While it may not have been at the top of the average sports fan's radar, the Diana Taurasi decision was one that holds significant impact for the future of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). This blog is not meant to criticize or condone the WNBA's highest-paid player's decision, but rather to voice my concern for what this means moving forward.
To backtrack, Taurasi recently announced that she would be sitting out the entirety of the 2015 WNBA season to focus on herself, her family and honing her basketball skills. How she will be able to do that is because her Russian team she plays for in the off season offered to pay her more to sit out than she would make playing in the WNBA this season.
Taurasi wrote a letter to the Mercury fans and in it, stated that, "The year-round nature of women’s basketball takes its toll and the financial opportunity with my team in Russia would have been irresponsible to turn down. They offered to pay me to rest and I’ve decided to take them up on it. I want to be able to take care of myself and my family when I am done playing" (Taurasi, 2015).
It is the culture within the WNBA for athletes to play overseas during the winter because of the short WNBA season (four months). Taurasi's team is UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia, where she is making about $1.5 million, according to a Washington Post article. Her salary with the Phoenix Mercury amounts to just less than $107,000 a year, which is less than the league maximum available.
So what can be done?
ESPN's Kate Fagan suggested a restructuring of salaries within the league. In the 2014 season, there were about 40 players receiving close to the league max, which breaks down to 3-4 "max" players on each team and if anybody has watched a WNBA game you know that is definitely not the case. Fagan's article suggests that there should only be 12 players in the league to receive that type of money: one on each team.
She also goes as far to say that the highest paid member of the team should not be the coach, it should be the player, like it is in most other professional leagues. You'd be hard pressed to find a sport where the coach makes over twice the salary as his/her players do.
If Taurasi's decision to sit sparks other WNBA stars' into following her lead, then the league needs to implement a solution sooner than later. Other players have been offered money by their overseas team to sit out the WNBA season, Taurasi is just the first to take the deal.
Without the Taurasi's, Britney Griner's, Elena Della Donne's, Skylar Diggins' and Maya Moore's of the league, the WNBA loses a large chunk of its entertainment value and that is where the downward slope would begin. Without fans to consume the product, there is no revenue coming in from ticket sales, apparel or concessions, and with only half of the teams currently turning a profit, the league cannot afford to take such a financial hit. As stated by a Deadspin article, if the players "begin to make decisions based solely on finances, there may not be any players left" (Draper, 2015, para 11).
Is this simply an issue of money or do you think the athletes are actually concerned about their long-term health? Is it right for a coach to be making two or three times more than these star athletes in the league? Do you think the salary reallocation proposed by Kate Fagan is a good solution?
References:
Boren, C. (2015, Feb. 4). Diana Taurasi's decision to skip this season is sobering message for WNBA. Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/02/04/diana-taurasis-decision-to-skip-this-season-is-sobering-message-for-wnba/
Draper, K. (2015, Feb. 3). Diana Taurasi's Russian Team Is Paying Her To Skip The WNBA Season. Dead Spin. Retrieved from http://deadspin.com/diana-taurasis-russian-team-is-paying-her-to-skip-the-w-1683643165
Fagan, K. (2015, Feb. 4). Diana Taurasi's decision to sit out should spark WNBA salary changes. ESPNW. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/wnba/story/_/id/12272036/diana-taurasi-decision-sit-spark-wnba-salary-changes
Taurasi, D. (2015, Feb. 3). Diana Taurasi's Open Letter To Phoenix Mercury Fans. Arizona Republic. Retrieved from http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/wnba/mercury/2015/02/03/diana-taurasi-open-letter-to-phoenix-mercury-fans/22808453/
This is a difficult topic because there is simply not a draw by fans or spectators for the WNBA. Viewers of ESPN do not place the WNBA as a top priority of a league they want to watch when they turn on their television. The WNBA does not attract a fraction of the fans in comparison to the NBA, NFL or MLS. So the question stands: how can the WNBA profit if the league does not sustain a significant fan base? While these professional athletes deserve higher salaries, especially in relation to their male counterparts, it is a battle that may not be able to be won.
ReplyDeleteTaurasi is absolutely restraining from playing this season due to money. To make $100,000 a year is a luxury. Her concerns with providing for her family is a legitimate reason, yet I do not believe this is her motive. She has been playing for the WNBA since 2004. If she made $100,000 a year for the past 11 seasons, that’s over $1 million profit thus far. Considering she is not planning to retire anytime soon, providing for her family post-career does not appear to be a blatant concern.
I do not think it is right for the coach to be profiting more than the players. The star players should be earning a higher salary than their coaches. It creates a notion that the coaches are more valued and significant in the league than the actual athletes who play in the games and attract the fans. NBA coaches make significantly less money than their all-star athletes.
