134729Hokie

Wimbledon isn't giving tickets away for nothing just for fun. If they had more demand for women's event tickets, the price would be higher. Television viewership is only something if it translates into television revenue. Even the WNBA Commissioner says this is all about nothing ... the main driver for team revenue is ticketing. She says television rights are undervalued, but also says ... "Engelbert noted that comparisons between WNBA draftee salaries and similar salaries for newly drafted NBA players or other men’s leagues should note that those leagues are “75 to 120 years old; we’re tipping off our 28th season.” The NBA has around $13 billion in revenue while the WNBA is roughly around $200 million. “I would say if you look at them 28 seasons in, we’re further ahead, but we realize we still have a lot of work to do, and it’s all about the ecosystem around us that drives revenue,” Engelbert said." And this was my point. No one is going to invest billions into an enterprise that is still proving itself. I think almost everyone can agree, Clark has elevated women's college basketball far beyond where it has been before. If she can have the same impact in the WNBA, the money will flow. There's no conspiracy here.

Look at the price difference between the men's final and women's final at Wimbledon. ** Edited by 134729Hokie at 4/18/2024, 10:55:12 PM

I suspect professional women's basketball players will have a lot more leverage than the average woman in the workforce. I also suspect it would be difficult for a WNBA franchise to hide a revenue windfall so it can keep it all for itself, its investors, or majority owners. To compare professional sports to just about any other profession is like apples to oranges. When women's sports are as financially lucrative as men's, the players will make more money.

If someone can show that the television rights aren't fair or the owners are pocketing more than their "fair share," okay, but until then, isn't this just a case of women's sports not generating the revenues men's sports do? The NBA plays more games and averages three times the attendance at those games; ticket average is twice or more the WNBA, too. The "cheapest" NBA franchise is worth $2.4 billion, several times the entire WNBA. When the WNBA starts generating more revenue, the players will start getting paid more. There was a time, years ago, when NFL players used to also work "normal" jobs because the league was still establishing itself. (Interesting read: https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2010/05/remember_when_of...