I'm not denigrating them. But thousands of people don't come to watch garbage men collect the trash. As bad as WNBA attendance is, they still get thousands of butts in the seats for every game. And nationally televised games. And garbage men mostly just drive around and push a button while the truck dumps the load. Their job isn't all that gross at all. There is a difference in lifestyle expectation between being a celebrity (Profesional sports certainly fit celebrity status) and being a garbage man. Or even a machinist. Or any other blue collar job.
We don't need to cater to celebrities to ensure they make a million dollars in a money losing business model that requires subsidies.
She pled guilty in a court where about 98% are convicted after being advised no deal could be made until trial so called complete.
If we want the WNBA to be healthy it will require further investment. Having more female fans would be good for the NBA as well. Making the WNBA is among the best ways to do that. And paying the players more than other countries would be another. They recently had a management shakeup, so I'd also give that a few years to show some returns before getting too excited about new management.
If they really wanted the WNBA to be healthy, the investment would need to be in the league marketing, management and visibility, not in Player Salaries. Aren't the best female basketball players already in the US and in the WNBA already? Why not blame big companies like NIKE and ADIDAS for not making a female line of shoes then? The Air Ionescu or what not.
And you can likely extend the season some if they were being paid more. I believe now it is structured as such so that they can play overseas for that money, hence the 3 month season. That wouldn't be necessary.
I also think the WNBA should be considered or viewed as a part of the NBA, so it's not one separate organization "propping up" another that loses money, it's more in line with, say, the Oregon Ducks propping up Washington State.
This isn't a blame thing. It's an opportunity thing. And Nike does a lot for girls sports. Our HS girls get free shoes every year from Nike. They provided us with 100 free basketballs a few years ago, etc. And they do that for a lot of sports. But yeah, for sure, I'd welcome NIKE contributing to the WNBA.
A legit streaming platform needs to happen for both leagues asap. I'd love to watch soccer style compressed games that show the highlights, but make you feel like you've watched the whole game.
I mean more on a general level, like fans in here, instead of saying the WNBA loses money, and the NBA has to subsidize it, look at it from the perspective that they're all together.
NBA has condensed games on league pass. WNBA should be free streaming. Maybe partner with Peacock network. Ain't no one paying for that.
How about this, during commercial breaks on NBA League Pass, they force you to watch WNBA highlights and player profiles. I'm available for hire, WNBA!
