WNBA newcomers are ready to elevate women’s basketball

From Angel Reese to Rickea Jackson, 2024 WNBA Rookies talk to theGrio about reaching recent heights in basketball and more.

If this era in sports proves anything, it’s that the essential event is women’s basketball.

This 12 months’s NCAA Championship Game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Iowa Hawkeyes drew the biggest audience in women’s college basketball history and have become the most-watched college basketball game since 2019. peaking at 24.1 million viewers. The women’s match significantly outperformed the lads’s championship match between the University of Connecticut and Purdue, which drew 14.8 million viewers. Then, Monday night’s WNBA Draft became the most-watched WNBA event on ESPN platforms, attracting 3.09 million viewers who couldn’t wait to see where their favorite players would begin their skilled careers.

“We are witnessing a moment of transformation in sports,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during a news conference Monday evening. “Women’s basketball is not a passing fad. We have been steadily building this momentum for years and we are ready for what comes next.”

The newest generation of athletes in women’s sports is raising the bar and experiencing a large number of extraordinary and unprecedented opportunities. Engelbert noted that women’s basketball, especially among the many 2024 draft class, is on the forefront of change within the industry. In addition to enormous talent, each player brings undying love and keenness to the sport. Inspired by the legendary players who got here before them like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Candace Parker and coach-turned-champion Dawn Staley, the 2024 draft class is breaking glass ceilings after glass and taking every opportunity available to showcase the abilities they convey to the table – each each on and off the court.

In addition to their undeniable talent, these young women’s presence off the sphere brings a brand new level of recognition to the world of women’s sports. With the introduction of NIL (name, image and likeness) contracts, players are leveraging their unique personalities to attract a brand new fan base for women’s basketball – and this long-awaited opportunity shouldn’t be one to be taken calmly. According to former UConn player Aaliyah Edwards, who spoke to theGrio after announcing she would join the Washington Mystics next season, it is a moment ripe for “humanizing the basketball player” off the court.

Already blazing a trail of celebrity endorsements, “Bayou Barbie” Angel Reese, who raised the bar for NIL deals after announcing her departure from LSU within the semifinals to join the Chicago Sky. It has secured 17 sponsorship deals for the 2022-2023 WNBA season, including partnerships with Amazon, Raising Cane’s, McDonald’s and Coach. With each collaboration, Reese gained a brand new audience, showing not only WNBA fans however the world that there was more to her than simply basketball. As Grio said in the course of the 2024 WNBA Draft, she understands the facility behind each deal and says there is not any likelihood she’ll stop anytime soon.

“(NIL deals) bring more commitment to the game,” Reese said after falling from the head of being drafted to the Chicago Sky. “This class is historic and I think we can all continue to do so. The offers don’t end there, and we will be on the big screens. We will be in commercials that everyone can see.”

In addition to showing how influential and essential such deals may be in advancing an athlete’s profession, Reese’s success highlights the opportunities available to a lot of her WNBA teammates who try to subsidize salaries that are still a small fraction of those offered to even the lowest-ranking players. – Paid male players within the NBA.

In the 2022-2023 season, WNBA players received them average annual salary amounting to $116,580, and the highest-earning players will receive $242,000. By comparison, NBA players earned a median salary of greater than $10 million. Women in sports have been advocating for equal pay and recognition for many years, and the present generation of athletes are continuing that fight. Speaking with theGrio, the overwhelming desire of the category of 2024 is expansion and equality in basketball.

“I want everything we deserve,” said Rickea Jackson, newly drafted to the LA Sparks from the University of Tennessee, referring to the charter flights, big TV deals and nationally televised games that are standard within the NBA. “I feel like we just deserve all of this. This class in particular really takes it up a notch and raises the bar.”

As newcomers to a 27-year-old league, in addition they have an enormous burden on their shoulders. Balancing this recent chapter and advocacy responsibilities with continued agility and respect for many who paved the way in which isn’t any easy task. It’s a balancing act that the majority women know all too well. But if this 12 months’s class can learn anything from other groundbreaking women in sports, like gymnast Gabby Douglas and tennis star Naomi Osaka, it is the importance of prioritizing mental health and well-being.

This draft class has shown a surprisingly clear mental game, which it also plays. Before the draft, Reese made headlines when she revealed the mental toll of being often called a fierce competitor. In an interview with theGrio, Reese noted that she uses journaling and the support of other professionals to get through difficult times.

Similarly, Celeste Taylor, the fifteenth overall pick within the draft who’s currently headed to Indiana Fevers, told the Grio that she all the time keeps her Bible handy to stay grounded in any respect times. In addition to her mutual support and shut connection to her faith, Jackson told the Grio that when she needs extra strength, she relies on her boyfriend and her two fashionably named dogs, Chanel and Fendi.

“The women in the W(NBA) are absolutely the strongest women,” said Charisma Osborne, reflecting on her journey into the league. “Sometimes there’s a lot of adversity and seeing how far this game has grown, I’m very excited to be a part of it.”

The ultimate goal for each player on this 12 months’s draft class is similar: growing the WNBA. During their rookie seasons, each draftee hopes to proceed to raise the extent of play for future generations. As Commissioner Engelbert stated, this renewed excitement and interest within the WNBA will last “more than a while.” Her sentiments echo within the hearts and minds of each player, they usually are ready to rise to the occasion.

“(I want to) continue to make people see us and notice us and know that we are more than just basketball players,” Taylor told the Grio. “It will take some time. If you invest in us, we will repay you tenfold.”

Kayla Grant is a multimedia journalist whose work may be found on Business Insider, Shondaland, Oz Magazine, Prism, Rolling Out, and more. He writes about cultural, book and entertainment news. Follow her on Twitter: @TheKaylaGrant

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