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WNBA players rage against basic economics

18IsTheMan

18IsTheMan

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They initially asked for 31% of revenue. That has dropped to 27.5%. The WNBA's response: "unrealistic". That's simplistically brutal.

There's outlandish bargaining positions. Then unreasonable ones. But "unrealistic" is not a good place to be.

AOC must be leading negotiations for the WNBPA.
 
18IsTheMan

18IsTheMan

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Lurker123 said:
Id like to see a strike, just for the drama.

The comparisons to the NBA money will be entertainment enough.
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The fact that they would even dare make comparisons to the NBA shows how stupid they truly are. NBA revenue is pushing $14.3 billion (with a B). WNBA revenue is about $200 million (with an M). By comparison, the Memphis Grizzlies are the NBA team with the lowest revenue, around $260 million. Yes, the lowest revenue NBA team pulls in more revenue than the entire WNBA.

But these ladies (and I use that term very generously) actually view themselves in the same light as the NBA players. It's totally delusional.
 
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Lurker123

Lurker123

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18IsTheMan said:
The fact that they would even dare make comparisons to the NBA shows how stupid they truly are. NBA revenue is pushing $14.3 billion (with a B). WNBA revenue is about $200 million (with an M). By comparison, the Memphis Grizzlies are the NBA team with the lowest revenue, around $260 million. Yes, the lowest revenue NBA team pulls in more revenue than the entire WNBA.

But these ladies (and I use that term very generously) actually view themselves in the same light as the NBA players. It's totally delusional.
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Part of it is them being stupid. Some of them might actually think they compare to the NBA.

But I think part of it actually smart on their part. They are going to leverage the "wage gap" myth to squeeze as much money as they can.

Sure, they'll make grand statements comparing themselves to the NBA, and most will laugh. But if enough people want to pacify them, they'll get more money. Not equal, but more than they were getting.

Reminds me of the women's national soccer team. They pulled the same thing and got paid more.
 
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Uscg1984

Uscg1984

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18IsTheMan said:
The fact that they would even dare make comparisons to the NBA shows how stupid they truly are. NBA revenue is pushing $14.3 billion (with a B). WNBA revenue is about $200 million (with an M). By comparison, the Memphis Grizzlies are the NBA team with the lowest revenue, around $260 million. Yes, the lowest revenue NBA team pulls in more revenue than the entire WNBA.
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Even that comparison only speaks to revenue and not to profit. I don't know, but I suspect the Grizzlies turn a profit for the owner(s) of the team. The WNBA lost $40m-$50m in the most recent year, failing to turn a profit (by a wide margin) for the 29th consecutive year.

I agree some of the WNBA salaries are shockingly small, but I think asking owners who are losing $40+m per year to increase those losses by another third is a weak bargaining position.
 
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Dabo's Weenie

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Uscg1984 said:
Even that comparison only speaks to revenue and not to profit. I don't know, but I suspect the Grizzlies turn a profit for the owner(s) of the team. The WNBA lost $40m-$50m in the most recent year, failing to turn a profit (by a wide margin) for the 29th consecutive year.

I agree some of the WNBA salaries are shockingly small, but I think asking owners who are losing $40+m per year to increase those losses by another third is a weak bargaining position.
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Boss: "I have some bad news. We're hemorrhaging cash. I mean to the tune of millions per month. Not sure how much longer we can stay afloat."

Employee: "I wants a raise, and I mean a HUGE one, like millions, and right now, or I'm gonna strike! Ya feels me, you greedy, racist POS?!"

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End.
 
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18IsTheMan

18IsTheMan

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The great irony is that none of them deserve to be making a single penny playing basketball. WBB only exists in college in any meaningful way because of Title IX and college football revenue. The WNBA exists entirely because of the charity of the NBA. Take away financial support from the men's sports in either college or pros and the women's game goes away entirely. Instantly.

Women's basketball is simply not a financially viable product on its own. It HAS to be subsidized....and heavily...just to survive.

In spite of this reality, they want more money.
 
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Lurker123

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18IsTheMan said:
I actually hope the players get their way. It financially doom the league.
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Will it?

The WNBA got a great new TV deal. Granted it was because the NBA used it as part of their TV contract negotiation.

The WNBA hasn't been profitable for three DECADES, but the NBA seem perfectly happy to keep funneling money into it.

Is there a breaking point? Or is the NBA just going to keep dumping more money?
 
18IsTheMan

18IsTheMan

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Lurker123 said:
Will it?

The WNBA got a great new TV deal. Granted it was because the NBA used it as part of their TV contract negotiation.

The WNBA hasn't been profitable for three DECADES, but the NBA seem perfectly happy to keep funneling money into it.

Is there a breaking point? Or is the NBA just going to keep dumping more money?
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NBA owners were starting to grouse behind the scenes last year, wondering when they would actually start to see some ROI after more than a quarter century of dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the WNBA. The owners are businessmen. It's stunning to me that they've been ok with footing the bill for a financially non-viable league for as long as they have. I can't imagine they'll be ok with continuing to fund it indefinitely, even after players get a totally unwarranted pay increase.

OTOH, the optics of cutting financial ties with the league would be a black eye for the NBA. The media would tear them up one side and down the other if they stopped subsidizing the WNBA.
 
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18IsTheMan said:
NBA owners were starting to grouse behind the scenes last year, wondering when they would actually start to see some ROI after more than a quarter century of dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the WNBA. The owners are businessmen. It's stunning to me that they've been ok with footing the bill for a financially non-viable league for as long as they have. I can't imagine they'll be ok with continuing to fund it indefinitely, even after players get a totally unwarranted pay increase.

OTOH, the optics of cutting financial ties with the league would be a black eye for the NBA. The media would tear them up one side and down the other if they stopped subsidizing the WNBA.
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I think any media reaction would be very short lived. No one in the tv watching/sports media consuming public cares much at all about women's sports in general and the WNBA in particular. After a week of headlines, the story would go away.

The best way to pull the plug on the WNBA would be to do it like ripping off a band aid. Announce at the end of the season that funding for the WNBA would be ended and the league would cease to exist. Weather the week of "outrage" and move on with life.
 
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18IsTheMan

18IsTheMan

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Piscis said:
I think any media reaction would be very short lived. No one in the tv watching/sports media consuming public cares much at all about women's sports in general and the WNBA in particular. After a week of headlines, the story would go away.

The best way to pull the plug on the WNBA would be to do it like ripping off a band aid. Announce at the end of the season that funding for the WNBA would be ended and the league would cease to exist. Weather the week of "outrage" and move on with life.
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Yes, media/social media outrage burns hot but doesn't last long. If the NBA was willing to endure a few weeks of bad press, they'd be fine.

I don't think it would impact their bottom line one iota. Obviously, the WNBA was a marketing gimmick by the NBA. I don't know how much it's really benefitted them overall from that perspective.

I think, like you, they could easily back out. They could refer to the recent media rights deal as evidence that the league is ready to stand on its own. Really pump it up, hype the new young players, talk about the huge surge in ratings. All as evidence that they don't need the NBA anymore.

They won't do it though.
 
Lurker123

Lurker123

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18IsTheMan said:
I think, like you, they could easily back out. They could refer to the recent media rights deal as evidence that the league is ready to stand on its own. Really pump it up, hype the new young players, talk about the huge surge in ratings. All as evidence that they don't need the NBA anymore.

They won't do it though.
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Agree on the outrage being short lived.

And if the plan was to back out, this would be my public stance. "Look at this great new TV deal" (that we had to get for them), "their ratings are awesome. Its time they stood on their own".

Yadda yadda
 
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