Kali Morgenstern
I think Diana Taurasi was given 1.5 million reasons not to play this year. If you think about the money she makes there and the money she makes in the US, she should take a break. I’m sure she makes her salary in Russia not including the endorsements she probably has, plus she is a littler older and to save herself the rundown of a basketball season sitting out would help her financially down the line. How many years left of basketball does she have left? I couldn’t answer that question but I think Russia understands she is a great investment and Diana Taurasi also understands that maybe resting gives her more time to play which means more money and a better way to set up her future after basketball. Here’s what I think Diana Taurasi has done now that she has decided to take a break. She has told the WNBA that overseas basketball is a more lucrative business and now other stars might jump on the bandwagon. This will put the WNBA in a hard place. I can only wonder what happens now. What will the WNBA do? The ball is obviously in their court now.
ReplyDeleteVincent Marshall
In professional sports for women I do not believe the issue is of money. Women's sports simply does not create the revenue, entertainment, and popularity of male sports. If you are at the professional level, specifically as a team sport for women you play because you love the game not because of the money you will make. I think about the pro league for softball and unless you are Crystl Bustos you can not survive off the money you make. Most have another job and play for the fun of it during the season. In Diana's case she is lucky enough to have the opportunity to both make a living off a sport she loves as well as take the time off for her family and health. I believe she should take the break and focus on her especially the older she gets. Russia giving her this is absolutely awesome for her and she is rewarded for everything she has done in her career thus far. As far as coaching salaries I go back and forth on this.
ReplyDeleteI think about collegiate sports and how much a coach makes in comparison to a scholarship. Your coach is your leader and driving force and I believe they should make more than a player. At the professional level it does change. The focus is no longer on the coach but the talent and the value a player brings to a team. I think Fagan has a reasonings to be considered. The restructuring would help keep the stars in the league and in my opinion be more fair and comparable to other leagues.
Courtney Cox
I agree with Vincent that she is being paid not to play. She's being paid a higher salary over there which may be the result of a higher popularity of women's basketball. For her to continue to give a great product to the Russian team it is important for her to come to Russia refreshed and ready to earn her salary. She may have even used sitting the WNBA season out as a point of leverage in her current contract with the Russian team.
ReplyDeleteLooking at it through a business prospective, I think the Russian basketball league can review it's financial situation and decide if they want to essentially buyout the WNBA. If there's enough popularity and money coming in to the league, then as a commissioner I would push more teams to pay for the top WNBA stars. The money is surely an issue and if the WNBA doesn't fix it, it won't be long before all the stars of the league sit out and then attendance will plummet leading to the ultimate downfall of the league.
Amanda Notley
ReplyDeleteI feel as if the WNBA is on a downward slope especially as the high profile players begin to look into other options of making more money including going overseas. Taurasi is looking to make more money and to create a better quality of life for her and her future family. This may look like she is money hungry and just wants to get paid more, but then again who does not? You see all high-paid professional male athletes all looking for more money for playing a sport, they switch teams constantly for higher salaries, that is what she is doing, her new team just happens to be in Russia. I do no think that she should be criticized let alone questioned why she is doing this. In all reality who really cares if she is making a move for money, male athletes do it all the time, it is not a big deal. As for a coach being paid double the salary I think that is just unreal. There is no way a coach should be being played more than players, they are not providing the entertainment so why should they get paid more than the players?
There are a lot of issues involved here with regards to the WNBA. The first one that pops up in my mind is the lack of TV contract the WNBA has. When thinking about the NBA, NFL, and MLB, multiple TV contracts are involved. This brings in a ton of revenue for every team in these leagues. Also, it is obvious that the WNBA has attendance issues. Our culture just does not get excited about women's basketball. I don't necessarily know why, but the majority of people would rather spend their money watching men play.
ReplyDeleteI do feel that the salary relocation would help the league, but it would still not be enough for what these players should be paid. Also, if you relocate salaries, you will see the middle level players, who will now be making less money, jump ship and definitely head overseas. In my opinion, Diana Taurasi is making a wise decision. I don't think there is anyone who can be disappointed in what she is doing.
Derek Shay
Alexx,
ReplyDeleteI think a key point to keep in mind in this situation is the interesting scenario of these athletes participating in two separate professional leagues in the same calendar year. That is a unique aspect of the WNBA, and definitely contributes to the greater deterioration of athletes' bodies. Professional athletes already have a shortened average career span, and playing in two league season would seem to only compound the issue.
However, I do believe that the true issue is money. These women are professional athletes and are paid like professional athletes when playing overseas. While playing in the WNBA, they are rarely paid much more than any normal 9-5 working person. The WNBA will have their hands full when more players are given the opportunity to do what Taurasi is doing. This situation hopefully will widen the eyes of the WNBA and force them to realize that these players need to be paid properly. When their coaches are making more than the BEST players, there is a problem in the pay scale.
Joey Durant