And while the players and their on and Read more, With the NBA Finals starting this week we thought it would be a great time to take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to basketball shoes. I'm not here to rationalize or talk about all the reasons why men won't watch the WNBA. If you've commented with us before, we'll need you to re-input your email address for this. ", Morning Consult, Level of interest in the National Basketball Association in the United States as of May 2022, by gender Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1098381/national-basketball-association-interest-gender/ (last visited March 05, 2023), Level of interest in the National Basketball Association in the United States as of May 2022, by gender [Graph], Morning Consult, May 26, 2022. Their Bosses Are Refusing to Bargain. It is a victory for the country because, in one fell swoop, [t]he [C]ourt granted vital protections to LGBTQ people in every state . The TV viewership is a lot smaller in the WNBA with around 280,000 viewers for the 2018 season while the 2019 NBA Finals alone averaged 15.14 million. I've pitched sports stories to female publications before and they are just not interested. You can only download this statistic as a Premium user. Unfortunately, the WNBA fanbase is not nearly as large as the NBA fanbase is and this is evident in the coverage of games. The WNBA, led by commissioner Cathy Engelbert, earned three A+ grades after scoring 96.7% and 98.0% in racial hiring practices and gender hiring practices, respectively. Tennis boasts the most narrow pay gap of any major sport. Or the character. Indeed, proof of this is in the pudding: 90% of WNBPA player-members voted for this CBAs ratification, nearly double the support garnered by the National Football League Players Association, which narrowly ratified its newly announced CBA with just 51.5% support. Plum notes the difference in narratives between the two leagues. ESPN.com, & Sports Media Watch. . The most revolutionary change the agreement came to was access to free fertility services, which has been often seen as a luxury and not a necessity. Recognizing that family planning and personal health has been a challenge for many of its players, the WNBA has announced an increase in the benefits related to healthcare and family planning. The latter was second only to Major League . While WNBA star Brittney Griner enjoys her return to the U.S., there is a conversation worth having about why Griner was in Russia in the first place. If youve ever played basketball with an official NBA basketball, then youd immediately notice the size difference between that and a WNBA ball. They care about the basketball product. Blah, blah, blah. Ross Evans is a student at Harvard Law School and a member of the Labor and Employment Lab. A year ago, the Sky's WNBA championship clincher (also a Game 4 on ESPN) averaged 417,000 viewers while up against NFL television competition. Half the population in the United States is made up of women. It started with college hoops. The WNBA has many players with college As Clarendon explained, for women who have often been underpaid, we know black women are underpaid, queer people, [too] . "But they only play a few months in the summer," you might say. Chart. pic.twitter.com/uz3nEoLNvk, Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) April 5, 2021. While there are a lot of Read more, Even though the NBA finals are over for the year and the Golden State Warriors have taken the crown, we wanted to keep the basketball talk going. Indeed, as shown in Table 2 below, this new CBAfrom top to bottomoverhauls the WNBAs labor market, significantly boosting WNBPA player-members individually guaranteed base salaries. Morning Consult. Every men's league can take a huge cue from the WNBA for their amazing contributions, consistently using their voice and their platform for social change, community service, intentional inclusion, and carrying the mantle of 'winning' in life beyond the playing field!". And that, you see, is the real issue. You could be getting the best stories in your inbox twice a day. While the above are the main differences in how the game is played between the men and the womens leagues, there are also differences when it comes to crowd sizes, average salaries, and more. AP Photo/Paul Beaty. So far this season, the WNBA has seen a 36 percent increase in viewership in adults age 18 to 49, a 29 percent jump in men in that age group and a 50 percent increase in women. . The percentage of people of color who held assistant coaching positions increased for the second consecutive season, from 54.2 percent in 2020 to 58.0 percent in 2021. Moreover, of the six women on the WNBPAs player-member leadership team, halfDelle Donne, Sue Bird, and Layshia Clarendonidentify as LGBTQ+. Currently, you are using a shared account. The workplace benefits historically marginalized groups enjoy from unionization are well-documented. Johnny Buss, center, and the L.A. Sparks took the bold step of promoting the WNBA team at a lesbian bar. Support our commitment to credible conservative news. . This size difference would make sense considering men and women typically have different hand sizes. Flying in coach, often with connecting flightsthe norm until nowhad long demoralized player-members. The players are obviously not nearly as good. When Notre Dame played Mississippi State, 3.5 million people saw it. . The ideal entry-level account for individual users. The WNBA also hosted vaccine clinics across the country to emphasize the importance of vaccination. Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike, who is also president of the WNBA Players Association, has been outspoken about the need for a new outlook on women's health. Growth of WNBA Regular Season Viewers compared to number of telecasts 79 88 86 98 123 58 Although the current season 61 57 The league's commitment to fostering inclusive environments can be seen in making journalists and announcers aware of Clarendon's pronouns and that they are respected. Your email address will not be published. This fourth provision recognizes not only the WNBPAs all-female membership (including many player-members identity as current or future mothers) but also many player-members identity as LGBTQ+ persons or allies, further cementing the WNBA as professional sports leader in LGBTQ+ inclusion. Ogunbowale ended up onEllen. We do X for women. Each team received $110 million from shared-revenue outlets including national media, sponsorship, and licensing streams. Support for Working Mothers. The June 28 game between the Sparks and the Seattle Storm drew 378,000 viewers. With colored spotlights dancing off his face and disco balls spinning overhead, Buss . Vandersloot to New York, the rise of superteams and a Liberty-Aces WNBA Finals? Organizers and union leaders are drawing attention to old-school union-busting by new-economy employers, high-profile companies are employing migrant child workers, and new prospective Labor Secretary candidates are entering the conversation. The 2019 NBA Finals averaged a little more than 20 million viewers per game; the 2019 WNBA Finals averaged about 400,000 viewers per game. Both series went five games with each team taking one title. The WNBA's audience is 75 percent women. Use Ask Statista Research Service, Regular season attendance WNBA games 2022, Public interest in WNBA in the U.S. 2022, by gender. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set . Sue Bird. The NBA has 30 teams, the WNBA 12. At first he was defensive. May 26, 2022. It was the most-watched Game 1 of the semifinal round since the current WNBA playoff format began in 2016. That's a staggering 13% decline from last season when the numbers were already slipping in a . That number spiked to 5.2 million in the final 15 minutes when Ogunbowale hit the. In the NBA, the average salary is about $7.5 million. The benefits of unionization for historically marginalized workers can be seen clearly by looking at the Womens National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), the union for players in the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA). "Level of interest in the National Basketball Association in the United States as of May 2022, by gender." So far this season, the WNBA has seen a 36 percent increase in viewership in adults age 18 to 49, a 29 percent jump in men in that age group and a 50 percent increase in women. As a Premium user you get access to background information and details about the release of this statistic. That number spiked to 5.2 million in the final 15 minutes when Ogunbowale hit the buzzer-beating championship-winner, capping the biggest comeback in championship game history. We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Even with the NBA losing popularity because of its social justice advocacy and other reasons, viewership, and thus cash flow, is still significantly higher in the mens league. According to Sports Business Journal, Each NBA game has an average of 1.2 million viewers, while WNBA games have less than half that amount, resulting in a significant revenue gap. The PSA highlighted the significant impacts and disparities that communities of color have experienced during the pandemic. As OnLabor reported (see here and here ), the WNBPA negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement ("CBA") with the WNBA earlier this year. In OT, the Bulldogs pulled away. For example, according to 2019 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unionized female employees earn 29% more than non-unionized female employees and unionized black employees earn 27% more than non-unionized black employees. The answer transcends gender issues, but rather correlates directly with the yearly revenue from advertising, merchandising, sponsorships, and ticket sales. Especially because the union managed to achieve this remarkable progress while represent[ing] everyone, every type of player. Your email address will not be published. Lets not continue to toss out this battle cryAnd if were specific in what were asking for, and who were asking for it from,, well then, let us see them publicly turn us down, Green said. Jesse Jackson, founder and head of the organizations that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH, after reviewing the report card. Back then womens sports on TV were a rarity. The WNBA averages around 7,000 attendees per game while the NBA averages 18,000 in attendance. Serrano saw the tweet. Viewership of 2020 WNBA Finals up 15 percent from 2019 In a time when many of America's major professional sports leagues are struggling to maintain their usual viewership, the 2020 WNBA. If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again. The WNBA is an American professional women's basketball league established in 1996 and owned by the NBA. But they want dunks. (September 21, 2022). Use Ask Statista Research Service, The source phrased the question as, "In general, would you describe yourself as an avid fan, a casual fan or not a fan of each of the following? And even if hes not a good case study, hes, at the very least, a good story about figurative ear flicking and the womens game. Womens hands tend to be smaller than the mens equivalent, so having the ball size slightly smaller allows for better grip with smaller hands. That said, a unique dynamic underlaid this compensation negotiation: WNBPA player-members strongly desired an equal (50%) share of WNBA revenues to match the virtually equal revenue partnership their male NBPA counterparts enjoy with the NBA. Heres hoping the best womens basketball league in the world returns as soon as safely possible so that we can both enjoy and support this Big Bet on Women. The interview touches on the fate of Price Waterhouse, the [], Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. For Stiff this is more than a job. Currently, you are using a shared account. As OnLabor reported (see here and here), the WNBPA negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the WNBA earlier this year. Through June, WNBA games on ESPN2 are averaging 250,000 viewers, a39 percent improvementfrom last year and the best start for the league since 2013. Sure. They say that when controlling for factors such as type of job, type of industry, experience, tenure, hours worked, and so forth, the pay gap largely disappears. Yet, the harsh reality of being a WNBA "star" is something even she can't ignore. Instead, each player sat on a coachs bench and delivered in-game analysis within earshot of all the chatter during timeouts and the game. A roundtable discussion with Benjamin Sachs, Kate Andrias, Steve Kest, and Robert Kuttner.