LIFE

The WNBA deserves their dignity and respect

WNBA legend Sue Bird, the league’s leader in career assists, holds the WNBA Finals trophy in her hand after winning her fourth WNBA championship. Tribune Media Service.

By RJ Hunt
Editor

The Women’s National Basketball Association, commonly referred to as the WNBA, is a sports league that has changed the game for women’s sports. No pun intended. Since 1997, the league has allowed us to see some of the best hoopers in the world. With that being said, they still don’t receive the love they deserve.

If sports is not your thing, then it’s just not your thing. On the other hand, you have sports fans that just love to complain about the WNBA. You have dummies on social media saying lower the rims because they can’t dunk. They can dunk. In the 2022 WNBA All-Star, 34 year old Sylvia Fowles, threw down a thunderous one-handed jam that sent the crowd into a frenzy. I find it more impressive the few times a player dunks on a 10-foot rim compared to the many times it would happen if the league switched to an 8-foot rim. You also have fans who say they always miss wide open layups. Just go to YouTube and type in “Shaqtin’ a Fool.” It’s a show hosted by NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal, showing bloopers from NBA games. The NBA players mess up too, not just the ones in the WNBA.

You even have those who are not into sports who complain about the WNBA. They complain about the salaries. According to an article in USA Today, the average WNBA salary is $231.5 thousand per year. The highest salary in the league goes to Jewell Loyd, who is making $463 thousand per year. In comparison to the NBA, according to an article on The Hoops Geek, the average NBA salary is $8.5 million (the median is $4.3 million). The highest-paid player in the NBA is Steph Curry who makes a whopping $48 million a year. Big difference between the WNBA and NBA salaries.

Why are the salary gaps so huge? Many blame it on the WNBA as a business, the others blame it on people being sexist. I think it’s both. On the business end, they do deserve more games on national TV. Their season is during a time when there’s not any football, basketball, or hockey being played, but viewership is a common complaint levied at the WNBA. The league reported how the 2022 season was the most watched in 14 years, and viewership increased 16% compared to the 2021 season. Also, they need more teams. There are only 12 teams; the more teams in different regions, the more regions you have watching.

A lot of Detroit sports fans have told me they stopped watching the WNBA when the Detroit Shock were relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I still watch the WNBA faithfully, but I understand why people turned away. It’s different when you have a team in your city to root for. The next closest teams to Michigan is Indiana and Chicago. Driving four hours to catch a game is not ideal when I used to only have to drive an hour when the Shock played at The Palace.

Sexism is another reason why the league is getting held back. People complain about the playstyle, but those who watch will tell you that the fundamentals are used in the WNBA more than the NBA. If you’re a fan of basketball then you should have no problem supporting the WNBA. The NBA players support the league. All-star, Chris Paul, spent hours practicing a signature move that he learned from WNBA player, Maya Moore. It’s a common sight to see an NBA player courtside at a WNBA game. Kobe Bryant was known for attending games and even helped popularize the orange WNBA hoodie with the league’s logo in the center.

The games are not even expensive, especially compared to the NBA. For the WNBA finals, a deciding game according to Ticketmaster ranges from $35-$300 (a regular season game commonly goes for $10). Staying on Ticketmaster, a Detroit Pistons preseason ranges from $11-$3,000. Yes, a championship game and a preseason game (for a team that finished in the bottom of the league) has that huge of a difference.

It’s no secret the WNBA has a problem. The two sides can blame each other all they want regarding it being sexist or it being business. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s both. Regardless, the problem is not on the court. The women in the league know how to play some ball. A lot of guys think they can beat these players in a game because they’re “girls.” I promise you those same guys would get embarrassed. All the WNBA needs is a chance, and if you haven’t done so yet, now is the time. They’re only getting better.