (persuasive/ argumentative)
I love basketball. No matter if it is men or women playing on the court, I love to watch the game and play the game. But in my opinion, there are some flaws about what people think about the WNBA compared to NBA. Like the money the players earn and the “hype” around the game. I believe the two most important difference are money and support.
Money in both the leagues are very different. Players in the NBA get about 50% of the revenue. The average NBA salary can range any were between 37 million dollars a year to 20 million dollars a year. But the average salary for a WNBA player is $71,635 a year. Which leads women into playing over seas which the can earn around $100,000 or higher. “Players in the NBA get about 50% of the revenue. For women, the percentage is in the twenties. So before we even talk about base salary or anything like that, we don’t even get paid the same percentage of the revenue that we bring in, which is kind of unbelievable. People try to hijack this issue and say that women’s basketball may not be as interesting a game, because they disparage women in sports, period. But we don’t even make the same percentage of revenue! And jersey sales…we don’t get any of it. The men do. And I have had a top-five jersey for three or four years in the WNBA” (Skylar Diggins).
But the NBA can be very supportive of the WNBA. Even though they are both very different, the are both on the same platform. There has been many NBA players that say the support the WNBA. Like durning the anniversary of the 20th season of the WNBA, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul paid tribute to the WNBA during Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Skylar Diggins is one of the best players in the WNBA and she is not the only one trying to change the way people view women's basketball. The growth of women’s basketball is evident in today’s game as players such as Maya Moore, Tamika Catchings, Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart and Sue bird display their tenacity and hard work while grabbing rebounds, throwing down dunks and blocking shots night in and night out. Both the NBA and the WNBA are just trying to prove to our society that the game is the same, no matter who is playing. But the WNBA is still growing and adapting and trying to develop like the NBA, that is going to take time. But I believe the first steps are earning equal pay and support.
Worked Cited
Account, WNBAVerified. “WNBA (@WNBA).” Twitter, Twitter, 27 Nov. 2018, twitter.com/wnba.
ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/nba/salaries.
Kelleysthrngrl. “NBA Stars Honor WNBA for 20th Season.” The Undefeated, The Undefeated, 15 June 2016, theundefeated.com/features/nba-stars-honor-wnba-for-20th-season/.
Kelleysthrngrl. “Carmelo Anthony Has the Back of WNBA Players.” The Undefeated, The Undefeated, 25 July 2016, theundefeated.com/features/carmelo-anthony-has-the-back-of-wnba-players/.
WNBA. “NBA Stars Show Their Love for the WNBA! #WatchMeWork.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 May 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMppvBPKGZw.
