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I knew WNBA salaries were pitiful, but I didn't realize they were this bad

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by ondeadline, Apr 3, 2007.

  1. ondeadline

    ondeadline Well-Known Member

    According to an AP story, the top four players picked in the WNBA draft will get $43,200 per season. The second four make $39,960 and the rest of the first-round picks get $35,640. The minimum salary is $32,000 and no player can make more than $93,000.

    All of the above is according to the collective bargaining agreement. They must have told the players that the league would go away if they paid them any more than this.

    Of course if the league went away I probably wouldn't care or notice. It would free up more space in briefs. :)
     
  2. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    The WNBA's silent partner:

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Chi City 81

    Chi City 81 Guest

    We don't even brief it. As rabid an area this is for women's college basketball, I've discovered most people couldn't care less about the WNBA. We do, however, put stuff in during the postseason.
     
  4. beefncheddar

    beefncheddar Guest

    You mean they actually get PAID?!?!?!?
     
  5. ondeadline

    ondeadline Well-Known Member

    Speaking of sports few people care about: We don't even put arena football in briefs unless a player of local interest has a good game. Amazing how AP never sent arena football stories until the league got an NBA contract.
     
  6. boots

    boots New Member

    If those salaries are correct. It is more than what many on these threads are currently making.
     
  7. ondeadline

    ondeadline Well-Known Member

    How often does any pro-sports league's average salary come anywhere close to the average sports journalists? WNBA salaries are low compared to other pro sports, obviously.
     
  8. boots

    boots New Member

    If the figures are correct, today is that day.
     
  9. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    IIRC, some of the WNBA's first stars made about $100,000 per season. But that was about it.

    Capping salaries at $93,000 isn't so bad. Besides, if they want to earn more, they can take the much bigger money usually available overseas or more of them can work the Dawn Staley Plan (play in the WNBA in the summer, coach at Temple during the rest of the year).
     
  10. That's not bad for only, what 40 games a year or something?

    On the other hand, it's horrible when your career won't last much beyond your 30th birthday.
     
  11. Editude

    Editude Active Member

    Some players have personal-services contracts that circumvent the salary structure, but there's a reason most of these players go to Europe in the WNBA offseason.
     
  12. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    I bet MLS wasn't far ahead of that before the Beckham contract. And it seem like the WUSA salary structure was something similar to this, though IIRC the numbers were significantly lower. To a handful of top players who were getting endorsement money, it probably didn't matter, but the commitment to be a pro athlete is pretty large for the numbers we're talking about.
     
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