Breanna Stewart will start the ninth season of WNBA in a few days. New York Liberty All-Star and WNBA master are long enough to watch her peers fight for visibility. Over the years, she saw only a slight increase in players’ salaries amongst WNBA Meteoric growth in popularity.

Stewart was part of the negotiations on two collective agreements as a member of the WNBA players’ union. The third round of negotiations continues, perhaps the most vital in Stewart’s profession. Until the end, he hopes that players’ salaries will increase to unprecedented numbers.

“It was gradually approaching,” said Stewart. “But I hope that with the upcoming new television offer, it will really increase to your own category.”

WNBA players were to count on it once they he gave up current CBA two years before its expiry. WNBA brings extra money than ever from sponsors and ticket sales and can bring way more 11-year media rights agreementprice about $ 200 million a 12 months from 2026.

Along with the prolonged range of progress, WNBA appeared in several areas: more teams are added to the league, which suggests more places in the letters. Full -time Charter flights They were added last season after years of lobbying for higher travels.

But as league players they’re searching for a larger participation on this development. WNBA players currently earn only a small fraction of participation in the league revenues.

Player wages have long been a matter of disputes between the NBA – which owns about 60% of WNBA and conducts CBA negotiations – and ladies’s basketball. This is one of the biggest financial obstacles with which the league still stands, and players said that they’re ready to sit matches if the negotiations don’t lead to the structure of remuneration, which they think are fair.

“Talent is there, the product is there,” said Arike Ogunbowale Dallas Wings. “Now we have to compensate for this.”

The current WNBA CBA, which was signed before the 2020 season, increased the maximum salaries for the stars from USD 117,500 in 2019 to USD 215,000 in 2020.

But it was long before the last popularity of the league before stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese He brought a record number of fans.

“The league has only increased from” 2020, said Risa Isard, assistant to the sport management professor in Uconn. “And so there is a chance for players to regain the whole value they have produced in the last five years, which they have not seen so directly.”

What WNBA players receive remuneration compared to NBA players

Paige BuckersNo. 1 Last month WNBA Draft, signed a debutant’s contract, which shall be price just over $ 78,000, which is around what Clark received as number one 12 months ago. They will do way more in marketing offers and performance bonuses.

Both are considered generational talents. Both are considered players changing franchise. Both earn much lower than most players in other leagues who were equally excited to change the trajectory of their teams.

This applies to recognized stars reminiscent of Stewart and MVP 3 times A’ja Wilsontoo. Players of their caliber can earn around USD 240,000.

The minimum salary for NBA players is $ 1 157 153. Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs Center Supergowary submitted to 1 in 2023, earned $ 12.2 million as part of his debutants’ contract in the amount of $ 55 million.

The NBA numbers are partly higher due to the huge difference in the margins of the profits of each leagues. Last season, the NBA generated about $ 11 billion in revenues. WNBA doesn’t publicly publish its revenues, although Bloomberg announced that the league earned about $ 200 million in 2023.

WNBA players’ salaries are also much lower than what NBA paid to their players, when about $ 30 million – $ 200 million today, when inflation was corrected – in the early Seventies, said David Berri, a professor of economics at the Utah Southern University. He said that the best players earned around $ 300,000, which today will amount to about $ 2 million.

“They pay women today so much, very little in relation to what they paid to men 50 years ago,” added Berri, “and explain this for me (IS) Of course you treat women differently than men.”

How many wnba players may increase

How many pay increases shall be the players, it should just be seen. Berri said that fifty% share of $ 200 million of profits shall be equal to the player’s average salary of not less than $ 1 million, and the maximum salary increased in anywhere from $ 3 million to $ 5 million.

He added that it is simpler to say than to do.

“Will the NBA recognize how few they paid for?” Berri said: “And suddenly go out with the contract and say,” Oh, will we pay $ 5 million now? “

No WNBA player has ever earned nearly $ 1 million, but Stewart said that achieving this number could possibly be a very important precedent.

“There are players in this league who are valued at over $ 1 million,” said Stewart. “This is just the reality of what it is. But for everyone, seeing this number and realizing it, ok – now at this moment the league will probably be 30 years – and look what we have done.”

Pros and downsides of WNBA players sitting in games

CBA negotiations have never led to the sitting of WNBA players, and plenty of hope that it should not occur.

Although the WNBA, which is just 29 years old, has experienced a financial boom, continues to be very small in terms of revenues compared to the NBA, which has been around for 80 years. This signifies that WNBA player lever is proscribed in the event that they resolve to sit in games, said Berri.

“Because if you leave work and do not appear, the owners, NBA owners are like this, it doesn’t really cost me a lot of money,” he added.

Berri pointed to the US national football team Fight for equal salary As a plan of potential success. Many of these players continuously drew attention to the difference in sex salaries in football through the media and their very own web accounts. This led to an American house, transferring an invoice for equal salary in 2022, and Berri expects WNBA players to use similar methods.

If players resolve to sit, Isard, Professor Uconn, said that this could not be a surprise, considering their history of getting up the reasons they imagine.

“They are often really selfless in what these causes are,” said Isard. “And they’re searching for everyone and all others and the community, and what is going on in the Senate race and about what is going on in reproductive justice and what is going on in the recipes for weapons – so some ways that they stand a lot population on this country.

“And I think that when I hear them say,” We would consider: “What I hear,” says, “Why shouldn’t we stand behind us? So let’s be for everyone. So we too.”

Earvin “Magic” basketball legend Johnson obliged in the amount of $ 500,000 at Louisiana Xavier University helped the school to lift over $ 2 million in his own Gala of the century May 9.

Johnson’s donation for the one centesimal anniversary of the university was transferred to the president of the retired President Dr. Norman C. Francis.

Money collected at the event will support student scholarships.

“A sign of a great man and who appears,” said Johnson at the gala. “Because the man you are, all the wonderful things you did in your star career. And all the people you have helped. You were successful thanks to your great leadership in Xavier … in honor of Dam Xavier $ 500,000.”

Bill Bellama (former MTV VJ) was the host of the ceremony. Jeffrey Osborne, The R&B Legend and former vocalist Ltd.

Francis, a graduate of the University of Xavier, was the president of the school for 47 years, almost half of his existence. He was answerable for sending many black students to a medical school. Under his leadership, students’ records were tripled.

“Our gala of the century was a beautiful success,” said Phillip D. Adams, vp of KSVIERA for institutional progress. “Not only did it honor Xavier five times, but we collected over $ 2 million to secure the future of distinguished students who select Xavier education. In just 100 years Xavier collected various recognition, strengthening as a pacesetter. I’m honored that we were in a position to consistently raise the crucial scholarship funds, and I am unable to wait for what years.

The only historically black and Catholic University of the country, Xavier, occupies the highest number of HBCU throughout the country and recognized as a national leader in the field of STEM and health sciences.